The next step in the £11m expansion of Biggin Hill Airport, which includes the development of a new hotel and aviation college, is set to take place next week.

Members of Bromley Council’s executive are expected to provide a final green-light for the project by granting landlord’s consent at their January 15 meeting.

It’s the latest step toward work starting on the plan, which will see a hotel with 56 bedrooms, a restaurant,  lounge, gymnasium and new car parking built at the airport.

The accompanying aerospace college will allow students to gain a range of aviation-focused engineering and mechanical qualifications, an area pin-pointed as a skills shortage in the UK.

The latest development comes after councillors backed the plans at a July 2019 meeting.

With planning permission secured, landlord’s consent is a formality required to allow work to begin.

The new college will provide space for up to 200 students and 25 teaching staff, and include a hangar and workshop for students.

At the time, David Winstanley, the chief executive officer at London Biggin Hill Airport, said the development would help plug a gap in an industry shortfall of aircraft engineers.

“If the UK aviation industry is serious about tackling the skills shortage, we must find new ways to grow our own talent,” he said.

“The London Aerospace and Technology College is a game changer that will create a new generation of skilled aircraft engineers to meet the needs of aviation today and for years to come.”

The  £11m new facility is a collaboration between LoCate and London South East Colleges, with £6.2m of funding being stumped up by the Greater London Authority.