The “hullabaloo” around the potential sale of Gloucestershire Airport has “flushed out” a number of businesses interested in the site, according to City Council leader Richard Cook.
Questions were raised last week and accusations levelled at council bosses that councillors had been kept in the dark over a move to sell the small Staverton airport.
The site is run by Gloucestershire Airport Ltd which was established in 1993 and which is jointly owned by both Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council.
Councillor Jeremy Hilton (LD, Kingsholm and Wotton), who leads the Liberal Democrat opposition at the City Council, is calling for the sale to be halted.
He was informed about the move by a Cheltenham Borough Council cabinet member and blasted the City Council’s Conservative leader Richard Cook (C, Kingsway) last week for not informing group leaders of the plans.
But Councillor Cook said Cllr Hilton’s public questions had thwarted their intention of notifying group leaders of the potential sale ahead of a press release which was due to be released this week.
And that the “hullabaloo” created has “flushed out a number of other organisations who are interested in potentially taking over the airport”.
He also said in a response to Cllr Hilton’s open letter that an enquiry about the availability is only in the earliest stages of exploration and may not move any further as it stands.
And he believes the councils do not have the financial ability to deliver investment to ensure future success at the airport.
“No sale has been agreed. Cllr Cook said. ” A company approached the airport some months ago and asked about the possibility of them buying the airport.
“The airport referred them to the shareholders.
“Representatives of the shareholders (not including me) met them to ask for more information about their interest and it was agreed that their approach would be considered further.
“That company would need to consider their due diligence and need further information. To my knowledge that has not yet been supplied.
“Equally the shareholders would need to agree that any offer from them was acceptable. No offer has yet been made to my knowledge.
“I understand group leaders at Cheltenham were informed just last week. Your intervention at scrutiny on Monday interrupted the intention of notifying group leaders before the planned release of the press statement next week.”
Cllr Cook also explained in his letter that a special council meeting on December 15 approved an outline exit strategy for the shareholding in Gloucestershire Airport Limited.
Councillors then voted to authorise a senior council officer in consultation with the leader and solicitor to take such actions and make such arrangements as are necessary.
The conclusion of this work was that the only viable option for the councils, which avoided significant financial costs and opened up the possibility of a sale or exit in future as an alternative to longer term support, was to support the airport’s requests.
“The upshot is that the council approved the report which gave me, along with others, full authority to do what has been done.
“I cannot deny that I regularly met with counterparts from Cheltenham both in my role as Leader and as the airport shareholder representative and we therefore consider and discuss all sorts of issues in relation to the airport.
“I would point out to you that this enquiry about the availability is only in the earliest stages of exploration and may not move any further as it stands.
“However, the hullabaloo created has flushed out a number of other organisations who are interested in potentially taking over the airport.
“You can be reassured that should it be necessary to bring a report to council or cabinet, it will be done in the appropriate manner and at the appropriate time.
“In my honest opinion I believe that future success at the airport will require new investment. I do not believe that the current shareholders have the financial ability to deliver that investment.
“However, I recognise that the airport is a key asset within the county delivering many jobs of all types, so I am keen to see that continuing.”
The existing 300-acre Gloucestershire Airport site was formed in 1936 and originally named Staverton Airport, replacing its predecessor at Down Hatherley Airfield. In 1993 Gloucester City and Cheltenham Borough Councils formed Gloucestershire Airport Limited.
Today, Gloucestershire Airport is one of the UK’s busiest general aviation airports, ranking in the Civil Aviation Authority’s top 15 airports for aircraft movements. It has its own fire station and two business parks spanning a combined 700,000 square-foot, including the recently completed CGX Connect.
