I read somewhere recently that the UK CAA require licensed airfields to have a notified means of location even for VFR airfields;
No they don't.
so if you become visual just before MAPt there's no way you'll be able to land from there so you'll need to fly a full circuit...
You can plan or opt to do this always if you wish, a cloud break has always been the main purpose of an NDB let down..
With NDBs routinely positioned on the airfield itself,......
Most airfields dispensed with their off field 4nm NDB many years ago. The cost of maintaining and paying rent to a farmer for an off field piece of land became surplus to need. An NDB beacon sited on your own airfield land is a relatively cheap piece of kit to buy and with only a minor associated cost to licence and maintain. GNSS approaches will in time replace all land based expensive systems of course but meanwhile the NDB is a great backup for initial positioning.