Council bid to regain control of Plymouth Airport

Plymouth Airport closed in 2011

Plymouth City Council has said it was seeking to regain control of the city’s airport.

The airport on the outskirts of the city has been closed for 12 years, but now the council wants to bring the site back under its wing, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The Sutton Harbour Group has the airport on a long lease from the council, and is responsible for maintaining the infrastructure of the site.

But in response to a question from a member of the public at a meeting of the city’s cabinet committee on Monday, council leader Tudor Evans said it was time the city stepped in.

He said: “I have instructed council officers to do everything possible to see if we can acquire the lease which would give the council control of what happens to the site.

“Negotiations are ongoing.”

He said taking back the lease would mean the council could decide on the future of the airfield.

“It should be the council making these decisions for the benefit of the public, not private property developers,” he said.

The BBC contacted The Sutton Harbour Group for comment.