A planning disagreement surrounds plans for a helicopter base to be put to use again as a pilot training facility.

Heli Operations, which supports UK Search and Rescue services, believes it should be able to use the former coastguard helicopter base on Portland as a pilot training site without having to apply for new planning permission.

However, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council disagrees, saying that the site only currently has permission to be used as a Search and Rescue base.

The coastguard helicopter which used the base on Portland was axed in June this year, despite a 100,000-strong petition to keep it, as well as protests from local figures such as Richard Drax MP.

Heli Operations, a company which supplies trained helicopter personnel to companies worldwide, won the contract to buy the site in 2016.

Chief executive of Heli Operations Steve Gladson said the training facility would be good for the local economy and provide new jobs and apprenticeships.

Cllr Ray Nowak, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s spokesman for Environment and Sustainability, said: “Currently, the site has planning permission to be a Search and Rescue Facility. The council considers this to be Sui Generis, meaning the change of use to a helicopter training facility would require planning permission.

“Heli Operations were advised of this position in November 2016 and disagree with this view. They have informed the council of their intentions of applying for a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development.”

Having a Certificate of Lawfulness of Proposed Use or Development approved would be a way for Heli Operations to settle that what they wish to do is within the remits of the law – meaning they would not require planning permission to use the base as a training centre.

Mr Gladson said: “We have taken a QC’s opinion on this and the existing planning is for helicopter operations on site. It is not specific to rescues.”

He said that while the council was saying the use of the site was a “change of use”, Heli Operations believes it to be a “continuation of use” and it is submitting an application for the certificate “for the issue to be clarified.”

Mr Gladson said there was no conflict between him and the council and that he simply wants to resolve the issue.

The executive confirmed that the difference of opinion would cause no delay to the start of training at the centre, which he said would begin in the next week.