REDHILL Aerodrome bosses have appealed against the rejection of controversial plans for a hard runway at the site.
In June both Reigate and Banstead Borough Council and Tandridge District Council unanimously rejected proposals for a hard runway to replace the three existing grass strips at the aerodrome, in Kings Mill Lane, South Nutfield.
It was the second time such an application has been thrown out in the past three years, but this week an appeal was lodged against the decision.
Former aerodrome chief executive Jon Horne, who stepped down for unrelated reasons shortly after the June decision, said at the time that he believed there was a strong case for appeal.
He also claimed the lack of a hard runway could put the aerodrome's future in doubt, with the grass runways sometimes unusable in bad weather.
But campaign group Keep Redhill Aerodrome Green, which represents 900 households around the aerodrome, criticised the decision.
The group's secretary, Paul Murray, said: "This company is waging a planning application war of attrition on the local population.
"The public expense wasted in defending the local community and the environment against planning applications that are very similar to ones that have previously been rejected is appalling."
Mr Murray questioned the assertion by aerodrome bosses that the development will create 450 new jobs in the area.
He also expressed fears the plans only have to be approved once for the battle to be lost.
Mr Murray added: "Any jobs projected by a new development need to have a chance to become real jobs, and not just fantasy jobs created with the sole intention to support a duplicitous planning application."
But new aerodrome chief executive Ann Bartaby, who replaced Mr Horne in June, said the runway is vital for the future of the aerodrome which could not function properly for five months last year due to waterlogged runways.
She said: "We believe that to secure the future of the airfield we need to have the hard runway.
"The nature of aviation has changed and, in order to compete and offer full services to our customers, we need to be able to give them greater certainty than we have at the moment."
Ms Bartaby added: "We are not claiming the aerodrome is going to change the world, but it does provide a large number of jobs, and we can provide an increase in the number of jobs."
Appeal papers submitted to Tandridge District Council by planning company Terence O'Rourke – where Ms Bartaby is also a director – claim the council was wrong to reject the application on the grounds of conflict with green belt policy.
The papers claim provision of environmental enhancements, the economic contribution of the aerodrome and making the best use of the aerodrome's additional capacity represent the special circumstances required to allow development in the green belt.
A public inquiry into the appeal will be held later this year at a date to be confirmed.
