Revival group plans UK's first 'co-operative airport'

A group behind plans to reopen Plymouth's airport is looking at becoming a co-operative to ensure that the airstrip goes into the hands of the people of the city.

The Viable group has already become an incorporated company but is now looking into becoming an organisation in which businesses and individuals have a stake.

If it can do this, it believes it paves the way for Plymouth to have the UK's first co-operatively run airport - provided Viable gets its wish for the lease to revert to Plymouth City Council.

But if that can be achieved, Viable, believes, it would mean the airport could prevent an outside company taking it over, unless it wanted to run it as an airport. Viable's chairman Raoul Witherall said: "We are exploring options to structure the company as a co-operative. "That's not a straight forward proposal, an airport is a difficult beast in some ways.

"But we would like to see it operated by the people of Plymouth.

"This gives them the opportunity to be involved in it." Last year, Sutton Harbour Group, which holds the 150-year lease of the 104-acre site, shut the airport saying that not enough businesses used it.

Viable has since produced a business plan to reopen the aerodrome and have 500,000 travellers using it within five years. But the plan hinges on the lease being available.