The campaign group Save Nottingham Airfield presented a petition signed by 2,599 Rushcliffe residents against plans for housing on the site.
Sarah Deacon handed the petition to Cllr Roger Upton, Portfolio Holder for Planning & Housing on Rushcliffe Borough Council at Rushcliffe Arena this afternoon.
Nottingham City Airfield at Tollerton is threatened with closure which could result in immediate job losses from flying schools, ground staff, specialist engineering and overhaul workshops, Chocks Away! café and the flying club.
Plans submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council propose a mix of full and outline planning permission for the phased residential development that could see 4,000 dwellings, a primary school and supporting infrastructure such as open spaces and sports pitches.
The Council have advised the applicants it cannot determine either application until such time that a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is in place, which is a masterplan for the site.
The plans include all of the land at Nottingham City ( Tollerton ) Airport, a much-loved local facility where families enjoy time watching aircraft and visiting Chocks Away! cafe – but also the airfield supports dozens of jobs. It has flight training schools and aircraft stowage and maintenance businesses on the site.
Sarah, who organises the group Save Nottingham Airfield said:
‘It is essential to preserving national infrastructure, for example being used by the National Grid, Forestry Commission and the Police Aviation Branch.
‘Innovative and sector-leading research on green propulsion that the University of Nottingham are undertaking on-site to help to achieve JetZero and NetZero targeting would halt and be forced to move outside the county.
‘The airfield provides the landing and refuelling capability for the Air Ambulance and Heli-med Services which regularly use the airfield (transferring critical patients and clinicians to the QMC, the region’s trauma hub). Closure would also remove the only night landing capability for these services. Losing 24/7 access to emergency and trauma care would put lives at risk for the people of the Borough.
‘It is a valuable community asset, loved, visited and needed by many of the Borough’s residents. Please help us to save it by signing the petition below calling on Rushcliffe Borough Council to remove the airfield from it’s allocation in the Greater Nottinghamshire Strategic Plan. (Greater Nottingham Planning Partnership (gnplan.org.uk))
‘The petition will also be submitted as part of the consultation on the Greater Nottinghamshire Strategic Plan later this year and against any planning application arising on the site’
Sarah added:
‘A report analysing potential routes for UK Advanced Air Mobility names Nottingham City Airport- identifying that it could be worth £17.3 million to the regional economy, per year.
‘Sustainable planning is about meeting the needs of the current population WITHOUT inhibiting the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
‘Demolishing Nottingham City Airport would irreparably harm the ability of future generations to meet their needs, and would negatively impact the economic prospects of the region.
‘It would deny opportunities to participate in, and benefit from, the revolution in Air Mobility that is already happening worldwide.
‘We have to save this place, not just for us, but for the benefit of generations to come.’
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