Save Dunsfold Campaign

[Double Zero]

Dunsfold

Good luck with the 747 - the place would be a lot better off without it, though nailing on a few engines rather than the fibreglass jobs sounds expensive and a major project !

I know most of the security staff and they could not be more polite & professional; unlike everyone I've met at the remaining BAe sites, though I suspect I recognise the junior member you're referring to ...

[Evanelpus]

Nostalgia equals zilch, houses equals money.

Forget it and dry your eyes. If developers want to buy Dunsfold for housing, or whatever for that matter, they will. Look at Hatfield, probably the classic case in the last 20 years. Home of the first jet airliner, the Comet, it closed with indecent haste once the decision had been made.

[nedwards]

I would like to address some inaccuracies in Double Zero's comments.

No applications for the re-development of Dunsfold Park have been turned down to date.

The Vickers Vimy is regularly at Dunsfold Park and flew their as recently as 19th March.

There is a small museum on the site run by two veterans which is open on Wednesdays from 9.30am - 4pm. I'm unsure where information relating to Wings & Wheels tickets was circulated but this incorrect as the musuem and veterans are well supported by Dunsfold Park and they themselves will verify this.

I can only apologise to Double Zero for any misunderstandings over photography taken at Wings & Wheels 2005 and reassure you that there is a new team in place for 2008 so if you would like to contact them I am sure they would be interested in talking to you further about this matter.

For the facts about Dunsfold Park I would recommend viewing their website which will answer many questions you may have or call them directly on 01483 200900.

[Double Zero]

Dunsfold

Well I'm only going by direct experience !

I would welcome your version of the true story, but as an outsider now I've seen what's been going on - trying to work with rather than against Dunsfold Park didn't come out successfully, and I was fairly amazed when I was told by a D.P.ltd chap that they've never even maintained the hangars...

Yours, DZ ( incidentally named after Dick Dastardly & Muttley's mount, nothing to do with 007 ) .

Thanks for your kind apology, and please accept mine if went too far; I was going on what would seem to be 'legit' info.

I will emphasize that I am not connected with Brooklands Museum.

DZ

[Double Zero]

Dunsfold

Well it seems I was on the mark after all, despite what a previous poster said !

I just received this in my mail.

" Help yourself chaps, there's plenty of trade for everyone ! "

Seriously, please put digit on keyboard - I don't know the campaign organisers, but I sympathise with them completely;

for anyone with nothing better to do, my little bit about Dunsfold is at

www.harrier.org.uk/history

- scroll down to ' Harrier Testing '

Please sign up before it's too late !

As for the alleged plan to make a museum with " every type operated from Dunsfold " - well the wealthiest billionaire aircraft enthusiast couldn't manage that, so take that as you will from a property developer...

----------------------

Stop Dunsfold Park New Town – act now!‏
From:STOP Dunsfold Park New Town Campaign Team ([email protected])You may not know this sender.Mark as safe|Mark as unsafeSent:15 May 2008 11:09:35Reply-to:STOP Dunsfold Park New Town Campaign Team ([email protected])To: [email protected]
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objection...doc (464.4 KB)

Public consultation started last Friday on Dunsfold Park New Town Planning Application

You only have until 30th May 2008 to make your views known.

Despite taking 5 years to plan and five weeks for Waverley to check, the general public have only 3 weeks in which to lodge their objections to Dunsfold Park’s planning application for 2,601 houses.
This development will have a major impact on anyone living in the towns and villages in the Guildford – Horsham – Haslemere triangle. The new town will be 2½ times the size of Chiddingfold and will be built in 10 years rather than over 1,000 years. Our infrastructure and precious countryside cannot cope with such a massive and rapid increase in population.

• If you live or travel on the A281 or A283 or the many adjoining country lanes - you will be affected.
• If you use the local services - hospitals, schools, railways, etc. - you will be affected.
• If you love our beautiful local countryside - you will be affected.

It is very important that as many objections as possible are lodged.

If Waverley refuses the application, the number of objectors will become a very significant consideration when Dunsfold Park inevitably lodge an appeal. Please forward this email to your friends and neighbours and get them to file their objections NOW.
To register your objection you can either go to the Waverley web site or send an email to [email protected]
Attached to this email is a leaflet that will be delivered to households in the areas most affected. If you want to understand why this development is so wrong please read it carefully. It also contains hints on the best way to lodge objections, which are summarised below.
Thank you for support. Together we CAN make a difference.
The Stop Dunsfold Park New Town Campaign Team
This campaign is managed by SDPNT Ltd and is supported by The Campaign to Protect Rural England (Surrey). The company is registered under the Data Protection Act.

Helpful Hints

You should set out the reasons which concern you, preferably in your own language rather than simply copying our suggestions word for word.
• Road infrastructure. The existing road structure cannot cope with the additional traffic that will be generated. There are no plans to improve the roads other than the construction of a new access from Dunsfold Park to the A281. [Add details of any roads that you use which you consider will be particularly adversely affected – such as the Bramley bottleneck and local rat runs].
• Planning policy. The proposal is in conflict with all local, regional and central Government planning policies – in particular The Waverley Borough Local Plan 2002, The Surrey Structure Plan 2004 and the draft South East Plan. There are no good grounds for departing from these planning policies.
• Situation. The site is relatively remote and rural and almost entirely surrounded by an Area of Great Landscape Value as well as being on the edge of the Green Belt. It has Sites of Special Scientific Interest and other ecologically sensitive areas around it and to the east there are substantial areas that are liable to flooding.
• Services. The resultant increase in the population will impose an excessive additional burden on local services such as hospitals, schools and railways.
• Wrong place. Housing on this scale should not be lumped together in one remote rural location. In particular the affordable housing required to meet local needs should be built in the existing towns and villages in Waverley where it is needed.
Please do this NOW and forward the email on to others immediately.

[Double Zero]

objections still admissable

I understand that although the official closing date for objections was 30th May, anything sent in over the first 2 weeks in June will be accepted.

Planning application WA/2008/0788

[email protected]

Digits must be removed pronto - or do you believe ' a museum of every aircraft flown / developed at Dunsfold' is going to happen ?!!!

What does such a claim say about the developers ?

We've lost too much heritage already, if we let this development, vandalism historically, cynical and hopeless in infrastructure terms, go ahead then maybe we get what we deserve.

Please mail in !

[StbdD]

Want to stop it in it's tracks?

I'll bet a months pay that the grounds are quite thoroughly contaminated with POL and various chemicals spilled/buried over the years. I'll also bet nobody bothered to test it and it would not meet health standards if they did.

The only real way to clean that up is to scoop up the contaminated soil (which can be quite deep) and run it through a furnace. It costs a fortune to bring those sites up to safe housing or agricultural standards if they enforced.

Suddenly it doesn't sound so attractive to a developer.

[Double Zero]

STBD,

Thanks for that, I'll check out if such things have been researched.

DZ

[chevvron]

There's supposed to be a covenant on the land that if the airfield ever closed permanently, it would have to revert to farmland

[Double Zero]

Yes we all knew about the 'return to agriculture' clause when working for BAe, but it's amazing what £ signs can do...

Top marks to Cranleigh & Waverley Councils for resisting to date - with luck the utter daftness & over-ambition ( dare I say greed ? ) of the proposed plans will be clear to anyone with a brain.

So far, from the proposals I've seen, the potential developers fancy building well over 2,000 houses in what is still beautiful countryside ( and a very useful airfield ) with only tiny country roads to serve it, except for cutting a direct link to the A281 Guildford road, which is already notoriously dangerous & busy.

The crowning glory must be the scheme to dig up the runway- as far as I can make out, yes the hard bit, not to one side of it - how mad is that ?!

Then flood it with a link to the ( incompletely restored ) Wey & Arun canal so as to provide 'waterside properties' !!!

Someone has commented that the local water table / reserves couldn't cope with this - maybe just a cynical ploy to prevent aviation.

As mentioned previously, they have said they plan a museum featuring ' every aircraft type developed at Dunsfold ' - well I'll leave you fellow aircraft enthusiasts to judge the possibility of doing that, and the reasoning behind making such a claim.

So, it's a ghastly idea for the area as it is now, and aims to obliterate a lot of history, beginning with the aircrews who lost their lives there and from there, from 1942 on.

During the war any wreckage tended to be dumped into the canal, as it runs along one side of the airfield.

In my time, 1978-93, the canal was dredged and cleared at that stretch - along with discarded ordnance, large chunks of B-25 were recovered, we knew the story; the Dutch were operating these Mitchells, and one had a bomb hung up.

The crew were offered the chance to bail out, but stayed with it; on touch-down it blew up killing them all.

So with that and other incidents I would think it qualifies as a war grave too.

Then there is the contribution made during POW return, the Berlin Airlift, Skyways, F-86 & Sea Fury refurbishment, the Hawker aircraft developed there which did a lot for UK Ltd's exports and prestige ( Hunter, Harrier, anyone ?! ) - and still do today despite Warton / Brough 'stealing' the production lines of the Hawks, all models of which were first test flown at Dunsfold...yet it still remains an attractive place, sympathetically merging into the countryside.

The late Neville Duke's house just inside the airfield, which he mentions in his book 'Test Pilot' is still there, though could do with some TLC.

In a perfect world, as pilots have mentioned to me before when over-flying, it would make a fantastic warbird restoration base !