Plymouth City Airport completed its final flight in July of this year and has no intention to operate commercial flights again. A total of 20 airlines and 17 operators were approached to run the airport, all of which declined.
To close the airport by the book Plymouth City Council must formally accept Sutton Harbour Group’s (the current operator of the airport) notice to close the airport. A meeting between the two is due to be held on 23rd August.
The land at which the commercial property is on is protected from short-term planning applications, thus making it difficult for developers. However the council are hoping someone with big ideas will buy the entire commercial site. Tim Jones, chairman of Devon and Cornwall Business Council expressed his hopes for the land, “We shouldn’t completely rule out the possibility of an entrepreneur somewhere out there who might want to buy the airport.”
A study by Berkeley Hanover Consulting found that the airport had restricted its routes and also limited its aircraft to 50-seater planes, which prevented many commercial airlines from using the airport as it wasn’t financially viable. The study also found that the airport accounted for 5% of the regions passengers in 1995, but this has since dropped to just 1% and now Sutton Harbour Group has £1 million in losses. The study also stated that it was, “Unable to identify an economic rationale for the council to underwrite the commercial risks involved in keeping any scale of airport operations.”
However, if no buyers for the commercial land are found, the council hopes to use the space as a military flying and search and rescue unit. What would you do with the commercial space if you had the chance? Would you build a retail park, a water park or something completely different?
