No plans to close Sleap Airfield, manager confirms

Sleap Airfield, near Wem, has confirmed it will not be closing anytime soon, with staff unsure where the claims may have come from.

Airfield manager Nathan Cross, said: "Nothing is planned, there is nothing imminent.

"One day, I am sure Sleap will close, like most organisations, but we haven't been given a term or anything like that. We are not at all concerned."

The assurances come after the suggestion to build an airport in Shropshire was discussed by Shropshire Council's new leader Peter Nutting.

When discussing the plans, he said that having the county's own airport built was still "probably 10 years away".

However, he suggested that Sleap Airfield was "likely to close in the next few years", as it is owned by a quarrying group with many deposits of interest in the land.

Mr Cross today said that there was nothing he was aware of to suggest it will soon be closing.

He said: "We don't own the airfield, we operate on a license from the landowner and it is a situation we have operated successfully on since the 50s.

"So on that basis we don't think we will be looking to close anytime soon.

"We have got demand for expansion as far as more people are looking to bring their aircraft here and it is an ongoing developing business.

"We have all sorts of people here, cyclists, walkers, pensioners, families, classic car enthusiasts, all sorts."

The airfield, which is the base of Shropshire Aeroclub, is also home to a old WWII control tower building featuring a cafe on the upper floor.

The site also welcomes visitors to a Wartime Aircraft Recovery Group museum and offers flying tuition lessons.

Councillor Steve Davenport, portfolio holder for highways and transport, said the council was not aware of any plans for a closure.

He said it had simply been discussed as a possibility by Councillor Nutting while suggesting an airport for the county.

He added: "We would love to think about having some sort of commercial airport.

"There is nowhere between Birmingham and Liverpool and Manchester and we thing it would be good for Shropshire and create a lot of jobs in the county.

"I do want to talk to people about this and we may even talk to Sleap about the plans and to see what options there are, they may point us in a different direction, it is about having those conversations.

"We just think it would be good for Shropshire in the long term. It is very very early days."