Wellesbourne Matters ( EGBW)

[flybymike]

Bad move. airfield operations seldom make a significant profit, rather use any non-essential land to generate a long term income which can contribute to the long term viability of the airfield.
Rental properties, sheep, solar panels, cabbages, whatever gives a good return but NEVER sell off bits of land. When its gone its gone and the one off income is soon spent.

One would have thought it might have been possible to build exclusive residential properties, possibly with their own hangarage, to individuals who specifically want to live adjacent to their own airfield, and who would be willing to enter into a contractual obligation for maintenance of the field as a condition of the purchase.
I know I would.

[Pull what]

It might be better to concentrate on where everybody is going to relocate to rather than pie in tbe sky schemes for exclusive housing

[Whopity]

It was suggested that recent planning applications in Wellesbourne village adjacent to the airfield were opposed by aviators resulting in the developer making an offer for the airfield that the owners could not refuse.

[flybymike]

It might be better to concentrate on where everybody is going to relocate to rather than pie in tbe sky schemes for exclusive housing

Indeed.
More and more airfield occupants relocated into fewer and fewer airfields, until eventually everyone is located nowhere.

[foxmoth]

It might be better to concentrate on where everybody is going to relocate to rather than pie in tbe sky schemes for exclusive housing

I would say there is not a lot the rest of us can to about this, I am sure those individuals who need to relocate will know where is best for them and much of that will depend on where they actually live in relation to the alternative airfields available, to many this will be very inconvenient and I would say it is actually better if we can come up with schemes, "pie in the sky" or not, that might mean the do not HAVE to relocate!

[Nige321]

Halfpenny Green/Wolverhampton may be next - Sold last November to a Manchester Property developer...

[sharpend]

And is Kemble still under threat? I think Mr Prescott has much to answer for. All this is not good for aviators, not good for local business and no good for the country as a whole.

[Whopity]

For many, relocation is not an option it will simply mean more give up. Perusing CAA statistics it is interesting comparing licence issues now and 20 years ago. The last page of CAA licence transactions shows just 1156 new licence issues compared to 4491 in 1993/4 a reduction of 74%!

[fireflybob]

Add Nottingham (EGBN) to the list of threatened airfields - plan to build 4,000 houses. Latest guesses range between 2 and 10 years left.

This rape and pillage of our general aviation airfields is a national scandal.

How much extra congestion will this cause at other sites with ramifications for flight safety and noise issues? Why is this aspect not included in planning applications?

[robin]

The problem is that planning authorities tend to make judgement on each application separately and there is little or no overarching strategy.

When considering Wellesbourne, for example, why would the LA concern itself with Kemble or Wolverhampton? They' be more concerned with the legal costs in opposing development with the risk that the SoS will overturn any decision.

What we need is a government overarching strategy on airfields to safeguard them as national assets. Instead we have had governments who see airfields as quick and easy options for housing and who don't care about local and regional airfields.

We are low down on their scale of important issues, but oh for a minister who understands the need for strategic infrastructure and is prepared to do something about it

[flybymike]

I assume GAAC are still fighting our corner as best they can on these issues. Perhaps the CAA should be more pro active too, or they will find themselves with no one left to regulate.

GAAC Home

[Sir George Cayley]

Nige, is the name of the property developer in the public domain? Knowing who it is might give a clue to his MO.

SGC

[Nige321]

Sir George

MCR Properties

MCR Property Group is an investment and development company focused on commercial and residential real estate. Established in 1989, the company model has recently moved from retaining assets in the long-term, to trading assets centred specifically on securing value add opportunities across the UK.

The story I'm hearing is that housing is planned...

[Sir George Cayley]

Thanks Nige, though I'm none the wiser.

Looking at their current properties and projects the West Midlands looks a bit out of their territory. Also, they all look a bit mundane and £800k for land in Runcorn is having a larf. I'd expect to buy Runcorn for that sort of money

Seems a bit rum to me.

SGC

[Nige321]

Sir George

It's hitting the local press in the next couple of days, they've been talking to all the players, and doing some digging...

I can't see a company like this buying a sleepy airfield like HG without having a plan in place to substantially increase the site's value, flog it on and pocket the profit...

Simply money grabbing with no thought to the local history, and local residents.

There WILL be a fight...

I'll keep an eye out and post here of anything interesting comes up...