Sadness as closing day looms for 'irreplaceable' airfield cafe

THE owner of a Nottinghamshire cafe where customers can watch planes taking off has announced a closing date after a year of fighting plans to build 1,600 new homes at Tollerton Airfield.

- By LYNETTE PINCHESS

Chocks Away! is one of the businesses, along with Nottingham City Airport, and training schools, affected by the proposals from developer Vistry.

They have been given until June 6 to shut but the cafe's final day will be May 10 to allow owner Alison Holt time to clear out the building. She said: "The cafe is a casualty of this. It's a massive blow. Even though we've been fighting against this for over a year now, it still doesn't make a lot of sense to us if I'm honest because there's no planning even been heard let alone granted."

"There was a petition to Vistry Homes asking them to please let the airfield continue flying and let the businesses stay open until the planning's been decided because that would be the fair thing to do they haven't even responded. They're not interested. They just want us out. They literally gave us three months notice."

Chocks Away! survived the pandemic, power cuts, snow and all the challenges thrown at it until now.

Over the past 13 years the cafe has became a hit with a mix of customers, including children who love watching planes take off and land.