Airport ‘won’t be covered by homes’

GLOUCESTERSHIRE Airport will not be sold before this year’s council elections, according to civic chiefs who stress whatever happens “it won’t be covered in housing”.

Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council leaders said in November that they are working to bring in a new owner for the site which is jointly owned by both authorities.

The airport is run by Gloucestershire Airport Ltd which was established in 1993 and of which both councils have a 50 per cent shareholding.

But leaders of both authorities say it is the right time for a new owner to bring in more investment in the site.

Group leaders were given a tour of the airport in Staverton earlier this week and were briefed about possible investment opportunities and the airport’s recovery post-Covid.

City Council’s Conservative leader Richard Cook said there have been eight expressions of interest but he expects that will be whittled down to two or three as they go through the process.

He said the authorities want to sell it as a going concern and “not for someone to asset strip it and build a load of houses on the runway”.

He said: “We want the site to continue as an airport and for the business park to continue to provide work for people who live in Gloucestershire.

“Councils no longer have the funding to be able to invest large amounts of money to make an airport successful.

“We don’t have that funding available any more.

“Our funding is being spent on regenerating the city centre and we don’t have the funding to help grow the airport into the profitability it needs to be sustainable.”

Liberal Democrat group leader Jeremy Hilton said the visit and briefing was extremely useful and was pleased with Cllr Cook’s reassurance that no decision on any sale would be made before May 2.

He said his group is wholly committed to maintaining a viable operational general aviation airport at Staverton.

The existing 300-acre Gloucestershire Airport site was formed in 1936 and originally named Staverton Airport, replacing its predecessor at Down Hatherley Airfield.

It is one of the UK’s busiest general aviation airports, ranking in the Civil Aviation Authority’s top 15 airports for aircraft movements.

It has its own fire station and two business parks spanning a combined 700,000 square-foot, including the recently completed CGX Connect.