Air Ambulance Service plans new £14m base in Harborough district

The Air Ambulance Service has unveiled plans to build a new £14 million base near Catthorpe in the Harborough district.

The charity, which serves Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, needs to relocate from Coventry Airport, where it has been based for more than 20 years, as the site is set to close for redevelopment.

The project will be partly funded from the charity’s reserves, with a public appeal launched to raise the remaining £9m needed.

Chris Bailey, the charity’s associate director of operations, told HFM the move will improve response times in this part of the region, ensuring critical care reaches patients faster:

How the new base would look

The purpose-built facility will include two helipads, a hangar, crew welfare facilities including bedrooms, rest areas, and a gym, training rooms, and incident simulation spaces.

It will house two helicopters and two rapid-response cars, supporting both emergency medical services and the National Children’s Air Ambulance, which has transported more than 1,200 critically ill babies and children to specialist hospitals across the UK.

The location, near major routes including the M1, M6, and A14, is expected to allow doctors and crews to reach incidents more quickly. The charity says it will also include spaces for families of patients, providing support for survivors and those who have lost loved ones.

A planning application is set to be submitted to Harborough District Council next month and the service hopes to begin operating from the new site next year.

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How the new base would look