Overview

• Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has cleared Gatwick’s £2.2bn plan to realign its standby strip into routine use, a move expected to enable about 100,000 more flights a year.
• Estate agency Yopa estimates average local prices will slip 3% before construction starts, with homes closest to the airport or under new flight paths falling by around 7.5%.
• Mole Valley faces the steepest modelled drop at roughly £40,513 on average, with notable projected reductions in Tandridge (£38,270) and Reigate and Banstead (£36,469), plus falls in Horsham, Mid Sussex and Crawley.
• The study projects an average 9.5% rise in the year after the runway opens as jobs and transport links feed through to the local economy.
• Opponents have signalled a judicial review of the decision, and project backers suggest the runway could be operational before 2029, a timeline that remains unconfirmed.