5 March 2018
The vital role that General Aviation airfields play is to be recognised in the government’s overhaul of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), announced today.
The NPPF provides planning guidance to local authorities and sets out a comprehensive approach for planners, developers and councils.
The revised text includes new Paragraph 105(f) which says that planning policies should “recognise the importance of maintaining a national network of general aviation facilities – taking into account their economic value in serving business, leisure, training and emergency service needs, and the Government’s General Aviation Strategy”.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on General Aviation has welcomed the change.
Grant Shapps MP, chair of the all-party group, said: “Today’s publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework is welcome. This demonstrates the Government now recognises the enormous contribution General Aviation makes to high-tech jobs and the national economy.
“This proposed change also gives the sector a much welcome boost and should encourage the investment necessary to return UK General Aviation to its place as a world leader. It is also good to see the General Aviation Strategy being referenced directly from the National Planning Policy Framework.
“However, there are disappointments. General Aviation is not yet classified as ’national infrastructure’ and there is a Brownfield classification problem to be addressed in order to complete the changes General Aviation needs to provide STEM jobs and growth for the future.”
According to government research, the General Aviation sector directly contributes £3bn to the UK economy every year, and employs over 38,000 people in high-tech science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs. It enables the wider £60.6bn UK aviation sector to exist.
The draft document is now open for consultation, closing on 10 May 2018.
All-Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation
8 comments
Delighted the government recognises the worth of airfields. I wonder how long this will take to filter down to local planning. Will they have put up all their housing estates on airfields before word gets to them that that is no longer the in thing to do.
There are more and more MP’s and Peers registering their support on a daily basis, which is fantastic for GA. If you would like a template to edit and email your local MP, make them aware and respectfully request their support, please contact me with your email or contact me on Twitter and I will be only too happy to forward on to you.
Andy
@pplbarton
Hi Andy,
Any help would be apriciated.
Kind Regards
Rob Biddles
I hope that the planning departments cater for either live/work or residential hangar homes on GA airfields, as these help to safeguard the airfield and make them more sustainable, as each would contribute financially to its upkeep.
First the planning department must recognise that an airfield is there! Example: I was at a local planning meeting to support a friend on another matter. A speaker trying to get planning permission for a ‘Garden Village’ was saying how the fields are very poor for agriculture and hence better for housing. He commented that in WW2 the Americans had put up an airfield but had left at the end of the war leaving behind a couple of hangars. i.e dismiss that lot. What he did not put in was that the airfield is very active, training up to CPL and the hangars have active aircraft in them. There was no comment from the planning committee, whilst another friend held me down!! If that is what the planning committee go on then the airfield is beyond hope.
Fantastic , and about time !
This is very bad news. Do NOT read this as meaning all airfields will be protected!! It specifically says “a network of” not “THE network of” …
Don’t forget that the government just a few weeks ago appointed Byron Davies to identify exactly which airfields should be in the network:
“The government has appointed Byron Davies as its first ever General Aviation Champion to help identify a network of UK aerodromes that are most important for non-scheduled flying to flourish.”
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-champion-raises-profile-for-private-flying
Basically, if Mr Davies identifies your airfield as part of the network, it will protected, if he doesn’t .. it is effectively green-lighting it for conversion to housing. I read the whole thing as “look, there’s an awful lot of space used up by airfields, can we work out which ones we need to keep and which ones we can develop” … “oh, and dress it up nicely”
Be worried.
As flyers we need the support provided by GA airfields. Despite our great RAF and aviation prowess, we seem now to undervalue this activity, with “PLANNING” being allowed greedy access to our heritage airfields.
France by contrast recognises the big contribution to goodwill, happiness and healthy lifestyle that GA and Microlight flying offers the community, setting an enviable scene.
I hope the forthcoming study will at last re-value this dwindling UK resource…
Ralph Chesters