Nottingham’s Acres Group has successfully designed its first heliport, as expansion plans for an existing base receive council approval.

The project, designed by the team at Acres Architects, involves the building of a new 800 sq. metre hangar and associated offices on the site of Nottingham Heliport, off the A46 Fosse Way, in Widmerpool, south Nottinghamshire.

The new hangar was recently granted planning approval by Rushcliffe Borough Council, and the wider Acres Group is now bidding to take on the construction work following its design success.

The development, which is approximately the size of four tennis courts, was required partly due to the recent arrival of the Air Ambulance Service, which also includes the Children’s Air Ambulance. The organisation currently occupies the majority of the offices along with half of the existing hangar space.

It will also help to accommodate the growth of the UK arm of Savback Helicopters, an international helicopter dealer, which established its presence at Nottingham Heliport in 2021.

Having grown from a proven specialist in large and small-scale residential developments to commercial and leisure projects of varying sizes, this is the first time the Acres Group has ventured into the aerospace world.

Edward Acres, owner and managing director of Acres Group, said: “Since I launched Acres Architects in 2008, we have grown enormously and fulfilled a huge array of development types. But this is the first time we’ve accepted a heliport project, or indeed anything in the aerospace field.

“We spent a lot of time, carefully considering design, materials and the surrounding environment, as well as consulting with industry experts, the planning department and local people before submitting our ideas.

“It’s fantastic that, at our first attempt, Rushcliffe Borough Council saw enough merit in it to grant its approval. I guess it’s now onwards and upwards, quite literally!”

The new addition to Nottingham Heliport will see facilities at the site approximately double in capacity, although no significant increase to road traffic accessing the site from the A46 is expected. The new hangar will comfortably house up to three helicopters.

Edward added: “Given that Acres Architects has recently transformed to become part of a wider Acres Group, our service offering now covers every part of the construction process, from concept to finished build and landscaping, so we now hope that we will be considered by the heliport to see our design ideas through to completion.”

The expanding Acres Group, based at offices in University Park, Nottingham, consists of several divisions including Acres Architects, Acres Construction, Acres Interiors, Acres Developments and Online Media Video Productions (OMVP).