@SGC;- Yes, it truly is very sad. Long-term, with the airfield gone, getting serious manufacturing re-started will be stymied - permanently. Give it 5-10 years, and well see the remnants of RR & Airbus go too.
It's all short-termism. I fail to see why the airfield couldn't have just been mothballed if they were bothered about the costs. This was done with hundreds of a/d after the war. The Local Authorities would no doubt trumpet that they are 'providing jobs and housing', but they really just see Brownfield sites as soft-targets to build more rabbit-hutches to pay them rip-off taxes. We see this over and over again. However, airfields may be easy & profitable to close, but they cost zillions to build.
Filton not only has a great history, but it's been a great asset to Bristol since aviation began. Politicians have been instrumental in the destruction of the British aviation industry. This is just one more of their 'achievments'
