Cranleigh show hosting 'Save Dunsfold'

[Double Zero]

In the hope that it's of interest, there will be a stand at the Cranleigh show tomorrow - Sunday - manned by the group opposing buiding 2,600 houses on the 1942 site.

Please go along and sign on the dotted line to prevent more historic vandalism !

The property development outfit who own the 'field have even, I kid you not, proposed digging out & flooding the runway to give 'waterside properties !!!

( Flood the runway, there's a Sunderland coming in )...

The fact that there isn't enough water around even if this did happen ( what are they on ? ) means a large resevoir would have to be magic'd up.

The fact that people died at the airfield in wartime, let alone the aircrews who set off from there never to return, is glossed over, as is the place it has in post-war history - Sea Fury, Sea Hawk, Hunter, P1127/ Harrier, Harrier 2, Hawk, Hawk 100 & 200, etc...

Please put a spoke in this lot's plans while there's still time - the buildings are all intact, ( 'Top Gear' is filmed in one half of the Experimental Hangar, in the last few years Flight Shed ) - it would make a wonderful warbird restoration base !

[Dysag]

I presume you're not someone desperate to find a home at an affordable price.

Looking after number one? I was at Dunsfold, but times move on...

Or maybe I'm just an old fart.

[PPRuNe Pop]

Probably.

Dunsfold is important history and at least people should try to defend it.

Perhaps the credit crunch will concentrate a few minds. Hard to see that 2600 homes would sell and developers do not use their own money. Most of them are laying off people.

PPP

[kms901]

There won't be any affordable homes at Dunsfold, it is the middle of Posh Surrey.

I wish I was at the Cranleigh show, have been before, but I will be at Popham.

Given the current state of the spec build industry, this is some way off.

[wulf190a]

Affordable homes?? no such thing. Yet another airfield threatened, when will people realise that another open space will disapear under tightly packed rabbit hutches. No sense of history anymore

[JEM60]

There are a hell of a lot of people out there who would much rather have a house to live in than look at a lot of derelict airfields. East Anglia has masses of history in it's old airfields, but it is totally impractical to preserve them all. Aviation history, in my opinion, is extremely well catered for in this country, which, compared to other countries, has a wealth of museums, historic aircraft, aircraft restoration centres, flying collections etc.
It is much better to have these 'flying memorials' than have a lot of derelict airfields being looked after by a few dedicated, willing volunteers looking after memorobilia in a couple of airfield huts. As someone said, move on, space is extremely valuable in this country, and surely a derelict airfield being put to good use, whatever it is, is better than having a useless open space.
I am as patriotic as most men, I visit our preserved historical sites regularly [Duxford etc] but we cannot preserve verything of historical interest.
Puts on tin hat, goes down into my historical Anderson shelter.

[merlinxx]

There is absolutely no way that the surface transport infrastructure in that part of Surrey can handle that sort of increase in traffic. Just sit at Alfold Crossways at morning & evening commute times. The A281 (so called Alford By-Pass) has a problem handling the traffic it has now, chuck in a few loaded HGVs & the odd caravan, bloody awful.

Just a point, nope I don't live in the area, but had many chums at Dunsfold & a local farmer with a large white beard & hair, was one of our Capts!

[Dr Illitout]

The group who are opposed to the houses, are they the same group who are opposed to the flying?

Rgds Dr I

[Double Zero]

Most of the above posts are correct - no way would these be 'affordable ' starter homes.

The proposal has already been rejected the ' eco-town ' angle they were trying on.

As another poster very accurately mentioned, the local road infrastructure is already a nightmare, in 14 years of driving to there from Horsham, we saw a nasty accident virtually every day, especially in winter, as there are very few chances to overtake safely on the A281 ( the other roads actually to the 'field itself are tiny country roads ).

The only people objecting to flying activities are NIMBY's who moved in during the short period when the airfield was actually closed.

The 'Save Dunsfold' lot are pro-flying.

Brooklands have an arrangement to hangar and fly the replica ( Steve Fosset etc ) Vimy there, and some flying does go on, though it is not open to casual flying visitors.

There is also the annual 'Wings & Wheels' airshow in co-operation with Brooklands, a surprisingly good show with Red Arrows, BBMF, B-25 etc - the only plane they can't promise is....Harrier !

The place is certainly not derelict ( yet ) - John Farley as Airfield Manager insituted a regeneration & new building programme in the 1980's - and could certainly sustain flying in some form.

As is usual, the runway was resurfaced just before closure in 2000.

In BAe days we dealt with noise complaints ( oddly enough, usually generated by visiting Tornados ) by sending free tickets to anyone who complained, and holding an annual cricket match between management, Test Pilots etc V. Local farmers, with good 'refreshments' laid on - worked well.

The pub just outside the Alfold entrance to the field, the Three Compasses ( actually built to service Navvies buiding the Wey & Arun canal, a restored stretch of which runs along that edge of the 'field ) has a few memento's, plenty of interesting 'zaps', a memorial plaque to Taylor Scott, and last & least some of my photo's.

When the airfield was truly active, the locals were proud of it and the aircraft built there, and truly sensible types would probably prefer that again, no doubt on a smaller scale, compared to gridlocked roads and overloaded infrastructure.

See ' Save Dunsfold Campaign' for the contact address, or please feel free to PM me.

[chevvron]

When I first visited Dunsfold way back in the late '70s, I'm sure I was told there was a covenant on the land which effectively prevented the building of houses as it required the land to be returned to its original owners as farmland if flying ever permanently stopped. What happened to this?

[Double Zero]

Chevvron,

you are completely correct, we all knew about the 'return to agriculture' clause, all the time we worked there.

Exactly how it may be circumvented I must say I'm not sure, but the developers there seem experienced at their job ( then again considering such things as 'flood the runway' maybe not ! ).

I suspect they are banking on 'money usually overcomes scruples' and, lately, John Prescott's desire to build more houses.

Personally, I reckon there are a great many 'brown field' sites available, rather than concreting over the whole of Southern England; and where are all the cars going to go, the roads around Sussex, Surrey & Hampshire are already at bursting point...

Waverley Council are to be commended for keeping them at arm's length for this long.

Due to some admin' cock-up there is still time to lodge one's feelings with Waverley Council, as I say I can give the e-address if anyone PM's me.

DZ

[Double Zero]

Hello Moderators, it strrikes me that you may wish to merge this thread with the previous ' Save Dunsfold Campaign' thread.

I quickly put this one up when I heard at short notice about the Cranleigh show, yesterday.

If at all possible I and others would be very grateful if it could be kept in a prominent position, as there is still a tight time factor in lodging comments with Waverley Council.

Yours,

D.Z.

[treadigraph]

Wouldn't it be nice if Dunsfold could become a flying community, rather like the ones that exist in the US and France. Property sizes to suit all pockets...

Just a daydream... :zzz:

[Double Zero]

Great idea !

Snag is, at local prices that means a garden shed and a 1/0000th share in a 172 for me, and most 'starter home' types !

I'd rather see the place with some useful flying and no hutches / sheds, but it's a thought - maybe that nice Mr.Travolta would drop in & premiere his next film at the Cranleigh cinema - if it's still there.

I still fancy warbird restoration as an ideal use for the 'field, maybe GA maintenance & testing too.

[chevvron]

As regards brownfield sites, there's a disused railway marshalling yard near Feltham Middlesex which would fit the bill (opposite side of the railwy from Hounslow Heath) but no-one apart from Royal Mail seems keen to use it. There was a thread on it some time ago.

[Double Zero]

There seem to be a lot of potential 'brownfield' sites around Havant ( where there's a white elephant of a large shopping mall with few of the spaces taken up ) and the land around there and Waterlooville - problem is of course, there's space to the West but the jobs are mainly to the East.

Any major housing scheme needs to address that, and generate income in Western areas which badly need it, the need becoming more dire the further West one goes, Cornwall actually being on the EEC poverty list ( or similar ) despite a lot of skilled locals.