De-registration of Blackbushe Airport from Yateley Common CL24

Background

In early 2016 plans were submitted to Hart District Council for the future development of Blackbushe Airport (See Vision). These plans outlined the proposal to build new hangars, offices and a replacement Terminal facility on the south side of the airfield, adjacent to the A30. When this development proposal was presented to both Hart District Council and later to the Blackbushe Airport Consultative Committee, it was met with a favourable response. However, one concern that was raised in both meetings was the need to also satisfy the requirements of the Commons Act 2006.

There are two mechanisms within the Commons Act 2006 which provide for the deregistration of land from the commons register under certain circumstances:

1. An application under Schedule 2(6) to remove from the register land covered by a building, or within the curtilage of a building.

2. An application under Section 16 to release land and provide replacement land of at least equal size and value.

Applications

In late 2015 and early 2016 an exercise was conducted to identify appropriate replacement land in the vicinity of the airport, and Yateley Common CL24. There wasn’t any suitable land of the size required to deregister the airport. The legal advice the airport received at the time identified that the Terminal Building and the Cafe were both built prior to the registration of Yateley Common CL24 and so fell within the remit of Schedule 2(6). As such the airport began to explore in detail this option.

Schedule 2(6) Application - 2016

An application pursuant to Schedule 2(6) was explored through a Public Inquiry (in which the airport was successful), and subsequent rounds of appeal through the courts which resulted in the original decision being quashed.

On 10th November 2023 a planning inspector issued a redetermined decision confirming that the footprint areas of the Terminal Building and the Pathfinder Cafe building should be registered from Yateley Common. You can read more about this application in this section.