Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
#1783068
flyingearly wrote:
Pete L wrote:Enlightened farmers are the only available solution - no-one else can commit 800x15m to remain free from inconvenient obstacles.


Stupid question, as someone not that familiar with planning rules, but aren't farmers constrained by the 28 day rule also?

Or are you suggesting that the best route is to find an enlightened farmer and work with them to obtain planning permission?


Fair point. The two strips nearest to me are long established but it took years of quiet persistence to get the number of residents up. They do pay business rates which helps with the council side. The last serious attempt to create a new microlight training strip got the nimbys out in force.
#1783128
The only way to protect airfields is for it to be a central government policy and central government owns the list of those airfields with a protected status.

Central government can then manage the criteria for a national infrastructure instead of housing developers pulling the wool over local/county councillors eyes with glossy planning applications.

Central government should have airfield specific protection zones for each protected airfield to prevent disagreements between airfield owners, housing developers and local/county councils.
The protection zones obviously need to consider established circuit patterns, ATZs and sites for emergency landings that might not make it to the runway or inside the airfield boundary fence if a engine problem occurred enroute. Also the Glide Clear rules where CAS restricts the typical GA cruising altitudes.

It has been managed at a local level for years and simply does not work, other than to waste a lot of effort and money between the various parties for/against a proposal that is often contested, with the re-appeals trying to grind down the opposition to a proposal. Plus all the stress that goes with it.
#1783139
North Denes has been up for sale for some time now and consequently I assume there’s been little or no interest. It’s a complete waste of an airfield and as I understand it, can’t/won’t be built on because it’s on the flood plain of the River Bure. It’s been made clear that the local council want to keep it as an airfield if possible, but the apparent lack of interest I guess means it’s future is even bleaker than before.

Certainly a few years ago, the future of Old Buck was very bleak (I recall the Aero Club CFI at the time and I had several conversations about what would happen if it closed completely, which looked very likely) until the current owner bought it and put in what I assume was a significant amount to build the additional hangars etc. Sadly, people with that sort of access to funds (and with an interest in GA) I would think are not exactly common and I guess generally that’s where the problem lies?

Ian
#1783164
CloudHound wrote:If they knocked a nought off the price of North Denes there’d be a queue.

Hyperbole maybe but illustrates my point.

There’s a figure at which the field and hangars become viable- £1.5m clearly isn’t it.



Sadly due to its remote location stuck out on the East Coast with 50 % of its catchment area being sea and the rest mostly marsh and flood plain North Denes hasn’t got a cat in hell’s chance of thriving as a going (airfield) concern .

There just aren’t enough pilots around in the area or pilots from other parts of the country who want to visit the godforsaken dump that is Great Yarmouth .

It wouldn’t even be of any use servicing the flourishing flailing wind farms .
terryws, cockney steve liked this
#1783170
PeteSpencer wrote:There just aren’t enough pilots around in the area or pilots from other parts of the country who want to visit the godforsaken dump that is Great Yarmouth .

It wouldn’t even be of any use servicing the flourishing flailing wind farms .


It might work as a maintenance base but there are so many more central options available that it is unlikely that anyone can make it work unless the asking price is dropped considerably. To make an investment in buildings/land of 1.5million quid you need to generate a lot of business to service just that part of the business cost, let alone rates, personal, machinery etc etc.

As #FarageGarage it won't work as it is too far of the beaten track.
#1783175
If I flick through AFE Flight guide etc I would appear to have a choice of over 400 destinations. If I were to add the strips which don't appear in any guide or chart the number jumps significantly. There are six within a half hour flying time which didn't exist until recently. Glass half full?
terryws liked this
#1783184
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:
PeteSpencer wrote:There just aren’t enough pilots around in the area or pilots from other parts of the country who want to visit the godforsaken dump that is Great Yarmouth .

It wouldn’t even be of any use servicing the flourishing flailing wind farms .


It might work as a maintenance base but there are so many more central options available that it is unlikely that anyone can make it work unless the asking price is dropped considerably. To make an investment in buildings/land of 1.5million quid you need to generate a lot of business to service just that part of the business cost, let alone rates, personal, machinery etc etc.

As #FarageGarage it won't work as it is too far of the beaten track.


Yeah, right:
Drop yer steed off at N Denes for its annual and then face non-existent public transport to get home or an obliging mate in his Cub:
Nightmare.

Peter
#1783200
PeteSpencer wrote:Drop yer steed off at N Denes for its annual and then face non-existent public transport to get home or an obliging mate in his Cub:


How well I remember the days when The Shiny Colt went to Le Plessis Belleville, just outside Paris, for its annual.

Always an adventure

Rob P