Plans for New Air Ambulance Base Recommended for Approval

Plans for a new multi-million-pound base for the Air Ambulance Service in the Harborough district are being recommended for approval.

The purpose-built facility would be built on land off Swinford Road near Catthorpe and include two helipads, a hangar and crew welfare facilities.

It would become the charity’s new headquarters serving Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, following the planned closure of Coventry Airport, where it is currently based.

Planning officers at Harborough District Council are recommending councillors approve the scheme when they consider the application next week.

How the new base will look, if planning permission is granted.

A major fundraising campaign is continuing to help cover the costs of the new base, with a public appeal aiming to raise £9 million towards it.

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.

The application has received 11 objections from residents, including concerns about noise and the loss of countryside.

However, a report by council planning officers acknowledges that noise impacts would be “adverse”, but concludes they would remain at an “acceptable level”.

The report says that, “on balance”, the wider economic, social and environmental benefits of the development are “considered to outweigh” the adverse impacts.