Airfields for re-development ? Of course. There is plainly too much supply chasing too little demand in this country. GA is contracting and airfields, like anything else operating in a commercial environment, have to make some money merely to survive, without consideration of a healthy profit enabling the owner/s to winter in Barbados.
My home airfield at Sarum is under threat as are a dozen others. The owners can't keep sticking their hand in their pockets to subsidise a handful of airfield users. Aware of all that has been going on over the last twenty five years, and putting on my 'best face', last year I flew into Lee on Solent to look at the improvements resulting from the application of shed loads of taxpayers cash.
The airfield, complete with several new buildings looked tidy, with what I could see of the runways appearing to be in good nick. Sapphire the handling agents - shortly to be given the bums rush - came out in their 'follow me' truck and were friendly and helpful. During the two hours that I was on the ground, two a/c arrived - none departed.
As a 'by the by', I still haven't worked out what Lee is for. It doesn't seem to be for GA.
As a consequence of the Johnny Prescott engineered assault on brownfield sites masquerading - he thought - as airfields, and starting with Grant Shaps MP and his Red Tape Challenge, I wrote to various names suggesting that it should be a legal obligation for any developer obtaining planning consent for re-development, to provide alternative airfield facilities within a reasonable distance of the airfield being developed.
A minimum requirement would be the provision of one runway, hangarage, cafeteria, control tower and a minimum square footage of office space. Nothing there that would be thought too drastic in view of the huge profits to be made.
The re-action to this proposal was a crashing silence. I can hardly think why.
As time goes by, more and more airfields will be built on. It is a natural progression explained by unrestricted immigration. GA will become squeezed and will come to rely on farm strips, accepting the restrictions that go with their use.
That, I think is the future.