Here's a rundown on the situation at Lee.
Lee is a Governement Aerodrome. It used to be a Royal Naval Air Station, HMS Daedalus.
In 1996 the Navy ceased using it and Hampshire Police Air Support Unit (HPASU) took over the day to day running of the airfield. The Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) operate two SAR helicopters from there.
Last year ownership of the core central area including the runways was transferred to MCA, with outlying areas being transferred to South East England Development Agency (SEEDA). The current situation is that MCA are the owners and HPASU are tenants and manage the airfield.
The ATZ at DARA Fleetlands overlaps part of the Lee site. Fleetlands provides AFIS but has no visibility of the runways or taxiways at Lee. A Letter of Agreement to regulate safe interoperation was drawn up over a year ago and has been agreed by all parties except HPASU, who have refused to sign it. The airfield management have also not applied for an ATZ or for a radio frequency. When the RN operated it Lee was the controlling station for Lee and Fleetlands.
We now have a situation where the Airfield Manager has decided on Health and Safety grounds to deny access to the airfield to anyone other than the two coastguard helicopters and the police Islander. As he's had over 10 years in post, to declare that he's mismanaged the airfield to the extent that he cannot now safely operate it looks like a severe case of foot in mouth.
It's ludicrous that anyone should for one moment contemplate the idea that the entire operating expenses of an airfield the size of Lee on Solent should be carried on the operating budgets of two helicopters and an Islander, all out of the taxpayer's pocket.
It is of course possible that the subtext to this relates to the recently concluded prosecution of the Met for breaches of H&S law relating to their duty to protect members of the public.
Those affected by the unilateral decision to close the airfield to outsiders include the Tigers Children's Motorcycle Display Team, The Lee Bees Model Aircraft Club, Carrill Aviation, a long established flying club, an aircraft maintenance organisation, a microlight manufacturer, the Portsmouth Naval Gliding Club, and of course the owners and users of all of the based aircraft.