Independents say airport land should be used for new housing

>> GLOUCESTERSHIRE Airport has been labelled a "private flying club" and it should have been sold off for housing to plug the county’s desperate need.

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The 350-acre Staverton Airport, which directly employs 53 members of staff, and provides for thousands of jobs is being sold by its co-owners Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council.

City Councillors agreed at a special meeting to go ahead with the sale to the preferred bidder who has an investment plan to run the site as a going concern. However, the Community Independents raised concerns that clawback clauses were not indefinite and city taxpayers could lose out.

Councillor Andrew Bell (CI, Grange) questioned why the authority was running an airport.

He said he had never seen a “decent aircraft land there” and the council was allowing it to be a “private flying club”. He asked: “What on earth are we running an airport for?

“We don't need an airport. Don't talk to me about jobs, they are building the two biggest units you've ever seen. Those jobs can be relocated quite easily. We need houses.

“This land is available. 12,500 houses. The party to my left, their lovely person Angela Rayner, wants to build houses everywhere.

“Well this is our perfect chance. This is the most expensive piece of land ever to come up for sale in Gloucestershire.