§ Lieut.-Colonel Heneageasked the Secretary of State for Air whether he will state the number of cases in which the Air Ministry has refused permission to local authorities to establish aerodromes during the last three years; and how many 423W local authorities have applied for the necessary meteorological, wireless, and control facilities for aerodromes and been refused?
§ Sir K. WoodIn no case has the Air Ministry refused permission to a local authority to establish an aerodrome, but in one case involving compulsory purchase of the land required, local opposition at the public inquiry rendered it impracticable to give approval for the projected site.
As regards the last part of the question it has not been possible in four or five cases to accede to the requests received, generally because the requirements of the area in question have already been met by the provision of wireless and other facilities at nearby centres; and the erection of further radio installations in the same region is technically inadmissible. In such cases the existing facilities are made available by means of direct land-line connections between the two centres.