QNH 1013
Yes, a blanket ban on unlicensed fields does seem a bit unreasonable. I took a light twin into the unlicensed Kemble a few weeks ago, & that field, IMHO, seems much safer & better equiped than a lot of small licensed fields.
The school where I fly, uses the "prior consent of the CFI" method. In practice, this does work extremely well.
There are few constraints on regular hirers, who have flown for years & have hundreds of hours.
On the other hand it does require the newly-qualifieds to sit down with the Pooleys plate of the unlicensed field, then do a weight & balance sheet, & calculate the aircraft's performance (particularly if grass). I feel that this is useful exercise for that pilot, as he has to check that his plan is safe & realistic, before he can convince the CFI.
I would hope that premiums will fall again next year, so long as there are no similar 9/11 type occurances.