Airfield under threat - please complete survey
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Airfield under threat - please complete survey
Wycombe District Council (WDC) is undergoing a short notice process of "community consultation" about converting Wycombe Air Park (home of British Airways Flying Club, Cabair/Wycombe Air Centre, Booker Gliding Club, PPS and several other flying groups/organisations/businesses). The consultation includes an online survey which they're asking people to complete. The survey is at:
https://payments.wycombe.gov.uk/surv...urvey/wcs1.htm
A WDC Planning Officer explained at a community meeting that views from locals AND non-locals would be taken into account when making a final decision.
It's short notice but could EVERYBODY who has an interest with keeping an airfield open spend a few minutes to complete the consultation?
The survey (and consultation process) is completely biased in favour of building a football stadium (as this'll benefit a private business man who'll be able to recover a load of money he's loaned to local sports clubs).
At this stage there's only five questions to answer, viz:
Question 1: Which do you think are the most important criteria in selecting a potential option and site? For example locational principles, community impact, environmental, deliverability, accessibility or something else.
As a pilot, you could identify things like retaining sport aviation, encouraging the public in flying activities, providing opportunities for the public to have gliding/flying lessons, etc.
Question 2: Which broad option - A, B, C or D - do you support in principle, and why?
Option (A) relates to the football and rugby club remaining where they are which would mean that the airfield (and flying school/cubs/facilities would remain)
Question 3: In relation to the long-list, are there any other sites that we should look at and if so, why?
According to WDC planning officers, an answer of "None - don't spend any money" would be considered a valid response.
Question 4: In relation to the short-list, which site do you think offers the best potential and why?
Again, option (A) would mean retaining the airfield.
Question 5: What use do you support for the Adams Park site if a new stadium project is pursued on another site?
Entirely up to you! Adams Park is an existing football/rugby ground and the football supporters actually want to stay there as moving to a bigger stadium would harm their revenue (they get money from the rugby club) and, as they only have attendences in the region of 5-6000, their fans (and atmosphere) would disappear in a 20,000 stadium.
Further background information is available at Wycombe community stadium and sports project
Thre's alos a Facebook group with additional background information available at Login | Facebook
The survey closes this Friday, so please make your thoughts known!
https://payments.wycombe.gov.uk/surv...urvey/wcs1.htm
A WDC Planning Officer explained at a community meeting that views from locals AND non-locals would be taken into account when making a final decision.
It's short notice but could EVERYBODY who has an interest with keeping an airfield open spend a few minutes to complete the consultation?
The survey (and consultation process) is completely biased in favour of building a football stadium (as this'll benefit a private business man who'll be able to recover a load of money he's loaned to local sports clubs).
At this stage there's only five questions to answer, viz:
Question 1: Which do you think are the most important criteria in selecting a potential option and site? For example locational principles, community impact, environmental, deliverability, accessibility or something else.
As a pilot, you could identify things like retaining sport aviation, encouraging the public in flying activities, providing opportunities for the public to have gliding/flying lessons, etc.
Question 2: Which broad option - A, B, C or D - do you support in principle, and why?
Option (A) relates to the football and rugby club remaining where they are which would mean that the airfield (and flying school/cubs/facilities would remain)
Question 3: In relation to the long-list, are there any other sites that we should look at and if so, why?
According to WDC planning officers, an answer of "None - don't spend any money" would be considered a valid response.
Question 4: In relation to the short-list, which site do you think offers the best potential and why?
Again, option (A) would mean retaining the airfield.
Question 5: What use do you support for the Adams Park site if a new stadium project is pursued on another site?
Entirely up to you! Adams Park is an existing football/rugby ground and the football supporters actually want to stay there as moving to a bigger stadium would harm their revenue (they get money from the rugby club) and, as they only have attendences in the region of 5-6000, their fans (and atmosphere) would disappear in a 20,000 stadium.
Further background information is available at Wycombe community stadium and sports project
Thre's alos a Facebook group with additional background information available at Login | Facebook
The survey closes this Friday, so please make your thoughts known!
Last edited by gpn01; 28th Oct 2010 at 00:01.
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Rugby at Booker
Hi gpn01
Have you got AOPA involved in this yet? This is the sort of thing they are good at dealing with and Booker needs all the friends it can get.
Regards,
Broomstick
Have you got AOPA involved in this yet? This is the sort of thing they are good at dealing with and Booker needs all the friends it can get.
Regards,
Broomstick
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No Stadium At Booker and are working with the British Gliding Association and other local clubs, societies and groups (who are all vociferously against it).
Until now the other airfield users seem to have been adopting a "doesn't affect us" and have been doing a classic "ignoring the elephant in the room"....a 20,000 seater stadium next to the runway along with 500-1,000 houses, car parking for 2,500, additional retail park and shopping village plus the supporting infrastructure (shops, houses, schooling, roads, etc) will swallow the airfield up. So perhaps this will serve as a wakeup call to them and they'll fill in the questionnaire, contact the aviation groups, boides, etc. and lobby the council without delay.
