Petition launched against airfield housing project

A campaign group has launched a petition in an effort to stop a housing development being built on the site of an airfield.

Developers want to build 1,600 homes and a primary school at Tollerton airfield, in Nottinghamshire.

The runway, air traffic control building and a café at the site would be demolished under the plans at the airfield, which is home to Nottingham City Airport.

The Save Nottingham City Airfield group launched a petition two weeks ago and said since then, it had received more than 2,000 signatures.

Concerns about emergency helicopters losing a refuelling spot, the impact on biodiversity and job losses have been raised by the group.

The campaign is calling on Rushcliffe Borough Council to remove the airfield from its homes allocation in the Greater Nottinghamshire Strategic Plan.

Sarah Deacon, a nursing lecturer and chair of the group, said: "Not having the airport would mean we would lose the night landing capability for the air ambulance, which is absolutely crucial to allow 24/7 access to the trauma hub at the Queen's Medical Centre.

"There are very few trauma centres unfortunately that do have 24/7 access and we are very lucky.

"If we look at taking that away and adding an extra 10 or 20 miles to the journey by road, it's been documented in several research studies that it adds an extra 1% mortality risk.

"So it could mean the difference literally of life and limb. We're hoping we can help to save the airport for generations to come."

A planning application for 400 homes was submitted to the council in March, and forms part of the wider proposal to build 1,600 homes at the airfield.

The developer Vistry Group said the project would create hundreds of jobs for local people.

Another development has been proposed for land next to the airfield, after an application for 2,250 homes, a primary school and other infrastructure was put forward in 2020.

Sarah, who runs the Save Nottingham City (Tollerton) Airfield Facebook page, added: "People recognise that losing the airport would mean losing an enormous swathe of grass meadow. They are really concerned about losing the biodiversity of the site.

"People are also concerned about the jobs. There are seven businesses on the site, up to 70 jobs locally would be lost if the site was lost.

"It's really important that people understand it isn't a done deal. There’s this planning process within our country that is there to make sure that we keep our generation and generations to come safe."

The local strategic plan has allocated for up to 4,000 homes to be built on the site and surrounding areas.

A Rushcliffe Borough Council spokesperson said: "We do not intend to consider the planning application until the masterplan that includes the Tollerton Airport site is in place and we are awaiting developers to submit this to be considered by the council.

"At that point we will formally consult local residents, technical consultees, ward members and the relevant parish councils, all of whom will have the chance to comment on the proposals."

A statement from Vistry Group added: "The planning application and allocation will enable new jobs and training opportunities for local people and companies, during and after construction.

"It is estimated that some 500 direct and indirect jobs will be created during the construction stage of Vistry application, with some 1,500 jobs provided for by the allocation overall following completion."

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