Airstrip continues

[poetpilot]

A thread a little while back in www.flyer.co.uk urged pilots to write to Telford, Shropshire council to support the continuance of Sherlowe as a private airstrip. At a council planning meeting last night, permission was given for the strip to continue operating for the next 12 months on a limited basis of 4 aircraft movements per day.

reported by bbc local news at http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/news/index.shtml#nib

This was despite vociferous and apparently hysterical objection from a "rentamob" and a rather extreme councillor who wanted the whole thing stopped. Local Telford radio is today apparently reporting the decision in an anti-aviation way. However, their website changed to a more positive note after some protests from aviators ;)

This strip has always operated in a very low key way, & it seems a great shame that someone with a bee in his bonnet about aircraft generally (ie the councillor in question) has been able to exert so much negative influence in the area. (wonder how/where he goes on his holidays?)
:mad: :mad:

Apparently, this guy was also instrumental in getting a past project for a joint airfield/housing development in the Telford area stopped some time ago. Personally, I would have loved to buy a house where I could park my plane....

Anyway, a minor victory for common sense, but please be aware that Sherlowe operates in a very low key way, is VERY noise sensitive, and any contemplated usage is PPR by contact/briefing with the strip operator.

...and if you are looking at the bbc website why not post them a comment supporting the decision?;)

[poetpilot]

I drove over to Sherlowe last night to chat to the people there about the decision. 4 movements a day is all they are allowed, no flights in or out after 7pm. So, until the true nature of the limitations is explored, any unscheduled visitors are effectively limiting the Sherlowe residents' ability to fly.

Apparently, microlighters are quite prone to dropping in unannounced at Sherlowe - this habit could now be fatal for the continuance of the strip.

Despite the fact that letters of support outweighed letters of protest by almost a third, the local paper headlines last night said "Villagers lose airstrip battle" - though to be fair, the editorial hidden on page 8 was much more positive. To view the front page story, go to

http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/news/april02/11th/airstrip.asp

(note you can email the str to protest via their letters section)

The other side of Telford at Shifnal, the local council has stopped microlighters using a strip after nother organised effort by NIMBYs.

What a joke! The approach and departure paths at Sherlowe are carefully selected to avoid any habitation, the aircraft themselves are quiet and are operated in a very sensible way. But of course the peace of the countryside is sacrosanct - at 7.15 pm the only sounds that could be heard were:

1. The repetitive pealing of church bells
2. Some twerp firing his shotgun off for about 30 minutes
3. Tractors going here there and everywhere
4. Loud motorbike going down the road good mile away.

Ah! country life.................back to the good old days..... eeerrrrr..... when Shawbury and High Ercall and Peplow and Ternhill and Sleap had squadrons of noisy heavy things rumbling around 24 hrs a day..........

Bring em back I say! Ironically, the star also has a apage dedicated to wartime shropshire airfields..... see

http://www.shropshirestar.co.uk/features/skies/index.asp

(this should also go into the Nostalgia threads, its good!)