Prescott's Persecutory Phobias
 

:yuk:

This may be news to some but here from darkest Africa is a note wich has just reached me. I wish that the the sender had used John Prescott as the runner with the cleft stick. I would have made arrangements for him to be killed, cooked and eaten en route. I suppose that such sentiments breach the new anti-terrorism act and could therefore get me arrested and held incommunicado for 28 days; but I'm not on shore.
Funny place these days is England.:rolleyes:


FROM:
Dave Calderwood
Editor-in-Chief, LOOP newspaper
www.loop.aero


15 February 2006

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SAVE BRITAIN’S AIRFIELDS

This is not a false alarm. This is the real thing.

A new definition of airfields as ‘Brownfield' sites has been sneaked into planning guidelines by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - John Prescott’s dept.

If this goes ahead unchallenged, then ANY airfield with a building on it could be sold for development as a housing estate. Local councils, businesses and individuals would be powerless to object. There would be no need for large scale planning inquiries such as that happening over North Weald right now. Developers could just go ahead – and they will.

We could lose many of Britain’s airfields within ten years - the pressure for land for new housing is so great that these prime sites would be snapped up.

WE HAVE UNTIL 27 FEBRUARY 2006 TO ACT! DON’T DELAY!

The proposed change was sneaked in as a change within an Annex. It wasn’t even part of the full consultation document.

Was it deliberately hidden like this, or did someone forget to point it out? We don’t know but the change was only spotted last week – too late for inclusion in the latest issue of LOOP newspaper.

Hence this email – it’s the only way we can mobilise pilot and public opinion and register objections to the change before the 27 February deadline. We have consulted with the General Aviation industry and we have their full support.

Indeed, the whole of the GA industry, from flying clubs to engineers to pilot shops and airfield managers is also doing its bit.

WRITE TO YOUR MP!

A letter by post is the best form of communication. It’s a physical object which your MP cannot ignore. Imagine MPs standing up in Parliament waving handfuls of letters from constituents demanding that the Deputy Prime Minister explain his dept’s underhand methods!

Emails, phone calls, face-to-face meetings all have their place too. We have to let the Government know the consequences of their actions, whatever it takes.

HERE IS A SAMPLE OF THE KIND OF LETTER YOU COULD SEND TO YOUR MP:

Dear Sir

I would like to make you aware of a proposed change to planning guidelines by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister which could have a devastating effect on this country’s aviation industry.

Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS 3) has been developed to progress the Government’s agenda to provide a national policy framework for housing. It says previously developed ‘Brownfield’ land sites should be considered for housing development.

The existing PPG 3 section defines ‘Previously Developed’ land with two example exclusions, hospital grounds and an airfield.

In the revised PPS 3, the definition has been revised and the airfield exclusion has been omitted.

My objections are two-fold:

First, this would almost certainly lead to airfields being closed for redevelopment. General Aviation is a big and valuable industry, supporting many jobs and essential services as well as providing recreational facilities for private pilots, of which I am one.

Second, most of these airfields are in rural areas with insufficient infrastructure to support such huge housing developments. They would change the character of much of rural Britain.

Finally, I also object to the sneaky way this change has been introduced - slipped in an Annex which would not normally be read by the parties involved in the consultation process. It has come to light with less than two weeks left of the consultation process – which ends on Monday, 27 February.

I would be grateful if you could voice our dissatisfaction with this proposal.

More information on this can be found at www.loop.aero

Yours faithfully


PLEASE WRITE TODAY TO YOUR MP!

Don’t delay. Tell your flying friends about this too - and if you live near an airfield you might want to let your local councillors know that they might have a huge new housing estate on their doorstep within a few years.

Find out the contact details for your MP at: www.locata.co.uk/commons/

Copy the letter to:
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Planning Policies Division (2)
Zone 4/J5
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
email: [email protected]

Background material and references to the planning documents are available on LOOP’s website: www.loop.aero

Thank you for your attention.

By the way, this is the sort of ploy used to turn golf courses into housing estates. One building of any sort on site and bob's your uncle, a housing slum.
Cheerio!;)

Get writing everyone. If this doesn't get stopped asap, then we could all be in a lot of trouble.

B***dy two Jags..........

Guys,

This is VERY IMPORTANT.

It won't take a moment to write a letter and will cost the price of a stamp. Its something we need to do if we want to keep flying. This affects ALL airfields, the next one to face closure could be yours.

Done
 

Well Ive sent mine to DC

www.faxyourmp.com is quick - effective and free.

My letter(s) have just been sent !

Sent mine.

Prescott is one of the biggest threats facing this country.

Have just e-mailed the PM-in-waiting, David Cameron.

Quite a few 'disused' aerodromes in Fatty 2 Jags' constituency, if I recall correctly?

At last a few of you seem to be getting fired up to use some political pressure.

Lets have a bit more of this to protect GA.

As you will have no doubt guessed I have writen to my MP on this subject.

Done..................................fax sent

C-I-M

Ditto.

OC619

DC's my MP so I've written to him and 2J's office.

Trouble is, I've a nasty feeling that 2J will just be happy to screw up more of "the rich" i.e. private pilots & rural dwellers

The system works !
 

I have just had an email from my MP who is raising my objections to the changes in PPS 3.

Can confirm Anne Milton who looks after North Surrey has confirmed that she is going to question the Deputy Prime Minister on this matter (I have also asked her about the legality of conducting a consultation in this manner).

As a thought any people out there doing Aviation University degrees (up Leeds way?) or anyone know some people on the courses?

I'm sure if the student population could be mobilised along with all of the flight schools and PPLs then the numbers will be greatly increased - and by the very people that maybe won't have anywhere local to continue / start their ATPL training!!

**UPDATE - just found out that my MPs personal assistant used to work as the PA to the Director of Planning at the Regional Assemby. This means she has many personal contacts with senior civil servents within the ODPM. She has confirmed she will be copying my MPs letter to the Minister to the national Director or Planning.** Lets keep the volume of letters high though just to make sure they sit up and take notice. Geeezzz - whatever next? Having to pay for a share of NATS costs will be my guess ;-)

I read that LibDem MP and private pilot Lembit Opik was trying to set up a House of Commons flying club.

You can email him from here:
http://www.montgomery.libdems.org/Contacts.htm

Letter sent to Paul Beresford, Cons. MP for Mole Valley.

Be aware that you should alter the example letter above, otherwise it may be ignored...


SimonHK

Letter sent to my MP and 2J

Five minutes of my time well spent.

Job done. Sent to J. Horam, Orpington plus J2Jags.

email sent to my MP using the emergency services view of things...eg how much use is my helicopter for a road accident in the highlands if I have to go to Edinburgh to refuel after dropping off the current patient in Dundee?
Loss of refuel options for the Air Ambulance will cost lives. Simple. :mad: