London Gatwick appoints world-leading architect Sir Terry Farrell to work on runway expansion plans

Today, Chief Executive of Gatwick Airport, Stewart Wingate, announces the appointment of Sir Terry Farrell to provide expert advice on its runway capacity plans.

Sir Terry will offer specialist advice to the airport in support of its proposal for additional runway capacity and its vision for a ‘constellation of three London Airports with two runways each’ – Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

Sir Terry, and his architect planning company, brings over forty years of experience in delivering major development projects across the world. In the UK, building schemes include MI6, Embankment Place, the new Home Office HQ and the Deep Aquarium in Hull. Large scale infrastructure planning and buildings dominate their work in East Asia including Incheon Airport in Korea, Beijing and Guangzhou High Speed rail stations in China and the tallest building ever by a British architect in Shenzhen.

London Gatwick believes that its constellation vision for three competing major London airports is the best solution for London and the UK. Large numbers of world cities are well served by this kind of approach including New York, Tokyo, Moscow, Istanbul and Paris. At the heart of its vision is the reality that London and the South East is the UK’s hub for aviation – not one airport.

London Gatwick also believes that runway expansion at the airport would be affordable, deliverable and sustainable. It would also give passengers, communities, airlines and businesses the certainty they need.

Stewart Wingate, London Gatwick Chief Executive, said: “Sir Terry has unrivalled experience and a unique insight into the aviation debate and the issues which the Airports Commission will have to consider. Having designed major transport infrastructure around the world, including the hub airport in South Korea, he will bring to the airport a track record of delivering major transport projects whilst ensuring London and the UK gets the right solution”.

Sir Terry said: “I am delighted that Farrells and Gatwick have combined forces on the critical issue of airport expansion. The ‘constellation approach’ of keeping Heathrow open, whilst building an additional runway at Gatwick and then in time at Stansted transforms the debate away from the over-engineered and unnecessary idea of a mega hub at Heathrow or to the East of London.

“The world city of London, with the largest aviation market in the world, is the hub and its airport infrastructure needs to evolve and grow around the city. The concept of building a single mega-hub airport is at significant odds with what London needs. There is a reason a city the size of London doesn’t have one mega-railway station but has major stations at Victoria, Waterloo, Kings Cross St. Pancras and Euston – the same principle applies to airports.”

To read London Gatwick vision for the future, ‘A better solution for London & the UK’, click here.

To find out more about Gatwick Airport’s views on the aviation debate go to https://bettersolution.gatwickairport.com