I wonder if you could shed some light on a matter related to Gatwick’s preparation of its DCO application please? Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) published as part of its pre-application consultation a proposed noise envelope. This was the first time that interested parties had been advised of the proposal and there had not been any engagement with local authorities or other community interests on the proposal development of the noise envelope design. GAL’s proposal for a noise envelope is a strategically important moment for dealing with noise in and around Gatwick Airport. It is not yet known whether GAL intends to seek further engagement on the evolving design or whether it will just submit the final design taking into account pre-application consultation feedback as part of the application submission. The Chair of GATCOM and the Chair of Gatwick’s Noise Management Executive Board have a meeting with GAL next Monday (7 March) to discuss a way forward on how GAL can achieve an appropriately inclusive process, further engagement on, and development of, the noise envelope before GAL’s submission of the DCO application. This is an issue of great concern to many interested parties as the CAA’s guidance on noise envelope preparation and design in CAP 1129 sets out a series of consultation requirements for noise envelope design and changes which have not been observed to date. GATCOM hopes that GAL will, once it has considered pre-application consultation feedback, look to observe the noise envelope design process set out in the CAA’s guidance. However, we do not wish to press for this if the further engagement required as part of that process would not be in accordance with or bring into question the requirements of the DCO process. Please can you advise? Does the DCO process override the CAA’s guidance or is there still scope to have further engagement with interested parties, including communities?

Please see attached.