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Save Wellesbourne airfield EGBW (merged)

Wellesbourne are appealing for support to combat proposed building plans immediately to the east of the airfield's Runway 18.

http://www.wellesbourneairfield.com/newsandevents.htm

EGBJ, EGBP, EGTW, EGVN, EGBS

Unbelievable... I will add my comments....

I have a particular affection for Wellesbourne, apart from my wife coming from Stratford-upon-Avon, I did my first solo there whilst on holidays from Singapore in 1992...i was leaning to fly in Singapore but hadnt yet soloed....as usual I gravitated to the nearest airfield and did some flying...we landed after a few circuits and the instructor told me he was getting out and leaving me to it!

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

My comments added to the Straford-on-Avon council website

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

The piece of land in question used to be used for storing vans. The Western edge of the proposed development is directly in line with the Eastern edge of the tarmac runway surface and the Northern boundary is just 180 metres South of the Tarmac runway surface!

What would happen to Wellesbourne if this went ahead as proposed?

It looks like a closure (or a shortening to a near-useless length) of the main runway, which presumably is what the developer wants. If they can close the whole airfield then the property prices will go up.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

It looks like a closure (or a shortening to a near-useless length) of the main runway

The pictures don't suggest to me that any runway length would be lost?

Looking at Google maps and comparing it to the development picture, it looks like the want to put houses on the wedge-shaped strip running next to Loxley Rd, with the pointy tip of that strip being south of the 36 threshold.

The houses at the very edge of that strip would be under the final approach to 36.

No doubt vigorous noise complaints would start as soon as the houses were occupied. I would be inclined to waive the development through, but with the stipulation that no subsequent occupier has the right of complaint with respect to airfield noise, i.e. stick some sort of covenant in along the lines of "the airfield was there first, you knew the situation when you bought the house, you live with the noise".

EGLM & EGTN

with the stipulation that no subsequent occupier has the right of complaint with respect to airfield noise

Is that actually possible in the UK?

I don't think so.

You buy a house, surrounded by massive ugly conifers, which also block the light to the next house.
You cut down the conifers (the council will probably lend you the chainsaw )
The house next door gets a huge benefit, in the form of light, views, etc.
You apply for planning to extend your house just a little.
The neighbours will complain viciously that they are going to lose light, views, etc.
They succeed in blocking the application.

Been there, done it. It's perverted.

What the airfield needs is a really cunning planning consultant who knows how to play the local game. He should not be aggressive. He needs to be cunning. That was how we did it, finally.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Fair enough. I agree planning seems perverted and I don't pretend to know much about it.

In an ideal world the legal position would be "build as many houses as you like, but the airfield was there first and isn't going anywhere".

EGLM & EGTN

To me, in the case of an airfield, it is not just an issue of which was there first. Unfortunately the narrow interests of a few developers and additional council tax revenue is put ahead of the interests of the wider community...why? Because the wider community perhaps does not recognize the inherent benefit that the airfield brings them (apart from the people directly involved with the airfield such as flying clubs / schools, pilots etc). A campaign to inform the wider community of the benefit in terms of business brought to the area - directly to airfield business and perhaps more importantly the multiplier effect to supporting business including tourism. The community needs to be made aware that this is an extremely valuable asset that gives them an advantage over other communities. they need to understand that once this asset is lost or impaired there is absolutely no way it is ever going to be restored...ever

YPJT, United Arab Emirates

No doubt vigorous noise complaints would start as soon as the houses were occupied

Where I fly from, on one of the runways, there are some houses not far away from the threshold at the other end. Most pilots follow the correct procedure which is to make a right turn ASAP to avoid overflying the houses, some complain regardless, but you buy a house under the departure path of a runway that has been there since WWII ....

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