Gatwick Airport is close enough to Crawley that its safeguarding rules can reach a roofing job. Most re-roofs and repairs are done from a scaffold and a ladder, and none of that is affected. The question arises when a job needs something tall: a lorry-mounted crane to lift tile packs onto a high roof, a large platform for a commercial building, or a crane on a neighbouring site working near your property.
The airport publishes a clear rule for cranes and equipment, and it carries a real penalty if ignored. This guide sets out what that rule says, the exceptions, the fees, and how to apply. It also explains how it fits with the council licence a scaffold needs when it stands on the pavement, since that is a separate rule with its own waiting time. Nothing here replaces advice from the airport itself, and the airport's page leaves out who has to apply, so find out who is making the application before a start date goes in the diary.
What the Gatwick crane permit covers
The airport's wording is short. Using a crane inside a 6 km radius of the airport requires a permit. That is the whole rule at its simplest, and everything else is exception and condition.
What are the exceptions?
The airport waives the permit for a crane or other equipment that stays under 10 m high, and also where taller trees or structures screen it on every side. Both tests matter. A compact machine under 10 m sits outside the rule altogether, and a taller machine tucked among taller trees or buildings can qualify too. Neither is a matter of opinion: the height is how high the equipment reaches in use, and the screening has to be complete.
What happens if you ignore it?
The Air Navigation Order makes it an offence to behave recklessly or negligently in a way likely to endanger aircraft, and the airport spells out that running a crane or heavy construction plant inside 6 km of an aerodrome with no permit is covered by that. For a homeowner the point is simple: if a crane is booked, the permit must be sorted before it arrives, and the firm supplying it should be able to say so in plain words.
Does it apply to every address in Crawley?
The rule bites on equipment inside the 6 km line, wherever that falls. A street-by-street distance table is not something to guess at. Ask the airport's team whether your address lies inside the zone. Our Gatwick area page has local background.
Cranes, cherry pickers and scaffolds: which is which
The airport's page talks about a crane or equipment, and in roofing that wording can cover more than one machine. It helps to separate what is clear from what needs a question.
When is a crane involved in roof work?
A crane lorry lifts heavy packs of tiles, slates or insulation panels onto a roof, or lifts plant onto a flat roof. It is most common on tall houses, flats and commercial buildings, where carrying materials up a scaffold by hand would be slow and risky. For an ordinary two-storey house, hand loading from a scaffold is the usual method, and no permit question arises.
What about a cherry picker or a tower?
A cherry picker, a telescopic platform or a tower crane is a machine with a working height. The airport's rule turns on that height and on shielding, so the answer depends on the machine and where it stands. If the working height is close to 10 m, ask the airport rather than assume. Our commercial roofing page covers the larger buildings where tall equipment is most likely.
Does an ordinary scaffold need a Gatwick permit?
The airport's rule is written for cranes and tall equipment, and a standard house scaffold is not described in it, so we treat a scaffold as a highway matter instead. Pavement scaffolding is licensed by the highway authority under section 169 of the Highways Act 1980. Scaffolding kept wholly inside your own boundary requires no highway licence, although a parking bay might still have to be suspended. Our answer on scaffolding for roof repairs goes through the cases.
How to apply and what conditions to expect
Applications go by email to the airport's crane permit team, and the airport wants them lodged alongside any application to the aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority. The airport gives no applicant's name, so ask who is making it and keep track of what is happening.
What does the airport decide?
A permit can come with strings attached. The airport gives examples such as the hours of work, a cap on height and warning lights on the structure. So a permit is not simply a yes or a no. It can shape the day: a crane may be allowed only in set hours, or may have to carry a light while it stands. If the work needs a particular day, tell your roofer early so any conditions are known before materials are ordered.
What does it cost?
Since 1 March 2022 charges have applied to all crane permit applications. A Level 1 standard permit without technical assessment is £300 plus VAT, while Levels 2 to 4 start at £1,000 and top out at £3,000. The level depends on the assessment the airport needs to make. These are the airport's published charges, not a Crown price, and whoever applies passes them on in the job price or sets them out as a condition of the booking. The written quote is a single total, and VAT status should be stated on it.
Who should confirm it is done?
Ask for a copy of the permit or the reference before the crane is booked. A firm that has applied properly will not mind being asked. A firm that dodges the question is giving you a reason to pause, and you can pause the booking until you have the paperwork in your hand. Other checks of this kind apply to any firm you hire.
The wider safeguarding zone and planning
The 6 km permit rule sits inside a larger system. Gatwick publishes an aerodrome safeguarding area, and that is wider than most people expect.
How far does the safeguarding area reach?
The airport reports that the area was extended out to 55 km from November 2024. Gatwick Airport Ltd is a statutory consultee through the Town and Country Planning process, which means planning authorities consult it on certain proposals. For most roof repairs and re-roofs that is not engaged, because like-for-like work does not need planning permission. It is more relevant for a tall extension, a mast, a large commercial building or a crane standing for weeks on a development site.
What about the Civil Aviation Authority?
Separately, the Civil Aviation Authority now requires notification of every crane that reaches 100 m above ground level or higher, and for one-off projects the notice should arrive at least 5 working days ahead. That height is far above any house roof, so it will not apply to a domestic job, but it shows how the rules scale with height.
Are drones affected?
The airport states that using a drone within 5 km of the airport is restricted. If a roofer or surveyor offers to inspect a roof with a drone, ask whether the address falls inside that line and what permission, if any, is needed. Beyond that single line, check the detail with the airport.
Our overview of roof work rules sets this beside the Building Regulations and planning points.
How the permit affects lead times
A permit adds a step before the crane arrives, and each step needs time. The honest advice is to ask early and not to promise a date until the permissions are in place.
What sets the waiting time?
Three things can. The first is the crane permit, where the airport decides the level of assessment and may attach conditions. Ask the permit team how long yours will take before you fix a start date. The second is the scaffold licence, needed when the scaffold sits over the footway. West Sussex County Council wants a gap of at least 10 working days from application to erection, with a fast track for an extra £52 if you cannot wait. Surrey County Council asks for 10 working days before your chosen start, and Kent County Council asks for 5. The third is the weather, which can move any day.
How do you plan around that?
Book the survey first. During the survey we note the height of the building, where lifting equipment would stand and whether the scaffold sits on your land or the pavement. If a licence is required, the scaffolder handles the arrangement and you hear the date it covers. If a crane is needed, we ask who applies for the permit and what the conditions are, then give you a start window that allows for them. Our answer on the West Sussex scaffold licence gives the fees and notice period in full.
A date given before those answers are in is a guess, however firm it sounds. A sensible plan names the unknowns and says when each will be settled, so that you can tell the difference between a delay and a mistake.
Questions to ask before a crane is booked
A short list, to take into any conversation about lifting equipment near the airport.
What should you ask the roofer?
Is a crane or tall platform needed at all, or can the materials go up by hand from the scaffold? What is its working height? Where will it stand: on your drive, on the road, or on a neighbour's land? If it stands on the road, who arranges the permission to put it there? Which firm holds the airport permit, and can you see the reference? Are the charges for the permit in the single total you have been quoted, and does that total include VAT?
What should you ask the airport?
Whether your address is within 6 km, whether the machine in question counts as a crane or equipment under its rule, and how long a permit takes at the level it expects to assess. The airport publishes a crane permit page and a contact address for its team, and answers from the source are better than anything repeated second hand.
What should you keep?
Keep the permit reference, the date it was issued and any conditions. If something goes wrong with a delivery, you will want to show that the paperwork was in order. Also keep the written quote and any messages that mention the start date. If the work is on a commercial building or a block of flats, tell the managing agent early, since lifting equipment may need their approval for access as well.
Our home page shows how a job runs from the first survey to sign-off, including how we explain access and equipment before work starts.
Part of Roofers in Crawley: the full guide
Gatwick permit questions
Do I need a Gatwick permit for a normal re-roof?
Not as a rule. The airport's permit applies to cranes and tall equipment within 6 km of the airport, and a normal re-roof uses a scaffold and hand loading. If your roofer plans a lorry-mounted crane, ask whether it is under 10 m or shielded, and who is applying for the permit.
Who pays for the crane permit fee?
Whoever applies pays the airport, and the cost is then passed on in the price you agree. A Level 1 standard permit without technical assessment is £300 plus VAT. Ask that any permit charge is covered in the single written total and that the quote says whether VAT is included.
Can a permit delay my roof job?
It can, because the airport decides the level of assessment and may attach conditions such as working hours or lighting. Ask the permit team how long your application will take before you fix a date. A start date promised before the permit is in place is only a hope.
