West Raynham airfield visit

Cheers Bill, glad they are of interest. And yes the solar farm is no bad thing, as it could of been alot worse considering whats happened to some other redundant airfields in recent years. Its also worth reiterating just what Paul Lloyd and friends have achieved in getting a large amount of funding together for the planned memorial at WR.

Interesting reading about your father serving there too mate. Here’s a few more pics.

Rob

Wow Rob,
Had no idea that this much of West Raynham is still with us and future looks good. This is a surprise for me as my father served here on Blenheims as an RAF LAC Engine fitter after his return from France via Dunkirk. I was born in Helhoughton, Cubitt road (I think) in 1941 and by end of 1942 dad was invalided out of RAF with bad stomach ulcer and we moved away. Never had any pics. from his time there and he never spoke about it either, except to curse Douglas Bader, who was his CO at some point in WW2, but do not know what other stations Dad served at.

Great pics too Rob. Solar farm hey!! That’s maybe no bad thing, it retains the looks of Airfield more than say Castle Vale estate does in Birmingham.

Have a good Xmas all,

Bill T.

Another added bonus although not sure about in the UK, but over here, the solar farms have pretty good security in place as well which might bde well for the rest of the site.?

Preferable to a hideous housing estate…

Posted on their FB page and on the Airfield Information Exchange;

From the EDP;
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/politics…nham_1_3132379

Planners have given the go-ahead for one of England’s biggest solar farms to be built on a redundant Norfolk RAF airfield.

The farm, which will feature nearly 200,000 solar panels, will be installed on about 91 hectares of land at the former RAF Raynham site, near Fakenham.

Members of North Norfolk District Council’s (NNDC) development committee approved applicant Good Energy’s plan by eight votes to three.

Consent is hedged with conditions listed in a report by planning officers which include the provision of at least £25,000 to repair the neighbouring grade two listed control tower, and talks with highways officials to agree an access route to the site during the construction period of up to 26 weeks.

And councillors added an extra condition, requiring Good Energy to rethink chopping down a copse on the site.

The applicant says it would cast a significant shadow on an area of solar panels but councillors did not believe it would make much difference.

Pauline Grove-Jones said: “It seems such a shame to lose it. It breaks up that huge sweep of panels with nothing happening among them.”

Richard Palmer spoke on behalf of Good Energy at the meeting. He said the 49.9MW farm would power about 11,000 average households.

The land was chosen because it had “a very high level of sunshine”, was a brownfield site, close to electric grid lines, relatively flat and slightly raised above the surrounding area, and it was well screened. The large hangars and control tower would still dominate.

He said they proposed planting extensive areas with wildflowers, mixed with grass, and were talking to a landowner about allowing sheep to graze the site during its 30-year lifespan. They would also be making an annual financial contribution to the local community.

John Perry-Warnes said: “It seems to me to be a good use of this land.”

The surrounding parish councils of Raynham, Helhoughton and Weasenham had not objected to the scheme.

Photographs were shown to the committee which showed that it would be difficult to see the solar farm from Weasenham Church or from the Helhoughton Conservation Area, answering two English Heritage objections.

Norfolk County Council’s historic environment service raised objections based on West Raynham’s Cold War heritage. It was home to the Central Fighter Establishment and became one of the primary Bloodhound missile sites in the country. Its central role in the Bloodhound system gave it national significance.

But Phil Godwin, NNDC’s conservation, design and landscape manager, concluded that there would be “relatively little inter-visibility’ between the site and nearby heritage assets.

He added that the public benefit of the electricity produced was so considerable that: “the development cannot, on this occasion, be resisted on built heritage grounds.”

Rob

Last time I went there it was immaculate, still a very active station back then!

Cheers Baz. The airfield is remarkably intact all things considered, apart from of course the main runway which is now almost completely broken up and being returned to farmland. This photo is from between hangars 2 and 3 – showing both watch towers and looking towards the main runway.

Rob

Very nice you got there for a visit Rob :D,always nice to walk old airfields !

Not for me to say, although as reported elsewhere i can say that two of the hangars and the original control tower have been purchased by a company who intend to restore and use the tower as their offices, and are also very keen on the idea of the memorial.

The later control tower is a grade 2 listed building.

Rob

Would be amazing if this could be preserved intact..

it is now hopefully looking more and more likely to have a secure future.

Tell?

Moggy