Comment 2
UAV.... Until now, established local GA, Gliding, a Police fixed-wing Islander, the MCA Coastguard helicopters have all co-existed safely for many years.
There have been no significant incidents caused by the mix; and no rational safety-issues nor risks quantified. In fact the only significant accident on site was sadly the Police's own Optica some years ago.
The lack of any valid background for ongoing airfield policies, can therefore only be taken to be a want for "blue light" exclusivity, and where other users are presumably seen as amateur and "not worthy", or are too much trouble/displeasing to the eye.
I'm sure there are numerous other reasons, and I won't go into those here, but one now possibly starts to interweave with SEEDA (SE England Development Agency) desires to maximise the commercial return of the land around the central airfield. Housing makes a much nicer profit than flying, and meets government targets too. Us locals are being told by press releases, surveys etc that they want to build a plan to meet local public wishes. The public have voted clearly, and told them NO to houses, NO to more traffic on the peninsular, yes to green space; some light industry, GA, marine etc etc. How inconvenient....! So if the airfield operator then has a separate issue with GA (or Gliding) on "safety grounds" (shock/horror!) that is nothing to do with SEEDA.... but they've got room for more houses, and the hangars will clear - and they can make public statements that explain it wasn't down to them. Afterall H&S is sacrosanct - we all know that from being told so every day by some new trivial news item. That's handy - wow!
Anyone who understand aviation would see that the GA and Gliding operations are very safe alongside the Blue Light facilities; and in fact complement each other, and create a safer environment with better airfield and circuit awareness. There are many many airfields, and strips even where they are far far busier, but given that's not the point, it's not something that those making decisions would seem to be interested in.