Move to Cranfield airport will bring boost to local economy

b y Euan Duncan

A PRESTIGIOUS planning project for Bedfordshire contributing more than £130m a year to the regional economy could come at a cost for residents living by Cranfield Airport, a meeting heard.

But the benefits of attracting Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Limited to relocate its base to the village are deemed sufficient to outweigh the industrial scale decibel count from engine testing

The company submitted outline plans for the maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft with associated research and development activity, and up to 16 aircraft hangar bays on land north of the airport in College Road

The project includes building aprons, taxiways and runway works, upgrades of aeronautical ground lighting and navigational aids, offices, workshops and storage buildings, and an aircraft engine ground running enclosure, according to a report to Central Bedfordshire Council’s development management committee

There are also demolition works, security gate houses, electrical substations, parking and landscaping, as well as modifications to public rights of way and to the Crawley Road, College Road, Astwood Road junction, said the report

“As the application is complex, it’s accompanied by an environmental impact assessment,” senior planning officer David Gauntlett told the committee

“The applicant Marshall Aerospace is a prominent supplier to a number of international air forces and works mainly on military transport aircraft, more commonly known as the Hercules 130,” he explained “The company operates out of Cambridge City

Airport and planning permission would facilitate a relocation of its operations to this site ”

There were 130 representations, with 107 objections Cranfield Parish Council opposed the proposals on noise grounds, while Marston Moretaine Parish Council welcomed the employment opportunities, but raised traffic concerns

Noisier aircraft will be introduced to the airport, although the 1,500 air transport movements are fairly minimal with three to four a day, he said

“Engine testing is the area which will result in identified harm through noise and disturbance Testing will occur two or three times a week for a maximum of four hours

“Harm has been identified from the potential of testing performed on the open runway and this will be extremely noisy But this is infrequent and only happen in exceptional circumstances

“The applicant has advised that engine testing is an essential operation of its business Testing is limited by controls, with none during the evening or overnight periods ”

A Marshall spokesman said: “The aircraft we modify and maintain are used for a wide range of transport and humanitarian work

“Moving to Cranfield will enable us to build a state-of-the-art facility to deliver on our growth plans and provide a mix of jobs estimated to bring more than £130m annually to the benefit of the region

“Our proposals include more stringent operating controls than at present This would be instead of the current consented air park scheme

“We’ll be replicating the model which has served us so well in Cambridge We want our move to Cranfield to create a legacy which goes well beyond just economic impact ”

The development was approved with nine votes in favour, one against and one abstention

ELECTRA, the accessible, all-electric community canal boat, run by volunteers from the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, already has 49 volunteers, but more are needed as demand for cruises has doubled since the boat was launched in 2021

Volunteer Chair, Denise Taylor, said: “Electra volunteers are a friendly bunch who work as one big team, creating and delivering a range of enjoyable cruises on the Grand Union Canal “Some people crew the boat, others work behind the scenes to get everything ready, and some people do a bit of both!”

“We are recruiting NOW for Cabin Hosts, to welcome and chat with guests and serve a range of food and drinks from the on-board Galley Bar ” added Sue Morrison, Lead Cabin Host Informal interviews will be held in April and training in May/June, ready for crewing from July

There are also shore-based vacancies in Customer Liaison, Social Media, Marketing, Outreach, Fundraising and Project Management – great opportunities to learn new skills in a friendly, supportive team Lindsey Patraiko, Volunteer Social Media Manager, agreed: “I volunteered because it was unique and exciting, and I wanted to enhance and develop my social media skills and use my creativity

“If you haven’t got a lot of time, there are also a number of short tasks that can be quickly completed ”

Volunteer Coordinator, Gill Kirkup, who also volunteers as a cabin host, said: “I’m the first port of call for anyone interested in volunteering for Electra and really enjoy meeting new people and finding out about their interests ”

Milton Keynes claims to have a higher number of volunteers per head of population than any other UK city, with 84,500 citizens regularly volunteering across the city

If you are interested in volunteering please visit Electra’s www bmkwaterway org/electra/volunt eering/ or email the team on: volunteers.electra@bmk waterway.org