Plymouth has a proud aviation history; the first Trans Atlantic crossing landed in Plymouth Sound in 1919, the world’s first airmail took off from Mountbatten and the current airport played a significant role during the Second World War when it was RAF Roborough.
The airport closed its doors in 2011, when the tenant (wholly owned by Sutton Harbour Holdings) deemed it uneconomic, so enacted the Armageddon Clause in Schedule 7 of the airport lease. It is a myth that the Conservative Group closed it. What is a fact is the airport site has been ‘mothballed’ since then and the Labour Group had more than one opportunity to take it back for aviation.
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While nobody expects a massive international airport on that small site, the people of Plymouth do need some form of aviation to be returned. A city with 265,000 inhabitants and no aviation is a paradox. An airport is vital for a city of this size – many businesses pulled out of Plymouth when the airport closed, and, others are deterred from establishing themselves here because of poor communications. Economic growth depends on re-opening this site.
The Conservative Group stimulated council support when two Motions on Notice were passed in an attempt to restore aviation to the airport site. The first Motion in September 2023 called for the formation of a Strategic Working Group (Cross Party) to progress the re-opening of Plymouth Airport. The second Motion in January this year called for a Notice of Forfeiture to be served on the tenant.
The hope is that once the old lease is ‘cleared off’ and the site returned to the freeholder, Plymouth City Council, aviation may be restored to Plymouth. Both Motions, although amended by the Labour Administration, were backed by full Council.
The city needs connectivity with the region, country and Europet. Our Motions were not a mandate for dogma, but, in part, calling for a return to the past. The airport is needed in order for the city to prosper and stave off any future industrial decline.
There are problems landing emergency services and military here. Chief executives of big business are put off coming to Plymouth because there is nowhere to land a helicopter. I do not want the site covered in housing.
