AS part of its bid to extend night time flying hours, Devon Air Ambulance Trust has been in discussion with Lifton Parish Council with regards to a possible site in the village for a community helipad.

The council met a representative from the charity to discuss and look at possible sites for the air ambulance to use — the council has suggested the most suitable ground for a helipad may be the Queen Elizabeth II recreation ground.

The helipad would require specific lighting to enable to pilots and crew to see where they were landing during darker hours and this could be sited at end of the pavilion.

Lifton Parish Council clerk Nicola Taylor said: “As I understand it the helipad site would require special lighting and that there would be major expenses attached to this venture.

“The parish council will be holding further conversations with the charity and we will then take this back to the community to see if they think the suggested site is feasible and to get their input on the matter.

“If the community feel it is feasible then we must discuss how they want to go about raising funds or where the best placement will be.”

Further discussions will have to be held as to the cost of installation. If an area is designated as a community helipad then lighting, that will be activated and controlled by the air ambulance service, will have to be installed.

Residents will have to decide whether it is possible for the community to raise a relatively large sum of money in order to have the correct equipment in place for the air ambulance to use the recreational ground as a helipad.

Mrs Taylor added: “This is not a done deal, however, and we must consider things like the major issue of noise at night and how often it would be used, but it will be first up to the air ambulance to decide whether it is a feasible site or not before any action by us can be taken.”

It was noted in the parish council minutes that Cllr Martin Hall had raised the possibility of solar floodlighting and that this matter would be brought up again at the next management committee meeting of the recreational ground.