Dunsfold Park airfield planning bid dismissed
Plans to carry out unrestricted aviation activity at a Surrey airfield have been dismissed by an inspector.
A seven-day inquiry took place after Dunsfold Park appealed against Waverley council's decision not to allow unrestricted aviation at the airfield.
Waverley council said the inspector's decision was "an excellent result".
Dunsfold Park said it had led to some agreement on how the site should be used, which it welcomed.
In a decision notice published on Waverley council's website , the inspector said planning permissions were granted in 1951, in 2003, and twice in 2008.
The inspector said whichever permission was in force, each one contained valid and enforceable conditions which governed aviation activity in a way that would deny Dunsfold Park an entitlement to unrestricted aviation use.
He also concluded that Waverley council's decision to refuse the application had been "well-founded".
Waverley council's leader Robert Knowles said: "It has always been our view that aviation activity at Dunsfold Park should be controlled and restricted."
He added: "Although the planning inspector made it clear that in reaching his decision he was not considering the impact on the surrounding population, for the people who live in the area this has been money well spent."
Dunsfold Park said the planning inquiry had been a significant leap forward.
A spokeswoman said planning permission in 1951 had permitted "restricted aviation" use for the manufacture, repair, maintenance and flight testing of aircraft, without limit to the days and hours of operation.
She said the inspector had indicated that this was the existing underlying permanent permission for the aerodrome and was also likely to be the "fallback" position when current temporary permissions expired in 2018.
The spokeswoman said although Dunsfold Park Ltd had applied for an "unrestricted" use, the airfield welcomed this determination and agreement on the site's use.