Almondsbury helicopter base plan public meeting held

The proposed site for the new shared helicopter base is between the M5 to the south and the A38 to the north

Plans for a new helicopter base for the Great Western Ambulance are to be debated over continuing concerns about noise and loss of green belt land.

The base has been proposed near the M4/M5 interchange for the charity and National Police Air Service (NPAS).

The charity says its current Filton base is outdated and its chosen site will be left mainly as open fields.

A special public meeting is being held in Filton later for the local council to gather more views about the plans.

The base will house a hangar, car park, Met Office weather station and new access to the A38. It will also be used for the police helicopter.

Campaigner Julian Stinton said: "Green belt is there for a purpose, it's to protect smaller communities from being subsumed by larger ones."

Land at the helicopter's Filton Airfield home is being redeveloped for housing, so the charity has said it will need to move eventually.

Chief executive at Great Western Air Ambulance, John Christensen, said: "We need a big open space - that was the problem about staying on at Filton.

"When we build a helicopter base on Almondsbury interchange, it's 72 acres - and it will stay green.

"You can't build anything there because you need an open space to fly a helicopter - there are power lines going over there at the moment, they will be buried so it will improve the view."

South Gloucestershire Council has not yet set a date for planning application to be considered.

The meeting will take place on Friday evening.