Airfields Petition

[ChrisBerry]

Just seen this on another forum. Well worth signing and spreading the word far and wide!!


https://www.bmfa.org/News/News-Page/ArticleID/2286/Important-Petition-Please-sign

CB

[Rob Buckley]

I was going to go & squash my fingers in a vice instead, it would do more good!

When there's huge piles of money involved in turning old airfileds into new towns, why would anybody involved turn down their place at the trough to let a few old blokes fly toy aeroplanes from there for nothing?

I type this looking out of the window at the Filton runway as it is being dug up to have a new town built on it!

[Bob Thompson1894]

Its our only voice- dont lose it! The government HAS to respond, given enough signatures. And its not just old blokes with toy planes, on ours we have parachutes, go-karts, clay pigeon shooting, and other activities. Originally, only the airfield buildings were brownfield, some money changed hands and the green field bit was forgotten. It CAN change.

[Rob Buckley]

Exactly Bob...money, lots and lots of money is involved. If anyone wants to stop an airfield being built on, buy it at the market price then you can dictate what happens to it.

[Dave Berry 2911]

Exactly Bob...money, lots and lots of money is involved. If anyone wants to stop an airfield being built on, buy it at the market price then you can dictate what happens to it.

Sadly Rob thats not true.
Once you've bought your airfield you need planning permission for a variation of use, and as we all know, one noise complaint can lead to a cessation of activities even if you have ownership and planning consent.

[Rob Buckley]

In which case, the demands of the petition would make the situation worse, as model planes could well be seen as disturbing the peace of the green space, and upsetting the poor badgers, stoats and seagulls.

We demand a review of the brownfield designation of airfields for redevelopment, in recognition of their economic benefit and importance as environmental “green spaces”, and that Government Planning Policy reverts to that previously in place.

Even if the petition gets 100k votes, it's quite a few people with not enough money to buy an airfield versus a few people who have the money, and we all know who governments of any colour bow down to in the end...

[Bob Thompson1894]

Its a good job the Few didnt say "we cant beat the buggers, lets all ignore them"......

[Rob Buckley]

You're right they didn't. They took the opponents on at their own game using machine guns, not just complaining.

In this case, take them on using money & buy the airfield(s).

[Dave Hayfield]

I live near Manston airfield which was closed a year ago with no notice to the several hundred employees who worked for the airfield, various airlines and businesses using the site. The only reason for this was for the owner, one of the originators of Stagecoach who bought the airfield for £1...yes £1... to build a 'garden city' on the site. The amount of opposition to this with the local population is without precedent. An American company who can see Manston as a thriving cargo base to relieve slots at Gatwick and Heathrow and have provided a superb business plan to the authorities want to buy the airfield. This company is backing the local council financially to apply a compulsory purchase order with no fear of local tax payers footing any costs. The wrangling and smoke and mirrors being applied by the present owners is beyond belief. The government can not get directly involved because of the private ownership but a spokesman for the department stated that they have never known such a public demand for an airport to remain open, the ground swell is usually that local residents do not want an airfield nearby. We are patiently waiting for some positive results !!! p.s. Manston will celebrate 100 years of being an airfield next year, let's hope airplanes will still be using it.

[Bob Thompson1894]

People power CAN win.

[Rob Buckley]

People power...backed financially by an American company. Will the public support last as long as the all night freighter flying?

[Bob Thompson1894]

Get to the bar Rob- your glass is half empty!

[Paul Savage 1568]

Everyone has a right to their own opinion even if it's not always in agreement with others and I'm afraid this is unstoppable progress. There are so many people living in this country or want to live in this country that the only way to drive house prices back down to a level that our own son's, daughters and grand children can afford is to build thousands and thousands more house's and we must ask ourselves a few simple questions.

Q.1 If it wasn't for our interest in aviation of some sorts then would any of us really care what happens to these generally disused airfields.... Probably not.

Residents living close to an active airfield will normally always moan about something but would you not agree that if the airfield was to become a massive residential development with all the prospects of the associated problems of increased traffic, the strain on local services and the loss of open land aspects to look forwards to then wouldn't you suddenly prefer the land to remain an airfield, either active or otherwise and put up with the small inconvenience of a bit of aircraft noise.

Q.2 If it wasn't for our interest in aviation of some sorts and we don't happen to live near to what will become a massive new housing development would any of us honestly care what happens to the disused airfields....probably not.

Q.3 If you won let's say 10 million pounds on the lottery then would you honestly spend it all on an old airfield and what would you do to fund annual taxes etc that would need to paid on it and would you not be tempted if someone came along and offered you 20 million pounds for the plot.

Q.4 Do you really want to see your kids or grand kids forced into the trap of over priced rented accommodation or forced to live with their parents until we croak or offer them the same opportunities as we had of owning their own home some day.

[Bob Thompson1894]

Most airfields are green fields, farmed with various crops, with a thin strip of tarmac running through. You are accepting that our farm land should be turned in to housing sites. Apathy is alive and well in this country. Probably this petition will do no good, but at least its doing SOMETHING.