Nottinghamshire County Council has approved the granting of a new lease to Nottingham City Airport Ltd for the continued use of land at Nottingham City ( Tollerton ) Airport.
This decision, reported by the Group Manager of Property Asset Management, aims to support the airport’s ongoing operations while securing rental income for the Council.
Key Details of the Lease
The land in question, located off Tollerton Lane, comprises approximately 16.08 acres, divided into 3.38 acres of hard standing and 12.7 acres of grassland. This land is obviously crucial for the airport’s activities, with the hard standing section serving as part of the runway and taxiing area.
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The previous lease for the land expired on December 6, 2023, and since then, Nottingham City Airport Ltd has been occupying the site under a Tenancy at Will agreement. The new lease terms, detailed in an exempt appendix ( because of commercial business information ) to the report, have now been agreed upon, ensuring the airport can continue its operations without interruption.
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Consultation and Alternatives
Consultations regarding the new lease included input from the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management, as well as the Ward member.
While an alternative option considered was to issue a notice for the tenant to vacate, this would have resulted in a loss of rental income for the Council, making the new lease the more favourable option.
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Financial and Policy Implications
The lease agreement is set to provide continued rental income to the Council, with each party covering their own legal costs for the transaction. The report compiled for this decision also considered various statutory and policy implications, including aspects of finance, data protection, crime and disorder, human resources, human rights, public health, and sustainability. Appropriate consultations were conducted to address these implications.
The recommendation to approve the lease falls within the delegated authority of the Service Director for Green Growth, Investment, and Assets, as implemented by the Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management.
This comes after plans for a major new 4,000-home housing estate which includes airport land in Rushcliffe which will eventually include three schools.
Developers Barwood Land and Taylor Wimpey submitted plans for the first phase of the ‘Gamston Fields’ development, which will include up to 2,250 homes, a primary school, local centre, takeaway and shop.
The plans also include a children’s play area and a ‘green hub’ with sports pitches.
The application is for ‘outline planning permission’ – meaning it seeks general permission, with more detail to be supplied later.
The Gamston Fields plans are part of a wider development of up to 4,000 homes and a secondary school.
Part of the site covers land used by Nottingham City Airport, including the runways, in Tollerton.
The plans have been in the works for some time with the initial development submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council in 2020.
In March this year, a second planning application for new homes at the site of Tollerton Airfport was submitted to Rushcliffe Borough Council following the first submission in December 2020 for housing, a primary school, a local centre and supporting infrastructure.
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It proposes a mixture of full and outline planning permission for the phased residential development that could see dwellings, a second primary school and supporting infrastructure such as open spaces and sports pitches.
There is a further area of land that does not form part of the two planning applications received, which could be for additional homes, community infrastructure, employment land, and a secondary school.
These second plans have gathers 1,642 objections from local residents and stakeholders and a movement on social media to save the airport.
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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.
Planning officers are working with the consortium of landowners for the development of this master plan to ensure all public and community infrastructure is planned properly and to the highest standards, taking account of the needs of the new and existing communities.
Rushcliffe Borough Council’s Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Cllr Roger Upton said: “We are duty bound to validate the application if it is correct and cannot decline to do so, but the applicants are aware we cannot determine the application until the SPD is in place.
“We will formally consult technical consultees, ward members, the relevant Parish Councils and local residents, all of whom will have the chance to comment on the proposals.”
