Rev Thrust: good Q on the SIDs. When originally drawn up, all the Bristol and Cardiff SIDs HAD to be based on established, conventional nav-aids, within their protected ranges, plus an element of DR was allowed, strictly in accordance with ICAO SID design criteria. We struggled to some degree because of the required use of the BRI and CDF NDBs for the initial SID tracks (in the absence of anything else) and thus had to make use of proposed DR tracks, after the noise cut-offs within the NPRs (levels/ILS DME ranges), in order to pick up QDRs from the NDBs. The agreed brief for us was basically : "get aircraft into the airways at these points", remember. "How you do it is up to you..."
Originally both Cardiff and Bristol had some PRNAV SIDs which were seen as having significant environmental benefits BUT these were not approved by the CAA, ultimately. Hence, within a couple of months or so before the implementation date, CAA's Directorate of Airspace Policy suggested the use of HON VOR, extended it's protected range and we conducted a number of flight trials to ensure that these were viable, as indeed they were, albeit generally above 4000 feet.
The irony of course is that most of the commercial aircraft types using both airports are RNAV/FMS equipped and thus can track to the required airways interface points without using conventional nav-aids at the airports. So, no new VOR was seriously considered for all sorts of reasons but, in truth, there really wasn't a case for one, given the fact that:
a) HON/BCN/BHD/CPT/BRI/CDF were available, with some use of respective DMEs and b) so many aircraft are RNAV equipped.
Putting a BADIM dep on a radar heading is not a big deal for us anyway, especially if we have to vector a/c off the SID after the NPR to ensure separation from other traffic and (hopefully) a continuous climb. Hope that helps. If you guys have an issue with NOT flying the full SID, please give us that feedback officially through Chief Pilots/FSOs and we'll talk. I know it has been discussed before on PPRUNE, especialy in the London area. Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to post.