Lee on Solent, beginning of the end
It looks like the beginning of the end for Lee on Solent. There has been a report that everything outside he infamous blue fence is up for development.
This is no surprise as development of the airfield has been on the cards for years.
However, developing the area around an airfield is going to place it under great pressure (I bet no one thought of that) and will make basing any other aircraft there next to impossible (I bet no one thought of that) and the operators of the airfield will not be able to maintain it economically with just the coastguard and police there (I bet no one thought of that) and so before too long the whole place will get sold off for development (I bet no one thought of that) and not only will the south lose another potentially very useful and well located airfield but the local roads will become even more clogged up with idiots in BMW X5s.
This saves Fareham council from having to invent any more stories of developing it as a regional airport (as reported in the Portsmouth Evening News last year or so) which some saw as a callous way of getting an 'anti airfield' group up and running so they could develop the site as housing as they have wanted to do all along.
Now they have taken out the pipe bombs (investigated some years back and considered 'safe' at the time) it makes building on the site even easier.
It is a matter of time before that one goes. I give it three to five years before it is history.
If you are based there I would suggest getting a move on to get your aeroplane through the fence and off to somewhere a little more aviation friendly.