A BUSINESS leader is backing controversial plans for new hangars at an airfield near York, saying good air links are vital to the city's future prosperity.

Len Cruddas, chief executive of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, claimed that an ability for foreign businessmen to fly to York could make the difference between investing in the city and going elsewhere.

"If someone wants to locate a business in the area, for example, from America, and lands at Manchester Airport, and then waits for the train and then rattles across the Pennines for an hour and three quarters, they could lose the will to live before they get to York," he said.

He dismissed arguments that the hangars should not be allowed because the airfield is in the green belt, saying: "If you can't put hangars on a long-established airfield, where can you put them?"

His comments come after the hangar proposals came under fierce fire by Elvington parish councillors, who claimed that there was no justification for such a "large-scale and intrusive" development.

Villagers at Heslington have claimed that the hangars could eventually lead to jumbo jets flying regularly over southern York - although this has been strongly denied by the applicants, Elvington Park Ltd, who said that the hangars would be nowhere big enough for such wide-bodied jets.

The company has admitted that the hangars would normally be considered inappropriate in the green belt, but argued they were needed to bring in revenue to help pay for a £2 million backlog of repairs to the airfield.

It has bluntly warned councillors that unless the plans are given the go-ahead, York could lose its aerodrome at Elvington with a serious impact on jobs. It said that without convenient air transport, York was vulnerable to companies relocating.

Mr Cruddas backed the company's arguments, saying: "In general, we are very supportive. There's currently a gap in the transport infrastructure in York.

"There's a strong business case to say we need some kind of air links for the business community.

"We are not talking about large passenger aircraft but an airfield where businessmen, and also visitors and local people generally, can fly in and out in smaller aircraft."

Updated: 10:14 Monday, March 07, 2005