New air ambulance base approved after airfield sale

Plans to create a new base for an air ambulance in Nottinghamshire have been approved after its current base was sold.

The Lincs and Notts Air Ambulance (LNAA) charity applied for planning permission to create a new site on a field south of the A52 in Ruddington in November.

Tollerton Airfield, the charity's current base, was sold for development by former landowner Brian Wells, who pledged the new site in Ruddington to LNAA as a gift.

Rushcliffe Borough Council published its approval of the plan on Monday.

Tollerton Airfield closed in the summer of 2025 after the Vistry Group - which bought the site to build new homes and a school - served notice on the operators.

CEO of the LNAA, Karen Jobling, said the air ambulance was being permitted to use "part of the former site" in Tollerton but that its time was "limited".

In planning documents, LNAA said the loss of its facility in Tollerton without a replacement would "severely impact the Nottinghamshire reach" of its services.

The new base will be located on land south of the A52 and A606 roundabout near Edwalton, off Flawforth Lane.

LNAA added the need for the new base was "urgent" and "essential" as it planned to add a second helicopter to its fleet to meet demand.

The new aircraft is expected to be operational in 2027, the documents stated.

The charity said the development was "a rare opportunity to secure a permanent, purpose-built base, ensuring the long-term sustainability of a service that is quite literally life-saving".

Jobling said: "This is a major milestone for the charity, as part of our strategy for expansion.

"This second airbase will enable our critical care teams to be by the side of more patients, across Nottinghamshire especially."

LNAA responded to 1,724 incidents last year, and recorded its busiest January on record this year, with 167 missions.

In June, the crew completed a total of 163 missions, with the busiest day seeing 10 missions attended, the charity said.

The new site will include a single-storey building with a kitchen, IT room, and training facilities, as well as an aircraft hangar large enough to store one aircraft and a helipad with refuelling infrastructure, according to planning documents.

It is estimated the project will cost about £3.8m, with £2m contributed by the HELP Appeal charity, which offers funding for NHS hospitals and air ambulance bases.

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