The future of an airfield in Warwickshire which houses one of the last taxiable Avro Vulcan planes remains uncertain after a council was forced to stop its owners from demolishing it.

Stratford District Council has taken urgent action preventing Littler Investments from tearing down buildings on Wellesbourne Airfield which would have placed around 200 jobs under threat.

It emerged a few weeks ago Littler Investments wanted to demolish a large portion of the site as they continue their attempt to redevelop the land with around 1,500 new houses.

Stratford District Council has now agreed to remove permitted development rights from the owners, which came into force immediately following a special meeting today, and seek powers to compulsorily purchase the airfield if negotiations break down over a deal to buy it.

The authority will also obtain an injunction if any attempt is made to start the demolition process.

If the airfield closed, all the businesses currently based there, including several flying schools and a museum, would be forced to relocate or shut.

Their leases are due to expire on Christmas Eve.

Family-owned Littler Investments and its developer Gladman have fallen at every hurdle in their bid to win planning permission to redevelop the site, including being rejected by the Government's planning inspectorate earlier this year.

Council leader Coun Chris Saint said: "I'm pleased that colleagues have unanimously approved this. It helps support the robustness of our local plan and should allow business operations of the airfield.

"Should they wish to demolish any buildings on site, the owners would now need to apply for planning permission."

David Scott-Morgan, an instructor with South Warwickshire Flying School, said: "I have not stopped being hopeful during this whole process as I don't think the owners have just cause at all. This was a great decision by the council."

Referring to the historic Vulcan plane, he added: "We get lots of people coming to look at the Vulcan. It's a national asset and people have lovingly looked after it to keep it in a good condition.

"But there's been talk of it being chopped up. The airfield owns the Vulcan as they own the land so they can do that if they want."

A statement from Littler Investments said: "We were surprised to learn of the council's decision to enter a process by which a substantial amount of taxpayers' money could be spent to purchase the site.

"We were particularly surprised given the constructive engagement between ourselves and the council in meetings about the site's long-term future as recently as November.

"The council's stated objective seems to be preservation of jobs.

"Yet jobs would only be lost if existing businesses cannot relocate and we have done everything to provide sufficient notice to allow them to do so.

"The previous redevelopment proposals would have seen more than 800 full-time-equivalent jobs generated at the site while the figures variously quoted for existing employment are, firstly, significantly lower in comparison and, secondly, potentially inflated as many existing jobs are not full time."

Referring to the tenants, the statement added: "We have always been keen to adopt a fair approach with regard to the tenants of Wellesbourne Airfield and have provided as much advance warning as possible to plan for the future.

"It is disappointing that our approach towards our own land has been negatively portrayed.

"We appreciate the need to find new premises may not be the outcome the current tenants wanted and this will be decided by the court in due course.

"However, arrangements have been put in place to enable the airfield to continue operating in the meantime."