Businesses wait with bated breath on airport's future
With the owners of Gloucestershire Airport set to decide on its sale it seems unlikely it won't happen, but rarely do things go to plan for the county's most speculated upon prime real estate.
Dear reader,
As always, I hope you’ve had a great week - and if you enjoy the warm and sunny weather you’ve been able to get out there and do just that.
Stories this week have done particularly well on Raikes.
On Monday we ran our eyes over the latest line to come out of Gloucestershire Airport - about a significant spending on consultants.
That came out a day before the local authorities that own the airport revealed a widely shared release triumphantly announcing that they had found a preferred bidder for the 350-acre site between Cheltenham and Gloucester.
We’ve tried to remove some of the spin from news of the potential sale and give the latest instalment in the sage our own tweak below.
As a result, we couldn’t resist the other story (also below) - from Skyborne, one of the airport’s most invested tenants.
On Thursday we ran with a report about a book launch at Gloucester Rugby Club that we think revealed something much, much more - and that is the most powerful business group in Gloucestershire.
It just doesn’t know it yet. For that immense achievement, we take our hats off to one of our founding partners, but you can read all about it here.
Have a great weekend,
Andrew Merrell (editor).
For every person you refer to The Raikes Journal’s email service you get points towards a free membership allowing you to see beyond our paywalls. Please do sign up (free or otherwise), send the referral link to a friend or colleague, and help us grow.
Did you miss the announcement about nuclear power?
The north Gloucestershire development of the Golden Valley might be the county’s poster boy, but plans for nuclear for the South of the county will trigger an even greater economic driver. Ian Mean, a member of Gloucestershire County Council’s Economic Growth Board, takes a look at why this week’s spending review - and the commitment to nuclear power projects by the Chancellor, could be a gamechanger for Gloucestershire. Mean believes the news has “the potential to provide thousands of skilled jobs and the opportunity of millions of pounds flowing into our regional economy here in the South West”. We’ve published his thoughts in our Expert Insight channel here.
Business briefing notes...
👏 Ecclesiastical Insurance has appointed Anna Stratton as its new UKGI finance director. Stratton, originally trained with PwC, will join the Gloucester-headquartered business in July 2025. She brings extensive experience in financial leadership, joining from Allianz Partners, where she worked as finance director for the UK and Ireland, most recently as the global head of accounting and reporting. Ecclesiastical, which employs 500 staff in the county, said the appointment came at a pivotal time for the firm as it pursued ambitious growth plans. More here in our PR Wire channel.
💷 This week the Government set out plans to spend £725 billion on UK infrastructure over the next decade. Phil Smith, managing director at Business West, had this to say on the Infrastructure Strategy: “Businesses have been clear that in order to invest they need certainty around Government funding for housing, transport, grid and digital connectivity. We particularly welcome the Government's recognition that major projects like Bristol Temple Quarter can boost private investment and support new housing development, unlocking growth across the wider region. The Government’s action to leverage private capital to support delivery of schemes that unlock economic growth is greatly needed. We look forward to seeing the detailed spending pipeline.”
🏆 The Raikes Journal helped Gloucester BID get these awards back off the ground last year, and now they’re back again. Now nminations have opened for this year’s Believe in Gloucester Awards, celebrating the people, businesses and organisations that help Gloucester thrive. The awards, run by Gloucester BID, shine a light on those who go above and beyond to support the city and its community. Over the next four weeks, residents and businesses are encouraged to put forward their local heroes across fifteen exciting categories. Headline sponsors are WSP Solicitors and Gloucester Quays. You can find out more here.
🤖 A report by a Gloucestershire-based think tank looking into leaders in the age of AI has found that more than 40 per cent of UK adults believe the technology is bad for democracy. More than half (56 per cent) don’t trust technology companies to keep personal data safe when it comes to AI (artificial intelligence). Half of political leaders in the study said they hope AI is an opportunity, while the other half said they didn’t know yet. A study of more than 2,000 UK adults was conducted as part of wider research by independent think tank the Institute for Future Studies of Leaders (IFSL). The report, ‘Ready…or not? More here.
Diary Dates for the weekend…
Friday
It’s a bit late to be learning about it, granted, but the singer Paul Heaton is due at Westonbirt Arboretum this evening. More here.
Saturday
Immerse yourself in the world of pop group ABBA with this one-off outdoor cinema showing of Mamma Mia! at Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucester. More here.
Even more outdoor cinema. You can watch the original Dirty Dancing movie at Speech House in the Forest of Dean from 7pm to 11.30pm. Raising money for Great Oaks Hospice. More here.
Sunday
Autitions begin at Stroud’s Sub Rooms for this year’s festive pantomime, Sleeping Beauty. PJD Productions, in association with Ballyhoo Dance are casting for the junior and senior chorus. From 11am. More here.
County aviation school has female pilots on its radar
As speculation over the future of Gloucestershire Airport peaks, one of the biggest firms operating on the site reveals a partnership it hopes will help diversify the flight deck. Skyborne Airline Academy, which has its headquarters on the 350 acre site between Gloucester and Cheltenham, has announced a partnership with Elevate(her), a community-led initiative dedicated to empowering women in aviation worldwide, to expand access to flight training and drive greater female representation in the cockpit. Apparently women account for fewer than six per cent of airline pilots. The collaboration will see Skyborne and Elevate(her) deliver global targeted outreach, mentorship and free online resources designed to support women at every stage of their aviation journey – from first interest to professional training.
* The Raikes Journal is a digital magazine and community interest company whose supporters believe, like us, that journalism about Gloucestershire is worth keeping alive. Everything you read here - original stories about our county - is made possible by our incredible Founding Partners: QuoLux, Willans LLP, Gloucestershire College, Merrell People and Randall & Payne; our sponsors, Founding Members and wonderful paying subscribers.
If you upgrade to paid you’ll be part of this CIC too. We’re dedicated to championing the county, its businesses, charities, education and training providers, and to creating an even stronger community. If you upgrade to paid you’ll be able to see past the paywalls often put on our 2cnd and 3rd email editions of the week, that lock our archive after two weeks and our Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series. You’ll be able to comment on our stories too.
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Businesses wait with bated breath on airport's future
With the owners of Gloucestershire Airport set to decide on its sale it seems unlikely it won't happen, but rarely do things go to plan for the county's most speculated upon prime real estate.
By Andrew Merrell.
Businesses that have invested millions of pounds into Gloucestershire Airport and whose livelihoods depend on it await with bated breath for a decision on the sale of the 350-acre site between Gloucester and Cheltenham.
That decision, on whether a deal with a ‘preferred bidder’ for the site will be given the go-ahead, is due to be made on June 26 at separate meetings of Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council.
Although it seems unlikely either councils will vote against, seeing as both also own the site and have just issued a joint press release singing their own praises at finding a bidder as “passionate” as they are about keeping the site as an airport.
If/when it goes ahead, airport businesses (of which there are plenty, mostly centred around aviation) will be hoping a deal brings to an end the regular and disruptive speculation about the site’s potential for houses.
The creation of arms-length company Gloucestershire Airport Ltd in 1993 was an attempt to take the site out of play as a political football, allow it to find its feet as a business in its own right and establish itself as an asset to the Gloucestershire economy.
It was a move that was not entirely successful. Both local authorities still ended up having to prop up the airport to the tune of several million pounds, all of which still sits on the books of the business as debt.
What that means for takings from the sale, and the benefit to the coffers of both local authorities, remains to be seen.
The asking price has been reported as £25 million and the carefully worded press release talks about two “thriving business parks” on the site - which it calls “a perfect gateway for business travel, flight training and private aviation”.
It fails to mention that debt - possibly as much as £15 million - which represents public money.
It was revealed only last week that Gloucester City Council alone has spent the best part of £200,000 on consultants as it readied the site for the big sell-off this article is talking about.
Jerremy Hilton, the leader of Gloucester City Homes, is quoted as saying the preferred bidder had needed to show they understood the airport’s “key role in supporting the economic growth of the county”.
Only months before, upon taking the reins of the city council from the then ruling Conservatives, Hilton had refused to be drawn on whether he thought the sale of the airport was a good idea and there was even a suggestion he may renege on the agreement of the previous administration to sell-up.
Councillor Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, said her own local authority had always intended to sell.
She said the council recognised that the airport “made a sigificant contribution to the regional economy” and it was “the right time for a new owner to drive it forward”.
Jason Ivey, the current managing director of Gloucestershire Airport, pointed out that the deal on the table not only “promised to secure current jobs”, but to create new ones.
Perhaps the most meaningful vote of confidence came from outside of the councils, from Skyborne, which has invested million of pounds developing its aviation training school business at the Staverton site - as well as investing in property in Cheltenham.
The company trains pilots for some of the UK’s biggest airlines, as well as runs airline training schools in the United States of America too.
A spokesman for the firm said it was “delighted” to see the airport entering what it called “this exciting new phase”.
“The commitment from prospective new owners to invest in the airport’s future is extremely positive for our trainees, instructors, and the wider aviation community,” said the statement.
It too talked of potential job creation.
Watch this space.