THE MULTI-MILLIONAIRE leaseholder of Wycombe Air Park wants to build a hotel at the site – and has opened talks with council bosses to outline his vision.

Surinder Arora, whose company owns Airways Aero Associations, has begun discussions to extend the lease, which expires in 2014, on the airfield in Booker, Great Marlow.

The company want to create a hotel academy, in the mould of Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in London, which gives opportunities to young unemployed, the Bucks Free Press can reveal.

AAA chiefs moved to reassure residents that the development would not be 'stadium part two' after controversial plans for a new Wycombe Wanderers and Wasps ground at the air park were ditched last year.

And job creation, a hot topic in Wycombe after a recent shock report on the district's economic outlook, is high on the agenda for the air park plans.

Guy Morris, Managing Director Arora Holdings and Director of AAA, told the BFP the firm has been openly interested in building a hotel there for years – but said it was important to emphasise that kind of project they are looking at.

“We're not just thinking of popping any old hotel on the site.

“It's a training academy, we're thinking of, hands on.

"We'd have people there who can run a hotel but they'd be there specifically to train on job with the youngsters.

"They'd be receptionists, chefs, they'd learn all of the trades in situ.

“What we're very anxious to do is to put a very educational thrust around any development we do at the airfield.

“Part of our future vision, if we were successful in extending the lease, we'd be focusing very heavily on the aviation side as well.”

Currently, the proposal is purely conceptual, he stressed, and AAA will meet with Wycombe District Council again, probably within weeks to discuss it further.

Mr Morris anticipates significant numbers of jobs created, if the plans were to materialise.

“The hotel will have to have an infrastructure of teachers, experienced workers and management of the hotel to train the youngsters “If we go down the route of engineering and associated training there's going to be all those jobs created. And it's not just about that it's about creating supply chain as well.

"That will naturally increase requirements by the airfield for local supplies to look after our requirements.

It's about growing the infrastructure.”

Protest group GASP was formed when the community stadium was proposed, with huge concerns over the scale of the development.

But Mr Morris assured readers: “We're not seeking for massive development.

"I don't think you can put what we're trying to do in the same context as you could a stadium.”

Regarding the current activities and business at the air park, he said: “At this point in time we don't envisage anything changing dramatically but obviously that would all depend on how the future plays out in terms of whether we can get a new lease in place.

“I think many things are possible if that becomes a viable option."

One of the biggest fears about the now axed stadium was that the gliding club would be turfed out.

But Mr Morris said: “Gliding was not discussed, hasn't been discussed and doesn't feature in any of our plans one way or the other.

“We haven't actually got down to that level of detail, what's going to be left."

WDC spokesman Catherine Spalton said: “Mr Arora – the current head lessee – recently met with us to talk about his vision for the air park.

"As we understand it, his vision is purely conceptual at this time and there are no firm details. Gliding was not discussed at the meeting.

“At this point in time, no decisions on the future of the air park have been made. We will be considering our position in respect of the lease expiry in coming months.”

Mr Arora met with the Leader, Cabinet Member for Property and Economic Development, Chief Executive and the Major Projects & Property Executive, Miss Spalton added.