Thanks Midland 331. The "self positioning to finals" explanation would seem to be about right. The only operator (large passenger jets) who still sometimes favour a visual to short finals is KLM as the I regularly see the F70 / F100 right over our house house here in Ingleby Barwick quite low before turning onto what must be something like a 2 mile final.
On another but related tack I can remember taking off from 05 at Teesside many times on the F27 and climbing out past "The Mast" then straight over the North York Moors to Amsterdam. Now it seems the norm for aircraft to be routed halfway to London before turning towards Amsterdam.