2 July 2018
Stratford-on-Avon District Council is living up to its promise to safeguard Wellesbourne Airfield and has begun compulsory purchase order (CPO) proceedings for the site.
The District Council has written to Mr M Littler, one of the owners of the site, to inform him of the District Council’s intention to commence negotiations with Littler Investments Limited with a view to purchasing and protecting Wellesbourne Airfield as a working airfield.
This is the first stage of the CPO process to give Littler Investments Limited the opportunity to engage with the District Council, with a view to a voluntary sale of the site. They have until Wednesday 11 July to respond to this, following which if they do not engage with the District Council then CPO proceedings will commence.
Cllr Tony Jefferson, Leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council said, “Wellesbourne Airfield is an important facility within Stratford-on-Avon District.
“There is a clear policy position under the District Council’s adopted Core Strategy 2011-2031 that the site be preserved for aviation purposes.
“The actions of Littler Investments Limited in terminating the leases of businesses operating on the site; wishing to demolish existing buildings on the site and the agreements with Gladman Developments Limited are all in direct opposition to this policy position.
“The District Council has now decided to use its Compulsory Purchase Order powers in order to maintain the current planning use of the site.”
The District Council has also requested that the businesses on site be given temporary tenancies to preserve the livelihood of the 100 employees (44 full-time and 60 part-time).
15 comments
Great news but your help is required! THAT IS EVERYONE IN GA, PLEASE HELP! Compulsory purchase will take time, so in the meantime, the tenant businesses are also trying to raise funds to appeal the judge’s decision to go against Stratford Council wishes to retain Wellesbourne as a viable airfield. They are trying to raise £100, 000 to fund the judicial appeal through crowdfunding. For more information, please see http://www.savewellesbourneairfield.com. If the tenant businesses – flying schools, café, Vulcan bomber preservation society etc etc can win this, it will form a good precedent for other threatened airfields. Please support it. I am only a ‘newby’ PPL learner at Wellesbourne, and I can see what a tremendous, friendly airfield this is, so please, all flying enthusiasts, help!!
Great news re the CPO. Wellesbourne is a regular, welcoming destination – long
may it continue.
Good news for a change !
Good luck to them and I only wish that the council lording over HUCKNALL AIRFIELD had had the same attitude in 2014 – they and sadly Rolls-Royce PLC could not have cared less about us and the huge RR heritage of the airfield and its usefulness. That council is the terrible ASHFIELD DC
One of the most useless and corrupt in the UK !!!
Wellesboune Mountfield holds very special memories for me, I learnt to fly there with the South Warwickshire Flying School in 1986 and flew regularly from there until 1994, I’ve been back in a few times since on specific milestones… to log 1000, 5000 and 9300 hours TT and have a decent breakfast. Really pleased to see that it’s being supported by the local council.
Fantastic, at last a council who appreciates the great and historical asset they have and the important facilities it offers for the future.
Well done SDC