The move, I understand from someone outside NPAS, is on April 20.
I have asked NPAS whether there is an issue adding the additional aircraft hours to Lippitts Hill [IL] as I thought there was an 'agreement' in place to limit the aircraft numbers and hours. I may be wrong. So far that enquiry is being blanked.
The move is about gravel. The control tower is going as they have run out of other places to dig gravel from on the site. Locals are after saving the 1940s concrete airfield market letters so there is not expected to be anything but dust there quite soon.
Question: Why, at the start of this 'PLAN' did NPAS intend to leave Boreham for Southend?
Did they know this day was coming and simply failed to plan for it?
Retaining Wattisham for a year or so until the fixed wing was ready and operational would have made sense. But then I do not hail from Wakefield.
The support of East Anglia at night now requires a fly in from either London or Husbands Bosworth. There are no night fuelling options closer than Lippitts Hill. [I refer you to night noise and the alleged agreement above].
No building has yet commenced at the Lippitts Hill replacement at North Weald so that site is a minimum of 3 months away - nearer 8 based on how long to took to sort Doncaster [footings January 2017 and final handover some time after my visit on 27 September]. So NW could be early 2019 on that basis.
Doncaster still has not had the 'pressure' of actually operating anything!