Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will introduce further proposals to protect airfields from redevelopment.

Brandon Lewis

National planning policy already requires local planning authorities to take account of airfields’ growth and role in serving business, leisure, training and emergency needs. In March we issued guidance emphasising the need for local planning authorities to have regard to the extent to which an aerodrome contributes to connectivity outside the authority’s own boundaries.

Currently, all airfields, as land that has been previously developed, are regarded as brownfield land.

We will work with the aviation sector to ensure the current policy relating to development on airfields is better understood.