- Why Does GAAC Need to Raise Funds?
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GAAC Vice-Chair John Gilder (who heads up our Planning activities) and his team of volunteer advisers have completed or are still working on various projects for airfields around the UK. We want to continue this work but needs funds to do so. GAAC does not receive any central government support and cannot afford to be a registered charity – it is a not-for-profit company ‘limited by guarantee’ (i.e. it has no shareholder) and therefore relies heavily on donations from those wanting to support General Aviation in the UK, and specifically the survival of our airfields for future generations. The Supporting Organisations are doing their best in difficult times to continue to contribute but for several years GAAC has run at a loss and it is running out of reserves.
It was reported at the Board meeting in December 2023 that the range of involvement had extended and broadened further from around 20 in 2019 to well over 100 now (late 2023). In fact the Airfields Team has 144 on their list.
GAAC is now represented on the MCA (Coastguard), NHSE & HELP (Helipads) and EAAA Working Groups and have developed stronger working relationships with Aero modellers, those involved in UAVs, and new airfield projects.
The Board Report focused on the airfields and activities dominating the GAAC workload. As much of the work is recent or ongoing, they are de-identified as they are often very sensitive for the parties involved.
+ GAAC has been advising an airfield close to London as new transport infrastructure is likely to impact operations and the needs of the airfield had not been properly taken into account. This also involved GAAC trying to meet the relevant minister on site – these things are often cancelled at short notice, so require perseverance! GAAC has been following the planning progress advising the airfield of developments and where/when they needed to object. Many airfield owners are too busy to keep an eye on these things themselves, and do not have the required knowledge, experience or contacts.
+ In another case an airfield has new owners who are using it as a testing ground for cars and has made the runway smaller and resurfaced that part saying they are supporting the continued operation of GA. Often ‘undertakings’ are used to gain permission for development and GAAC wants to help the GA community there ensure any undertakings are carried through. This is a good illustration of early involvement of GAAC can help influence the outcome, which can be detrimental if there is not strong representation for GA interests.
+ At a proposed new airfield GAAC was approached by the owners relating to getting planning approvals in the face of vociferous and often aggressive local opposition. In this airfield’s case the planning refusal was seemed to exaggerate considerably one aspect pulled from a planning officer’s report, and it was advised that this should be appealed. In this case the big issue is funding an appeal. GAAC does not help with this, as it struggles enough to raise funds to cover its own expenses, though it is often happy to help in making representations for support.
+ At another airfield east of London there has been significant development work but the project planning was flawed causing severe difficulty for the airport operator, which leases the airport site from the Local Council owner. A dispute has arisen over rent levels charged given the restriction on ability to generate revenue. GAAC has been involved for a long time in helping to bring the parties to a mutual agreement.
+ Recently an airfield in Wales has become somewhat run-down raising the ire of the aviation community as well as local residents. Even the local press is now showing interest. GAAC is supporting a positive outcome where the airport can become more of an economic asset for its area once more, although the incumbent who leases it from the Local Council doesn’t want to engage in meaningful discussion. Meanwhile the Council seems reluctant to force progress so that a new tenant can come in to manage and develop this asset properly. GAAC and the GA APPG objected on ‘Network of Airfields’ grounds but the local Council’s planner advised that the National Planning Policy Framework does not apply to planning Decisions, only ‘Policy’. GAAC has been very involved alongside the APPG in NPPF developments and in particular in highlighting that erroneous interpretation cannot be used to brush over what is the first glimmer of proper legal protection for airfields.
+ At a certain midlands airfield faced with closure, it has become earmarked as a good site for a massive battery ‘Gigafactory’ even though no user has been found for such a facility yet, despite a global marketing effort. GAAC aims to support the local GA community in highlighting the absurdity of this approach which has given no ‘economic infrastructure’ value to retaining a functioning GA airfield in the area.
+ GAAC has been asked to get involved in relation to a seemingly ridiculous situation where emergency helicopter facilities at hospitals are no longer viable for safe helicopter operations because they were not taken into account in when permission was granted for new buildings nearby. This is why the GAAC/APPG stress the need for Safeguarding plans to be put in place by all airfields and heliports, etc, and it is often involved in advising on how best to frame these. GAAC has also had to advise on other homes for such HEMS bases, which are often on airfields but sometimes not ideal compared to being at or close to actual hospitals. Thus the GAAC now sits on the UKSAR (Coastguard) and HELP (HeliMed) Working Groups. Out role has steadily broadened beyond safeguarding as we become more conversant with their issues such as those arising from the introduction of larger helicopters.
+ One of the longest running cases that GAAC has been involved with involved an airfield where the landowners have been for many years trying to develop the land for housing, and this often involves a major housing developer pushing its case – which of course means the closure of the airfield. In this case the Local Council threatened a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) which resulted in the Landowners coming to the negotiating table. Although now things seem to be more amicable, it has taken many years of to’ing and fro’ing with GAAC helping to advise and communicate, and sometimes it manages to bring expertise to bear so the local GA community is not left facing even larger legal bills than would have been the case. Often, without good, timely but affordable advice, the GA community made up mainly of small companies is at a distinct disadvantage.
GAAC is also involved in other high-level discussions with government, for example on the expected new Aviation White Paper, to make the best case for GA within aviation as a whole (the danger being that airline interests push anything else out completely!) GAAC often meets with ministers including the Aviation Minister.
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THE GAAC BOARD & SUPPORTERS…
