Two new runways would mean building homes for 200,000 people
A new town the size of Southampton would be needed if plans to build two new runways at Gatwick are approved, according to a report.
The Daily Telegraph reports that if the airport expansion goes ahead, accommodation for some 200,000 people would be required – and that such a development would give the area “the character of the present area around Heathrow”.
Berkeley Hanover, which carried out the research, claim that the Government has seriously underestimated the amount of housing that would be required if Gatwick were selected as the airport to be expanded to provide the south-east of the country with a new “hub” for future years.
The company claims that if two new runways were built at Gatwick, it would have nearly twice the current capacity of Heathrow. This would result in the creation of some 103,000 jobs, which in turn could lift the population of West Sussex by nearly 70 per cent by 2030.
