Councils clash over Hangar Homes plans

NEIGHBOURING councils are at loggerheads over plans to transform five airfield hangars into luxury multi-purpose sites.
An artist's impression of what the Hangar Homes would look like      Picture: Hangar HomesAn artist's impression of what the Hangar Homes would look like      Picture: Hangar Homes
An artist's impression of what the Hangar Homes would look like Picture: Hangar Homes

On Wednesday night, Gosport Borough Council approved a planning application for the creation of a Hangar Homes scheme at Daedalus Airfield in Lee-on-the-Solent.

But Fareham Borough Council, which owns the site, says it won’t be selling up because of safety concerns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Hangar Homes scheme would have transformed five hanagers into a mix of residential, business and leisure buildings – with a four-seater aircraft in each hangar.

But although Gosport Borough Council is in favour of the scheme, leader of Fareham Borough Council, Cllr Sean Woodward, is strongly against the plans.

He said: ‘Fareham Borough Council set out the reasons why it did not support the development adjacent to the tower and the Airport Authority raised genuine concerns about the safety of the development in the vicinity of the Control Tower.

‘These concerns have been shared openly with the developer, Hangar Homes Ltd, both in advance of the planning application and during the planning process.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘While the concept of hangar homes is a very interesting one, the location is simply not viable, so the council will not be selling the land.’

Leader of Gosport Borough Council, Cllr Mark Hook, says the decision is not surprising.

He said: ‘It is an innovative idea – and it has to be by a runway.

‘Something like this would also supply a fair amount of jobs, which is very important.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

‘I can’t see anywhere else it would be around here but because it is Fareham Borough Council’s land, if they don’t want the site there then I suppose that is the end of that.

‘I didn’t expect anything else from Sean Woodward to be honest, given that Fareham Borough Council opposed the original application.’