Have seen some pretty neat solutions in France:
(i) Joining traffic and anything MEP or faster flies a defined larger circuit, something like 1.5-2 wider than an "inner" circuit, which is being flown by the T&G crowd....
(ii) A box-like OHJ, flying the circuit shape, so you can more easily self-regulate your spacing relative to those ahead (far more sensible than our idiotic version)
(iii) In the case of very slow traffic (e.g. I used to fly a J-3 at one small, busy field), then that traffic flies an even tighter circuit.
Extending far on D/W 22 at Stapleford is not something you want to do much of.....you need to look with hawks eyes for traffic moving L-R using the rat-run between you and Stansted and give it 30 secs more and you are in North Weald's circuit, with some potentially fast-moving, erratic manoeuvring metal.
Within reason, are such habits engendered by PPL's uncomfortable with regulating their base leg / finals for spacing and figure extending D/W is just an Easy Life, even at the risk of a go-around?? Lack of currency an issue here?
Strikes me, in the UK we are still using the same circuit techniques we have since the 1930's, yet there may be better ways of doing things out there. Amazes me there are not more incidents....it must be a Big Sky out there....
BFA