FLYER Forums

You mean ample land for more housing

Once the price is right.

Have any of the interested parties started the process for the registration of Old Sarum Airfield on the register of local amenities? While the RLA Is not an automatic protection, it is a means of putting down a marker to the fact that local people are concerned about the future of the amenity.
What is more important is that this airfield has not been cultivated or sprayed with noxious chemicals since 1918. It is a haven for rare species of flora and fauna and a valuable lung between Salisbury and Amesbury.
The ancient monument of Old Sarum benefits from being surrounded to the north by open fields and the impact of more housing would detract from the panorama for visitors to this unique historic place. I would have thought that Natural England and The Environment Agency would both have had a strong voice about further development on the airfield site.
There may well be other agencies and interested parties who would be concerned with any further reduction in the amount of open space afforded by the airfield and the farm land to the south. Such as https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/ and https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/hpg/ And International Council on Monuments and Sites.
All of this should be made clear to The owners of Old Sarum Airfield Ltd so that they may save themselves any further expenditure in the pursuit of fruitless applications for development. Hopefully they will see sense and they will pack up their bags and go after other opportunities with less problems in their quest for profit.

To be replaced with what, exactly?

Does OS host any competitive events, or training for such events, for 'air sports' recognised by Sport England as sports ? These include, for instance, competitions in things like aerobatics, helicopter precision, gliding, racing .. If so, AIUI, LAs must treat the venue as a sports facility, and must not agree to developments preventing its continuing use as such without specifically identifying adequate and local equivalents still available.

kanga wrote:Does OS host any competitive events, or training for such events, for 'air sports' recognised by Sport England as sports ? These include, for instance, competitions in things like aerobatics, helicopter precision, gliding, racing .. If so, AIUI, LAs must treat the venue as a sports facility, and must not agree to developments preventing its continuing use as such without specifically identifying adequate and local equivalents still available.

There is a parachuting operation there already, that is classed as a sport isn't it?

Sooty25 wrote:..

There is a parachuting operation there already, that is classed as a sport isn't it?

If the operation there trains people for recognised competitions, or hosts them, then I believe so. GAAC folk should know. ISTR this argument has been used in other airfield closure battles.

It doesn't. Strictly tandems.

Not sure if this link will post but this podcast from The Two Thousand Feet - the Future Of Old Sarum refers to the airfield NOT closing but returning in another form:

https://player.fm/series/the-two-thousa ... g-reporter

Yup, and he dunno either.

What will happen to the airfield manager? He’ll end up out of a job too. I’ve heard that even he didn’t see the closure coming.

PlaneStupid wrote:What will happen to the airfield manager? He’ll end up out of a job too. I’ve heard that even he didn’t see the closure coming.

Well, at least you phrased it politely this time.

Why not direct your questions at the SOS Facebook group? I hear they have most, if not all, of the answers for anything to do with OSAF.

Ben K wrote:

PlaneStupid wrote:What will happen to the airfield manager? He’ll end up out of a job too. I’ve heard that even he didn’t see the closure coming.

Well, at least you phrased it politely this time.

Why not direct your questions at the SOS Facebook group? I hear they have most, if not all, of the answers for anything to do with OSAF.

Oh. I just thought you seemed to know more about Old Sarum Airfield than anyone else - sorry.

PlaneStupid wrote:

Ben K wrote:

PlaneStupid wrote:What will happen to the airfield manager? He’ll end up out of a job too. I’ve heard that even he didn’t see the closure coming.

Well, at least you phrased it politely this time.

Why not direct your questions at the SOS Facebook group? I hear they have most, if not all, of the answers for anything to do with OSAF.

Oh. I just thought you seemed to know more about Old Sarum Airfield than anyone else - sorry.

I'd accept your apology - if I didn't have doubts over your sincerity.

There is no news.