Planning Decision

LEAAG were today informed by Penwith District Council Planning Department that Lands End Airport is not a relevant airport and therefore has no Permitted Development Rights. This confirms the position LEAAG told them existed some weeks ago, following our own legal advice and confirmation we had obtained directly from the CAA.

The planning decision reverses the information they gave to us in January.

The significance of this statement cannot be underestimated. As a result Westward and BIH will now, as reported by ThisIsCornwall, have to make formal Planning Applications for all the works they will have to undertake if they wish to relocate the Heliport from Penzance. Because of the location of the Airport in the heart of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty the planning process should demand an Environmental Impact Study which will have to consider the consequences of every aspect of the relocation. This is both time consuming and expensive. They may also be compelled to reveal their intentions for the future.

All members of LEAAG and the public who share our concerns now need to stay alert for a planning application being presented after the 1st April when the new less transparent application system comes into force. Because of changes resulting from the new Unitary Authority procedures it is possible that the application may not be announced in the Cornishman.

We believe that the pressure applied by all those who contacted the planning department and local political representatives caused the Department to look at the facts of the application and gave them no option but to change their position. A huge vote of thanks is due for everyone’s sterling efforts. Without them it seems likely that the first stage of the BIH plan would have passed through by default. There seems little doubt, at the moment, that we will all be called on to act again in the near future but we have to be quietly pleased at our success in this first skirmish.