£2m for an airfield - and GA couldn't afford that.
Well, in that case, GA is doomed.
Simple. In real terms, £2m is nothing.
From my personal experience, a decent quality farm shed - 100ft x 100ft - with all the bells and whistles the local authority will want such as disabled toilets, will cost at leat 250k.
Then the fire hydrant! We have just spent the best part of £25k putting one in at Strathaven, all the pipe had to be barrier pipe at £20 a metre because we were a high risk of contamination!
Want to put down concrete for taxiways etc. You are talking around £40-£50 a square metre. Yes, you can lay a couple of cubes with a mixer, but we are talking serious amounts of concrete is you are starting an airfield on farmland.
Did I mention the planning consultant, the building engineers, the draughtsman, the land surveyor, the soil analysis...........
And that (and to be fair, the £2m) is only the start. Try building a decent clubhouse rather than a portable cabin: that will be £2,000-£2,500 a square metre.
And then bring in enough cash to pay for maintenance, management and staff - as well as finance any debt! Or return on capital!