'Hullabaloo' around Gloucestershire Airport sale turns off buyers

The "hullabaloo" around the potential sale of an airport has turned off a number of interested buyers, a councillor said.

Councillors have accused council bosses of keeping them in the dark over a move to sell Gloucestershire Airport.

The site is run by Gloucestershire Airport Limited, which is jointly owned by Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council.

Councillor Jeremy Hilton is calling for the sale to be halted.

He was informed about the move by a Cheltenham Borough Council cabinet member and blasted the city council's conservative leader Richard Cook last week for not informing group leaders of the plans.

But Mr Cook said Mr Hilton's public questions had thwarted their intention of notifying group leaders of the potential sale ahead of a press release, which was due to be released this week.

He added that the "hullabaloo" created has "flushed out a number of other organisations who are interested in potentially taking over the airport", implying that they were no longer interested in buying the site.

"No sale has been agreed," Mr Cook said. "A company approached the airport some months ago and asked about the possibility of them buying the airport.

"Equally the shareholders would need to agree that any offer from them was acceptable. No offer has yet been made to my knowledge.

"In my honest opinion, I believe that future success at the airport will require new investment. I do not believe that the current shareholders have the financial ability to deliver that investment.

"However, I recognise that the airport is a key asset within the county delivering many jobs of all types, so I am keen to see that continuing."

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

In 1993, Gloucester City and Cheltenham Borough Councils formed Gloucestershire Airport Limited.

Today, Gloucestershire Airport 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.

Follow BBC West on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]