Deal agreed to sell airport for more than £25m

Gloucestershire Airport will be sold for more than it's £25m guide price, councillors have agreed.

Members of Gloucester City Council (GCC) gave the final go-ahead to the unnamed preferred bidder at a meeting on Thursday evening, pending due diligence checks.

Jointly-owned by GCC and Cheltenham Borough Council, the 350-acre airport in Staverton was put on the market with a guide price of £25m in October 2024, and in the meeting it was revealed that the selected bidder had offered above that figure.

GCC leader, Jeremy Hilton, said he was "confident" that the new owners would make a success of the site, adding: "We've done everything we possibly can."

Several weeks of checks will now be undertaken, with the sale expected to be completed by autumn.

The identity of the buyer is expected to be revealed next week, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Leaders at both authorities and the airport itself have stressed the site is being sold as a going concern.

But some councillors and campaigners have raised fears about the viability of the business and the potential for the land to be sold for housing in the future.

Hilton said a "robust" covenant would be put in place to prevent the land from being developed on, and this would likely last for 50 years.

He said Gloucestershire Airport was more likely to survive as a result of the sale compared to if the councils continued to run it.

"We know the airport is running at a loss and has been for a number of years," he added.

"They have not paid the councils a dividend for as long as I can remember. They need substantial investment."

Two Community Independent councillors argued the land should be sold to build up to 12,500 homes.

Councillor Andrew Bell said: "We need houses… this is our perfect chance."

However, members voted to go ahead with the sale by 25 votes to two.

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