Plans for new £14m air ambulance base submitted

Plans have been submitted to build a new £14m air ambulance base on farmland in Leicestershire.

The Air Ambulance Service (TAAS) hopes the purpose-built headquarters, in Catthorpe, would allow doctors to travel across the region more quickly than the current site at Coventry Airport, which is set to close next month.

The charity said the new airbase would include two helipads, a hangar, welfare facilities for crew members including bedrooms, rest areas and a gym, training facilities and incident simulation rooms.

Harborough District Council is due to make a decision on the planning application by August, and if approved the site could be operational in 2027.

Coventry Airport is due to close with the site becoming a centre for battery production.

The Air Ambulance Service, which has been operating from the airport for more than 23 years, runs two teams, one of which responds to emergencies across Leicestershire, Rutland, Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.

The second is a dedicated helicopter transfer service that has taken more than 1,200 critically ill babies and children to hospitals across the UK where they can receive the best care.

If planning permission is approved, two helicopters will be based at the new centre and will be split between the two services.

There will also be two rapid response cars that will take doctors to incidents at night, when the helicopters cannot fly.

The base will also include space for families, who have lost relatives or those who have survived their injuries.

The charity, which went to 3,779 callouts in 2024, said access to the M1, M6 and A14 from the proposed new location would benefit the service and its patients.

Associate director Chris Bailey previously said: "This field is geographically suited for the whole region and will provide an absolutely essential place for our critical services."

TAAS said it would fund the development with money from its reserves, but has launched a fundraising appeal to reach the estimated cost of £14m.

The service has been given permission to continue operating from Coventry Airport until the new base has been developed.

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