Anger over plan for commercial flights at wartime airfield near Snowdonia

For years the only droning in the tranquil hills of Snowdonia National Park was the sound of bumblebees. But as plans advance for an abandoned military airfield to be turned into a commercial airport, campaigners fear the droning of aircraft will soon destroy the peace in this corner of protected Welsh countryside.

Llanbedr airstrip, which lies between Cardigan Bay and Snowdonia, was used by the RAF during the Second World War, but the airfield has not seen heavy traffic since then. It closed in 2004, having become surplus to requirements.

Now the Welsh government has sold the land for commercial use to Kemble Air Services on a 125-year lease. Kemble, which already runs a controversial airport in the Cotswolds, is expected to use the runway for pleasure flights over the park and flying lessons.

Environmentalists and park enthusiasts are outraged at the plan, which they say is a violation of government policy on both the environment and national park protection.

Alan Pugh, director of the Snowdonia Society, said: "The Welsh government has a legal obligation to promote sustainable development and we're not sure flying lessons and pleasure flights fit in with that. As an environmental charity we are concerned that redeveloping the site as a commercial airport is wholly contrary to the statutory purposes of national parks."

The Snowdonia Society is also concerned that noise pollution from low-flying pleasure flights will put off the thousands of tourists who flock to the area for its tranquillity. "Tourism is the number one industry in north-west Wales," said Mr Pugh. "People come to Snowdonia to seek peace and quiet reflection in a world-class landscape. Nobody comes to a national park to be assaulted by aircraft noise and climate-changing pollution."

Ruth Chambers, of the Council for National Parks, said the development was an "extremely worrying" move by the Welsh Assembly. "The conservation of the national park has not been taken into account in this decision, and it makes a mockery of the assembly's commitment to reducing carbon emissions and protecting tranquil rural environments."

The runway at Llanbedr is longer than that at Cardiff airport – big enough for a Boeing 747 – and there is concern that its future use might expand from park tours to full-scale commercial flights. But both the Welsh Assembly and Kemble deny any plans for such a development. Maredudd ap Rheinallt, of the Wales Green Party, criticised the Welsh government for not conducting proper consultations over the development. "Not only should local people have been consulted beforehand, but Cardiff has a statutory duty to consider the site's national park status before making decisions such as this. There is apparently no evidence that this happened," he said.

Anna Jones, a Greenpeace transport campaigner, said the last thing Britain needed was another commercial airport.

"Aviation is the fastest growing source of climate change pollution in Britain," she said. "That's why the Government needs to put a stop to any new airports as well the expansion of existing ones, such as Heathrow. Instead we want to see the billions in tax breaks invested in the railways to increase capacity and make trains cheaper and more accessible."

David Young, director of Kemble Air Services, said the development had taken local views into consideration and would create jobs. He added that it would be a waste of taxpayers' money to leave the site dormant, and said the company would listen to local concerns.

"The airfield was built at taxpayers' expense and needs to be used, not wasted," said Mr Young. "We're aware of the sensitivities, and we'll respond to any noise complaints."

A spokesman for the Welsh government said that the development was essentially a continuation of previous activities at the aerodrome, which included a relatively high number of flights.

"The proposed development has been carefully considered to ensure minimal environmental impact, with the emphasis on its sustainable development in sympathy with the local area and community," the spokesman added.