Graveley Airfield

Anyway the Lib Dem minister is going to tell us why they are such wonderful machines later on today so that will be a laugh (apart from the poor folk who live near them).

Indeed – but I won’t re-rehearse my views on this contentious subject on this thread…..:)

Graveley used to be on the 1/2 million flying maps as a disused airfield until about 5 years ago when it vanished. I spoke to the nice lady from the CAA at a flying show to say the outline was still quite clear and I had a letter back agreeing and it was reinstated. Looking at this year’s map it’s gone again but doubtless will reappear, albeit as a windfarm. I don’t know what other flyers on the forum think but as I chug gently across the countryside in my aircraft I rarely see any of these eyesores working which seems a bit pointless. Anyway the Lib Dem minister is going to tell us why they are such wonderful machines later on today so that will be a laugh (apart from the poor folk who live near them).

Housing estates v wind farms is an interesting one, and I don’t like either I must admit.
Houses are generally less visible at distance and usually come hand in hand with landscaping, however they obliterate the original footprint of an airfield.
Windfarms are visible from a great distance away, but their physical footprint is tiny and usually don’t impact on the original airfield surfaces greatly.

I think with energy as it is at the moment, the government are damned if they do, damned if they don’t with pursuing windfarm (& even worse for airfields – solar farms) projects.

Just realised that Graveley’s control tower is still there, albeit now converted into a house :).

Rob

And often invisible in the dust storms! 😉

Palm Springs anyone? 😀

And that is just one of the hills/valleys.

RMR

It has to be housing over windmills for me too!

Memories of an airfield. 🙁

http://www.content-delivery.co.uk/aviation/airfields/Graveley.html

Palm Springs anyone? 😀 http://www.basinandrangewatch.org/images/PalmSpr-wind4.jpg

I can agree with some of the sentiments posted, but the difference between a housing development and a wind farm is that you can’t see a housing development from many miles away.
I’m sure that many people could not have failed to notice some of the Duxford pictures that have been posted this year and although they are several miles away, the new wind farm turbines near Balsham are clearly seen.

Much of the Clyde Valley Tourist route in Scotland is swamped with these things on the hills to the degree i now clearly think of what should be a beautiful part of the world as Telly-Tubby land.
It’s such a shame.

There are a few buildings still left in the communial area to the North of the Offord/Graveley road, but most succumbed to the original use of farming some years ago. I managed to get some photos of these buildings
and have managed to identify them on the plans of the airfield.
The 35/635 association placed a memorial at the entrance to the old airfield in memory of 35 squadron and 692 squadron who flew from there in 1944/45. look at http://rafgraveley.wordpress.com/ for a bit more detail-(the site is under development.)
There has been a great deal of opposition to the wind farm from locals, but overuled or ignored. Only now are the planning authorities having doubts about the overall benefits of such plans- too little too late!

Paul H. (my interest is that my late father was a w/op in a lancaster crew with 345 squasdron in 1944/45)

The inconveniant truth is, is that old airfields make great large brown field sites for developers, and are usually wide open making them favourite to wind farm projects.
I have to agree with the previous posts, Graveley seems pretty devoid of original infrastructure, and a wind farm is preferable to some of the alternatives.

Its sad in a way but to be fair i think there’s very little of the airfield left now thats recognisable anyway.

Rob

Mind you, turbines are preferable to another identikit new build housing estate.:)