Perhaps this might have some bearing on the debate about the closure of Coventry Airport.....then again maybe not
Back in early 90's when Coventry City Council sought to place the lease of the airport with a private company there was a great deal of negotiation with the staff about pay cuts and massive reductions to terms and conditions of employment. When the staff, quite understandably, baulked at the scale of the cuts the Councils initial tactic was to claim that if staff did not accept these changes prior to a TUPE transfer then the airport would close and be developed for housing and industry. The Council were adamant that the cuts had to be accepted, there was no more money available, or the 'threat' would be actioned.
After much investigation one of the unions found some information (not conclusive) that when Coventry City Council purchased the agricultural land for the new airport (before the war) and moved the AW factory from Whitley to Baginton a covenant had been placed upon the purchase of the land by the 'family' selling it. Apparently what the council purchased was the land surface for use as an aerodrome. It could not be used for any other purpose nor did they own the mineral rights.
During the negotiations requests for access to the paperwork for the purchase was denied to the union (pre data protection). However as soon as it was mentioned that the union were aware of its existance the Councils negotiating position changed dramatically over night, salaries were ring fenced and T&Cs were more sympathetically altered.
At the time they were busy redeveloping large tracts of airport land into a business park, which if there was a covenant, might have been a tad embarrassing. If the story about the covenant were true and the Councils dramatic change of heart seemed imply that this was something that they didn't want brought into the public domain, might this not have an impact upon what can, and cannot, be done with the site if it fails as an airport.
At the time the internet did not exist but today perhaps there is somebody out there with the knowledge and access to information to follow this up.
BLACK ART