Proposals for a new Air Park at Cranfield
Airport (EGTC) have taken a step forward with the granting of outline planning
permission by Central Bedfordshire Council.
The plans for the Air Park will help the
University realise its ambition to develop a state-of-the-art airport for
private jets and to help maintain the airport for its research objectives.
Under the plans, the airport will see new
aircraft hangars and an associated business terminal, new office space, a hotel
and various upgrade works within the airport. The Air Park will be developed
over two separate phases, with the aim of completion in 2024 and the potential
to generate over 600 new jobs.
Rob Abbott,
Director of Aviation Operations at Cranfield University, said: “This is an
exciting time for Cranfield Airport. Together with the installation of the
remote control tower, the development of these new facilities will mean
Cranfield Airport is one of the UK’s premier private business airports,
underlined by its strategic location.”
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Cranfield Airport runway. |
Central Bedfordshire Council Director for
Regeneration, Jason Longhurst, said: “This development will bring a positive
enhancement to the economy of both Cranfield and the wider region, providing
significant employment opportunities within Central Bedfordshire. Cranfield is
at the cutting edge of innovation and aerospace research and development, so
these are plans that chime with both our growing high-performance technologies
sector, which has demonstrated significant growth, and also the government’s
ambitions for the Oxford to Cambridge arc.”
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