A second county council has withdrawn support for the expansion of Gatwick airport, leaving plans for a second runway in tatters.
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) voted 37 to 26 to reverse its decision in July 2013 and withdraw its support for a second runway at the airport.
In a statement, WSCC said that it reversed its original decision to support a second runway at Gatwick because of a “high level of opposition that has been raised locally over the environmental impact and infrastructure implications”.
Pieter Montyn, West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said:
“Councillors believed that Gatwick has not, to date, put forward sufficient evidence to counter the very serious environmental and noise fears of local residents and so voted to now oppose expansion.”
The decision follows the decision by Kent County Council in November, which withdrew support for a second runway after disagreements over new flight paths.
A second runway at Gatwick airport is one of three options being considered by the Airports Commission to increase flight capacity in the South East. The other two options are a third runway or an extension to one of current runways at Heathrow airport.
The Airports Commission is expected to make a recommendation to the Government regarding airport expansion and capacity later this year.
