Aerospace and aviation companies at the Solent Enterprise Zone will benefit from a £1.52m cash boost to improve runway facilities.
The Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has given further investment to the former Daedalus airfield site, having acquired the airfield from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and has plans to invest in improvements to the runway and associated facilities at the Enterprise Zone.
The Daedalus site
The cash will provide extra confidence to specialist companies which are based on or moving onto the site. Previously, access to the airfield was limited under a temporary lease.
Steve Ford, managing director of Sapphire Aviation that recently moved onto the site, has welcomed the move.
He said: “This is great news for us as a business. Knowing our access to the airfield and runway is guaranteed means we can plan for the future, in confidence that we will be able to use the facilities and grow.”
The HCA is currently creating a plan for management of the runway and facilities at the airfield over the next few years. It also hopes to secure a licence for the airfield which would allow it to be used for various activities and by a wider range of craft.
Gary Jeffries, director of the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which is responsible for delivering the Enterprise Zone, added: “Access to the airfield is key to aerospace and aviation businesses looking to move to the site. By securing this access we are sending a clear message to these companies that we are able to support them in the long-term and provide them with the facilities they need to prosper.”
Executive Leader of Fareham Borough Council and Chairman of the Partnership for Urban South Hampshire (PUSH), Councillor Seán Woodward, said: “To have an operational airfield is a unique offer in an enterprise zone. We are absolutely committed to the continuation of aviation at the zone and to have the runways in local ownership and management is crucial. The next job is to secure funding to resurface and re-light the runway.”
Peter Cusdin, Development Director at the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), said plans “are on track to create a hub for advanced engineering and aerospace businesses in South Hampshire.”
The MCA has retained an area on the site, from which it will continue helicopter and coastal search and rescue operations.