Lee on Solent - House of Commons Thur 15 Nov

[Mike Cross]

Lee on Solent lies within the constituency of Peter Viggers MP.

He has an adjournment debate in the House on Thursday 15 Nov on the subject of Lee. The following day the airfield is to be closed to all users except for the two coastguard helicopters, the police Islander, and the gliders of Portsmouth Naval Gliding Club (they are protected only until the end of next year under a commitment negotiated by Defence Estates when they sold the land).

The flying school, the M3 Maintenance and 145 repair organisation and other related businesses that are dependent on access to the airfield have a bleak future.

Please take a few minutes to look at this page (http://www.tug.eu.com/eghf/eghfweb/campaign.htm) and make up your own mind.

Members of the Parliamentary Aviation Group can be found on this page (http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/register/memi157.htm) and links to their websites and contact details can be found on this page (http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm)

Lee Flying Association are fighting to open up the airfield for GA, MCA and Hampshire Constabulary are fighting to kick everyone off it.

Strangely enough this airfield is owned by the Department of Transport, the body responsible for the regulation of Civil Aviation in the UK, yet their own Airfield Manager is saying that he does not have sufficient infrastructure in place to safely operate it, despite having safely operated it since the Navy paid it off in 1996. :cry:

Mike

[Contacttower]

What is the scope of the debate? Is there any possibility of the closing being overturned?

[Mike Cross]

Have a look at the website.

In the short term it could go either way. Legal advisors are working on whether an application for Judicial Review or an Injunction is a worthwhile option. They are still ploughing through reams of paperwork and should come up with an opinion in the next few days.

I gather a person of ministerial rank will be required to attend. As the airfield is owned by MCA, an executive agency of the DfT that is likely to be someone from the DfT.

The Airfield Manager, from Hampshire Constabulary (why does a police force run an 8 million pound 256 acre airfield?) has given his reason for closure as safety. Were I the person having to stand up and answer I'd be asking for a copy of the safety case. I gather that has been asked for by the locals and nothing's been produced although SEEDA have said that it is based on the Airfield Manager's asessment and not as the result of independent review. (why is SEEDA giving the reasons and not the Owner or Manager?)

It's really going to come down to a choice of suspending the closure pending independent review or allowing the closure to go ahead and then carrying out the review. Could go either way.

It appears that the Navy stopped managing the airfield when they paid off HMS Daedalus in 1996 and since then Hampshire Constabulary have been managing it. The current activities have been carried on since then without problems. After closure the airfield will continue to operate, the MCA SAR helicopters and the Police Islander will still operate and the Portsmouth Naval Gliding Club will still operate from the field. It seems that it's safe enough for them to operate but not safe for the aviation related businesses on the site to fly aircraft in and out.

Mike

[Dave Gittins]

I have sent a brief email to Peter Viggers via his constituency office and will be happy to do anything else to help. I have also copied my email to David Marshall, chairman of the Commons Aviation Group.

As an occasional user of Lee (very occasional with all the restrictions in force) I am perfectly happy that the fully mixed operation prior to May this year was safe.

Whilst using RWY 23, the powered aeroplanes used the RH side of the runway and do RH circuits, the gliders use the LHS and the grass and do LH circuits. (on 05 they do the opposite) Anyway there is a common radio frequency as well.

I'd love to get my hands on the safety case / risk assessment to see how it raises a problem with what is perfectly normal proceedure at any number of other places.

DGG

[execExpress]

Dave - thanks for adding your effort to the fight for Lee!

www.eghf.co.uk (http://www.eghf.co.uk) has been overhauled by the way,

It is possible to donate to Fighting and Injunction funds, details on the website.

The case is strong, but it costs to make it stick... ...if anyone if ever going to contribute to 'normalising' Lee as a GA accessible aerodrome NOW is the time folks! :-)

[airborne_artist]

Being covered on BBC South News following the 13.00 BBC news today. Expect it'll be on the 18.30 slot as well.

[SteelCity]

News Clip here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7090000/newsid_7096700/7096767.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&news=1

[Spamcan defender]

Well done Mr Viggers. Sent him an e-mail a few weeks back expressing my own concern about LOS.
Also found this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_6650000/newsid_6654400/6654497.stm?bw=nb&mp=wm&news=1&ms3=2&nol_storyid=6654497) from a few months back which shows that the government clearly has an agenda of its own to pursue housing development on the site. Sometimes I hate politics and the underhand ways it goes about fulfilling its own agenda.
It would therefore appear that SEEDA is getting the green light from the government to get housing on the site ASAP.
I will await the outcome from the commons debate with added interest.....

Spamcan

[chris 68]

this has allways been about housing and somebody somewhere is making of the back of it imho of course,

that is why we were all getting leaflets about 400 aysulm seekers all male of course were goint to be housed there,the lesser of to eviels springs to mind.

i live 5 miutes away and was doing my ppl lovely,now hour drive min to old sarum,

just my thoughts of course nothing proven:oh:

[Major Major]

I too have dropped an email to my local MP, Mr Viggers and Mr Marshall.

Let's see them restore my faith in democracy.

(This had better work, I'm not being late for my dinner for nothing).

[Mike Cross]

Debate now over. Jim Fitzpatrick faced Peter Viggers and dumped it on the Chief Constable for Hampshire. He's now left holding the baby, which is fair enough as it was his Airfield Manager from the Hampshire Police Air Support unit who decided to close it. I expect he'll be getting a few calls asking for copies of the risk assesment behind it. One trusts that he will be able to furnish same

[Major Major]

Lol. Fight not over yet then.

Worth a follow up email to MPs to chase down that risk assessment?

[Mike Cross]

Debate can be viewed here. (http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/VideoPlayer.aspx?meetingId=304&st=MTUvMTEvMjAwNyAxNzo1NjoxOA==&rel=ok)
Local TV News coverage here. ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/player/nol/newsid_7090000/newsid_7097400?redirect=7097468.stm&news=1&nbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1)

[Dave Gittins]

Just recieved a response to my Email from David Marshall .. Chairman of the House Of Commons all party Aviation Committee.

He says that " ... the All-Party Parliamentary Aviation Group provides a platform for organisations and companies involved in aviation to brief individual members interested in aviation matters.

They do not get involved in local Constituency matters and these should be pursued with the appropriate local Members of Parliament, as he notes I have done."

I think he means that he expects any approach to his Committee should be made via an organisation ... presumeably LFA. My view is that this matter is certainly of far wider interest than a single constituency

DGG

[Mike Cross]

Dave, what he means is that your own MP is the person to go to. It's always been the case that an MP will not take up a case far an individual who is in someone else's constituency. If your MP then wants to contact the All Party Parliamentery Aviation Group he can. Organisations don't have votes and so don't have an elected MP. Last Thursday's debate was called by Peter Viggers because he is the MP for Gosport.

My own MP is Mike Hancock and he hasn't even bothered to acknowledge my letter:ugh:

[Dave Gittins]

Well understood .. they are there to be lobbied by the likes of BAA or BAe.

Because I have an apartment in Gosport and am regestered to vote there, I had already written to Peter Viggers ..... who (although he has done what was wanted) hasn't replied to me.