Sadly, in this case the reality is not that the airfield has shut, and jobs and the facilities lost, because a plan to build houses on it has been approved, but because following local protests it has been rejected. The landowner claimed, probably correctly, that he had lost huge amounts of money over the years and couldn’t afford to keep doing so. As can be seen from the outline planning application below, keeping the airfield active and developing its facilities was an integral part of the plan, and due to it's being turned by the Wiltshire County Council the land owners stopped flying on the site.
If you ask Google for details of “Old Sarum planning application” you’ll find the brief
précis I’ve posted below, plus all the detail. It’s obviously devastating for everyone who worked there, and a massive loss to the GA community.
“Outline application with all matters reserved, except from the means of access to the site for the demolition, modification and renovation of existing buildings, structures and site development. Provision of approximately 18.6ha (gross) of residential land accommodating approximately 462 residential dwellings. Provision for a mixture of employment, commercial/leisure, and aviation uses on 3.1ha of land at Area B, including a "flying hub" comprising a control tower, heritage centre, visitor centre, café/restaurant, parachute centre, aviation archives and aircraft hangars. Provision of associated access, including the construction of new points of vehicles access to the surrounding highways network, car parking and connections to the surrounding footpath and cycle networks. Green infrastructure provision, including open space, play space, recreational footpaths, cycle paths and landscape enhancement areas; the provision of above and below ground utilities, including a sustainable urban drainage system. Associated vegetation removal, ground modification and engineering works”