16 September 2016
The fate of Plymouth Airport will be decided over the next year, says the FlyPlymouth campaign fighting to reopen the airport. On Monday 19 September, FlyPlymouth will launch a new Crowdfund campaign to raise £75,000 for the fighting fund.
Plymouth City Council is finalising the Plymouth Plan which states that Plymouth Airport should not be allocated for housing development but reserved for aviation use between now and 2031. That plan will undergo examination in public during 2017. A planning inspector will decide whether the policy to allocate the airport for aviation use is sound and FlyPlymouth’s plans will form part of the evidence on which this will be decided.
“We are confident, as is Plymouth City Council, that the Plymouth Plan has been properly created and is formed of sound policy based on good evidence,” said Raoul Witherall, chief executive of FlyPlymouth. “We expect a favourable outcome.
“However, we won’t be sitting on our laurels. FlyPlymouth intends to participate in the Examination in Public and ensure that the case for aviation is well structured and delivered by the very best experts and barristers. That will require funding which we are raising with this crowdfund.
“The Examination in Public is the hinge that Plymouth Airport rests on. If approved, the land must be operated as an airport. Without approval, Plymouth could lose its airport once and for all.”
The airport is owned by Plymouth Council but it has leased it to property developer Sutton Harbour Holdings. It wants to turn it into a garden suburb of homes and restaurants, saying there is insufficient demand for a re-opened airport and the city should use the land for housing.
A long-awaited Government report into the feasibility of the airport is apparently nearing publication – more than eight months late. Local MP Johnny Mercer said, “This is simply not good enough. This report has big implications for people in Plymouth on both sides of the debate. I believe it is unacceptable for them to be kept waiting as the report undergoes numerous levels of checking and rechecking.”
LINK FlyPlymouth
