Runway asphalt gets recycled in village car park

A village car park has been resurfaced for the first time in 60 years using recycled asphalt from an airport's runway.

London Luton Airport (LLA) produced the material for the new parking spaces at Breachwood Green Village Hall, Hertfordshire, when it rebuilt sections of its runway over a five-month period.

Over the course of 95 nights, a team of contractors had five hours and 44 minutes to make progress resurfacing a 1.3-mile (2.1km) runway before having to clear it for the first flight of the day.

Neil Thompson, the chief operating officer of LLA, said: "Our runway resurfacing project generated high quality materials that still had real value."

Kings Walden Parish Council said the previous car park was in a "very poor condition" and it did not have the budget to pay for the resurfacing.

"Breachwood Green Village Hall is a practical example of how we can support our local communities while reducing waste and our carbon footprint," Thompson added.

The village hall is located about one mile from the end of LLA's runway, just over the border in Hertfordshire.

The parish council said feedback from users of the new car park had been "very positive".

Following discussions with North East District Conservative councillor Joe Graziano, the airport worked with contractor Lagan Aviation, to construct the durable new surface.

The resurfacing work at LLA was required to meet safety regulations and is not part of a planned expansion of the airport.

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