No more Vulcan runs at Wellesbourne?

It is possible to persuade the Council to place environmental restrictions on any residential planning application. …to protect Vulcan ground runs and thereby the museum as an existing tourist attraction.This has been done elsewhere .

Unfortunately the lack of a planning application at this stage does not preclude the closure as an airfield. A disused airfield then becomes an ideal brownfield site to submit a planning application for.

Except……

“Wellesbourne Airfield is available for development. Planning permission is not required for the cessation of airfield activities. As a previously used site with no significant environmental constraints, it provides an opportunity to meet some of the district’s housing need without using greenfield or agricultural land. Its proximity to strategic highway infrastructure and other local settlements make it, in our view, an excellent location for sustainable residential development.”

So, don’t kid yourselves that no planning application being submitted means anything.

And as said, the owners of the Vulcan own the airfield, so they won’t be serving an eviction notice on themselves….

I agree, it’s only a matter of time, whether it’s next year, the year after or 5 years etc., Wellesbourne will get built on.

Nearby Long Marston is going the same way, and the loss of the drag strip there will have a huge impact on UK drag racing, as it will leave Santa Pod as the only other UK venue.

My guess would be that the developers will call the estate something cringeworthy like Vulcan’s Eerie and produce an artists impression showing the Vulcan at the entrance to a select development of executive-style homes. This will then either be quietly forgotten once the building starts
Moggy

Spot on, The old main entrance to Hunsdon saw limited housing development with a nice white plywood fence around it , a three bladed propeller motif and the legend LIBERTY FIELDS adorned underneath. After they were built it became Hempstall close, something to do with the original landowners name and not even an air force related name!

Sadly like so many that have gone before this future will be dictated by greed and the short shortsightedness that afflicts those infected with this lonely disease.

Isn’t this the salient extract from the statement?

“No planning application has been submitted for development of the site, and the local council have made it clear that they wish to encourage further development as an active airfield”.

Unfortunately the lack of a planning application at this stage does not preclude the closure as an airfield. A disused airfield then becomes an ideal brownfield site to submit a planning application for. Much will depend on what the structure plan has to say on the housing need for the area and how to fulfil it. Sadly I think it is only a matter of time before the plans are submitted as there is already a pretty glossy website up and running to sell the proposal http://www.wellesbourne-west.com/planning.html.

The council may have stated support for the continued aviation use on page 14 of in the core strategy to 2031, but much depends on the wishes of the owners who seem at best non-committal to its continued aviation use

https://democracy.stratford.gov.uk/documents/s34047/Core%20Strategy%20with%20Proposed%20Modifications%20-%20June%202015.pdf

Unless, of course, the site developers are benevolent enough to donate funds and to leave space to erect a hangar over her….

Excuse my ignorance, but is there a strong link between Wellesbourne and Vulcans that I have missed?

My guess would be that the developers will call the estate something cringeworthy like Vulcan’s Eerie and produce an artists impression showing the Vulcan at the entrance to a select development of executive-style homes. This will then either be quietly forgotten once the building starts, or will survive for a couple of years before the rotting hulk is condemned on H&S grounds.

No connection that I know of. The local V-Bomber field was Gaydon.

Moggy

Isn’t this the salient extract from the statement?

“No planning application has been submitted for development of the site, and the local council have made it clear that they wish to encourage further development as an active airfield”.

The aircraft is owned by the people who own the airfield so its hardly likely they would serve an eviction notice on themselves!

If a developer sets his sights on the airfield and the local authority won’t back them then they will just go to appeal and most likely win.

the question mark

Moggy

Assuming much of the airfield is to disappear under housing, I suspect the question mark is doubtful, as static engine runs close to housing will no doubt soon be “curtailled” when new residents start complaining about the noise, and unless the re-development leaves a fair stretch of runway/taxiway open, then rolling runs will be a memory.

I suspect she will eventually leave in pieces, though whether on the back of low-loader for ongoing preservation elsewhere, or in a series of skips destined for the smelter. Unless, of course, the site developers are benevolent enough to donate funds and to leave space to erect a hangar over her, thus keeping her out of the worst of the weather between occasional “visitor days” when she could be pulled out into the sunshine. Unprotected (large) airframes and the british climate don’t mix well.

Excuse my ignorance, but is there a strong link between Wellesbourne and Vulcans that I have missed? If so then preservation on site is perhaps more likely, but in the absence of a strong “Vulcan history” at the airfield, then I fear there will be too little local support for anything permanent.

Bruntingthorpe would seem a logical relocation destination if funds ever permitted, but as has been asked earlier, how secure is that future of that site in the long term? Or how about Duxford, I know they have a static one at IWM, but a ground runner on an active airfield where air displays are held regularly might work, though I guess it would perhaps too close to the Southend example, and (current) lack of hangar space would still leave her exposed to the elements?

Sorry to be so negative… Shame, as I would love to see her preserved as a ground-runner somewhere, if not at W-M, but I suspect the logistics and costs of disassembly, removal, and reassembly to ground-run status are prohibitive for a small private preservation team, even if a new base could be found.

You will note that the thread title still carries the question mark that was present when I originally posted it.

Moggy

And 70 posts discussing a myth!! Indeed CD, but some have more confidence in the media than others.:) A change of thread title would seem to be called for!!!

A case of the local press adopting the maxim ‘never let the truth get in the way of a good story’ then? :rolleyes:

From the Avro Vulcan XM655 Official Site;

“You may have read scare stories in the local press regarding the closure of Wellesbourne Airfield and eviction of the tenants. We can re-assure you that 655MaPS have not received an eviction notice, nor do we expect one. No planning application has been submitted for development of the site, and the local council have made it clear that they wish to encourage further development as an active airfield. Whilst we cannot rule out the possibility the airfield may eventually close, we expect to be able to continue with our present activities for many years to come”.

Rob

You may well be right there Meddle.

As the venerable Neil Young pointed out:

I wonder if XM605 and XM606 will end up as the last remaining outdoor Vulcans? They have the climate on their side at least.

Unfortunately ‘rampant corrosion’ is very likely a feature of most Vulcans living outside . The initial idea of cheap Vulcan’s and the draw they would bring to museums was fine -however the long term reality and the cost of maintaining them safely with ‘modern’ Health & Safety will eventually make them too expensive to maintain.

As with any airframe that is exposed to the elements corrosion will always be a problem the only thing you can do is try and slow it down.

Its a great museum, I’ve not been in for a while but I really enjoyed my last visit. I just hope it does not get swallowed up or forced to close due to housing. I am not sure if the land is owned by the airfield or not.

How much of a museum is there? I’ve seen pictures of a Vampire under a gazebo and a piston Provost. Neither looked to be in mint condition, and I understand the B1 Vulcan cockpit is in Stranraer now.

The Wellesbourne Wartime Museum is located in an enclave adjacent to the main airfield car park. The organisation has no connection with the Vulcan. The museum is not solely about aviation. The aircraft on show comprise Provost, Vampire, Yak 52 and Sea Vixen nose. For a while one member had a Vulcan nose that he owned on display but he moved it with him when he relocated to Scotland. In addition to aircraft there are display buildings wth a wide range of artefacts and a WWII underground control room. The small but dedicated group of volunteers have maintained this excellent museum for many years.

There is no official comment from 655MaPS what has been tweeted is not coming from them.

pole mounted ?? gonna need a big pole !!