Shoreham, West Sussex

Shoreham Airfield, now known as Brighton City Airport, is a classic GA airfield on the south coast between Brighton and Worthing.  Opened in 1910, Shoreham is the oldest airport in the UK and the oldest purpose-built commercial airport in the world.   Its ‘Art Deco’ terminal building was built in the 1930s and has been shown in a number of films portraying the pre-war era.

The area to the east of the airfield, adjacent to the west bank of the River Adur, was proposed for the hangar homes, but the local Council have designated the north-eastern end of the airfield for business-only use, and also wanted to retain the uninterrupted views across the airfield to the river, so they have ruled out hangar homes on that site.

To that end, a full planning application for that proposed site is not worth pursuing, but it is hoped that once hangar homes are adopted on other GA airfields in the UK, then the local council may consider hangar homes to the west side of the main runway, which could accommodate more hangar homes as there is more space.  Also, because this site is too far away from the business areas on the airport, they could be considered for residential-only use.  It will be interesting to see how the airport fairs under new ownership, and whether there may be an opportunity in the future for hangar homes on the airfield, but for now Shoreham is on the ‘back burner’.