Planning a tall building in or near Manchester or Birmingham? GTech’s free aviation safeguarding checkers help you identify potential risks early and keep your planning application moving.
Choose Manchester Airport (MAN) or Birmingham Airport (BHX), then enter a postcode, draw the building outline on the map or add Easting and Northing coordinates. Each checker shows your application site against GTech’s indicative airport specific Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) model and identifies the surfaces that overlap your site / proposed development.
- Manchester Airport (MAN): free aviation safeguarding checker
- Birmingham Airport (BHX): free aviation safeguarding checker
Choose your airport and explore GTech’s aviation safeguarding services.
See which surfaces cover your application site
The interactive map includes inner and outer horizontal surfaces, the conical surface, approach and take-off climb surfaces, transitional surfaces and runway geometry. A colour key and layer controls make it easy to explore the output. Different surfaces have different heights and slopes, and several can overlap the same location.
Resolve aviation safeguarding matters before they delay planning
For tall buildings in Manchester and Birmingham and the surrounding areas, aviation safeguarding may need consideration alongside the other standard technical assessment that accompany a planning application submission.
GTech helps developers and planning teams scope the assessment, prepare supporting information and coordinate liaison with MCC, Manchester Airports Group (MAG) safeguarding for Manchester, Birmingham Airport’s safeguarding team for BHX, and NATS where required. This can include consideration of radar effects, including secondary surveillance radar (SSR) where relevant.
Identifying these matters before submission helps reduce avoidable rework and supports a well-informed planning application submission.
A free first step, backed by professional support
The checker is a plan-view location screen, not a permitted-height calculation or an aviation safety clearance tool. It uses GTech’s screening model rather than an airport issued consultation map. A site outside the modelled area may still need aviation advice.
Choose your airport and check your site free, then contact GTech to discuss your proposed development and the next steps for your planning application.
For official information, see Manchester Airport’s aerodrome safeguarding guidance and Birmingham Airport’s planning and development guidance.