In a deal to allow Nottingham City Airport in Tollerton to increase the number of flights and to introduce European flights, Nottingham City Council has recently sold 113 acres of farmland to the airport owners.
The Council received £700,000 for the land, having already sold the freehold of the airport site for an undisclosed sum in 2006.
The airport development will see the current runway lengthened from 1000m to 1500m to accommodate larger international aircraft.
Plans are also being drawn up for a 300,000 sq ft business development, which has raised concerns about increased traffic on Tollerton Lane and the dangerous junction with the A52 at Gamston.
In a statement that could only be interpreted as blackmailing local residents, Brian Wells, a director of airport owners Truman Aviation, claims that the larger airport would be a buffer to potential housing developments. Mr Wells is in a good position to make such assertions as he is also the Director of John A Wells, who own the greenbelt land at Sharphill where property developers are hoping to build 1200 new houses.
The 113 acres sold to Mr Wells and his company is significantly larger than required for the airport development, raising suspicions that housing development on the site is still an option. In the event that the Sharphill development does not get the green light from the planning authorities Mr Wells and the Council would still benefit from housing development near the airport.
This concern is reinforced by a clause in the land sale contract guaranteeing the Council a 75% share of the profits if this land is subsequently sold for housing development.
So there you have it, at a time when we urgently need to be producing more food locally and open green spaces are being recognised as vital to public health, publicly owned farmland is being sold off to enable more and larger aircraft flights and further greenbelt housing development.
The airport development will see the current runway lengthened from 1000m to 1500m to accommodate larger international aircraft.
Plans are also being drawn up for a 300,000 sq ft business development, which has raised concerns about increased traffic on Tollerton Lane and the dangerous junction with the A52 at Gamston.
In a statement that could only be interpreted as blackmailing local residents, Brian Wells, a director of airport owners Truman Aviation, claims that the larger airport would be a buffer to potential housing developments. Mr Wells is in a good position to make such assertions as he is also the Director of John A Wells, who own the greenbelt land at Sharphill where property developers are hoping to build 1200 new houses.
The 113 acres sold to Mr Wells and his company is significantly larger than required for the airport development, raising suspicions that housing development on the site is still an option. In the event that the Sharphill development does not get the green light from the planning authorities Mr Wells and the Council would still benefit from housing development near the airport.
This concern is reinforced by a clause in the land sale contract guaranteeing the Council a 75% share of the profits if this land is subsequently sold for housing development.
So there you have it, at a time when we urgently need to be producing more food locally and open green spaces are being recognised as vital to public health, publicly owned farmland is being sold off to enable more and larger aircraft flights and further greenbelt housing development.
runway geek
13.04.2008 09:10
Steve
Homepage:
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk