Closure of 27/09 is long overdue. I watched last Saturday whilst a Britannia 767-200 landed on 32 and backtracked to hold short of 27/09; and an Astraeus 737-700 taxied up the North/South to wait at the end of 32 for departure. Both aircraft were held for at least five minutes - all to allow a C152 (or whatever it was) to do a touch-and-go on 27. The fuel burn alone for Britannia and Astraeus must have cost far more than the entire C152 detail earned the airport. Only when the C152 had cleared the track could the 767 taxi down 27/09 onto its stand and the 737-700 depart. Quite farcical. The airport needs to get a grip on what is generating its revenue.
I remember the Capital 146 departing on Runway 10 once; and for those who are a bit older, does anyone remember the British Midland/Airways Cymru 1-11 (G-WLAD)? Its arrival on Runway 28 (positioning back after another spell of being tech one evening) frightened the living daylights out of everyone in the Aero Club bar. However, its time has come. Time to shut 27.