Rushcliffe MP James Naish met with developers Vistry Group last week to make strong points about the early closure of Nottingham City Airport ( Tollerton ).
On 4 March Vistry Homes, the landowner and developer behind plans for homes on Tollerton Airfield served notice on operators Truman Aviation and other businesses who operate at the site.
The date of closure is 6 June 2025.
An arrangement between Lincs Notts Air Ambulance and the developer to continue its operation during the ‘initial phase’ has been agreed.
The letter sent by James Naish MP after his meeting with the company reads below:
‘Thank you for meeting me on Thursday, as requested, to talk about your plans for the development of the Nottingham Airport site. It was helpful to hear directly from you about your future plans.
‘As you know, this project has caused a lot of anger among Rushcliffe residents who use and value Nottingham Airport, both as a local and a regional asset.
‘The planning application and site allocation are ultimately matters for Rushcliffe Borough Council and its councillors, and I don’t wish to revisit these arguments here.
‘However, as discussed, it is important that I emphasise residents’ anger at notice being served on existing operators on the site before planning permission has been granted. This action has been interpreted as purposefully bringing site operations to an end early, without appropriate consultation and consideration for the wider community’s interests.
‘While I understand your desire to move quickly if planning permission is granted, as you explained during our meeting, and that there are preparation works required in the background, I struggle to understand how – given your intention to develop the site over many years – this is the best way to start relations with the local community. It is always important that residents’ voices are heard and that their valid concerns are addressed. It is critical, therefore, that Vistry takes swift action to rebuild trust with the community and it is essential that, moving forwards, you take steps to engage clearly and transparently with local stakeholders, rather than resorting to what has been described as “covert actions”.
‘I would urge Vistry to consider alternative ways to balance commercial and community interests in the short term, in advance of the site being granted planning permission or not.
‘More broadly, it is clear from my ongoing discussions with local residents that there is a genuine desire to see this development work well, should it go ahead … not just for the benefit of developers and potential future residents but for the long-term good of the community. I sincerely hope Vistry recognises this, and that it will double down on its efforts to ensure that – however long the company is involved with applications and potential development on this site – the engagement with, and return for, existing residents is positive.
‘Thank you again for your time on Thursday, and I hope this communication will be taken on board and reflected in all future actions.’
Office of James Naish MP
The Save Nottingham City Airfield group responded to the announcement by Vistry Group to issue notice to cease operations at Tollerton Airport.
Sarah Deacon who organised and launched the group told The Wire:
‘It’s cruel and cynical to affect dozens of lives like this for no gain.
‘Forcing businesses to close, making people redundant, cancelling apprenticeships, cutting training short
‘And all of this when planning permission hasn’t even been considered, let alone granted!
‘Just because a site is allocated in a Local Plan for housing, it does NOT mean it will automatically get planning permission. There are so so many factors to consider- and things that might not have been known at the time the site went into the plan.
‘We need to let Vistry know, loud and clear, how much of a PR disaster forcing the closure of the airfield is.’
There is a protest planned by the group at the airfield on Sunday 16 March at 11 am.
L-R: Peter Langridge, Lynda Crunkhorn, Kathryn Bull, Sarah Deacon and Robert Bush.
© westbridgfordwire.com
Brian Wells who owns Truman Aviation the airport operator said:
‘The developers were determined to have everywhere shut down for when they came to planning, “We agreed we’d have two to five years here before they would take over.
“They even suggested they could keep one runway open for us. But the main board of developers say they’ve had enough of all these people protesting and decided to shut it down sooner rather than later. We were hoping not to get this for a couple of years and it’s very sad those plans backfired.”
The site has been part of land designated for potential development in the draft Rushcliffe Local Plan for a decade.
A spokesperson for Vistry told The Wire when the closure was announced:
“With the site having been allocated for development a decade ago, we are keen to progress our plans and commence construction of the new homes, subject to planning permission.
“Vistry is working closely with Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire Air Ambulance about the redevelopment of Tollerton Airfield. We have agreed to work together to maintain a safe landing site which will ensure that the current air ambulance service can continue during the initial phase of development.”
“Vistry’s site forms part of the wider allocation which ensures that infrastructure is delivered alongside the new homes providing new schools, sports facilities, green spaces, employment land and community facilities. We estimate that some 500 direct and indirect jobs will be created during the construction stage of Vistry’s application, and once the full site allocation is completed some 1,450 jobs are expected to be created.”
The spokesperson continued, “We have worked closely with the Council on this comprehensive development and have consulted widely with the local community. We look forward to making further progress on these plans and providing Rushcliffe residents with much needed new and affordable homes and employment opportunities.”
