Towns to be built on Airfields

hangers to housing

I read that the old airfield at Oakington will become a new suburb for Cambridge,after being a prison and a refugee centre!Oh well,maybe that buried Stirling will turn up!

Much as I despise new housing developments, and the gradual eating away of my beloved Essex/Herts countryside and being a “local” myself, if I had to choose between Hunsdon or North Weald being built on, I’d have to support preserving North Weald every time as it is still a live airfield.

There are also plans to build on Boreham airfield too now that Ford Motor Company has sold it and it is no longer required for Team RS testing.

In some respects I would agree with you about North Weald. However, The government look upon places as Coltishall, Wyton, Alconbury and North Weald as ‘brownfield’ sites ripe for redevelopment.Is this because the transition from active airfield, to housing estate, is a swift clean move in redefining land use?.

Hunsdon, and almost all other hostilities only airfields, were born from agricultural use . The land was requisitioned from the land-owner for the building of airfields. Having had their four to five year life as an airfield, they quickly returned back to agriculture once more. To some of us, these old sites that barely show the outline of their former use, are emotional places. Maybe it is people like me who are the selfish ones?. We want to preserve and hang on to these places because of its former use,when in reality we are probably the only ones who care!

Last Saturday, I was in on the last part of filming for an upcoming documentary film about Canadian Nightfighters and intruders based at Hunsdon. I sat in on the interview of an 88 year old former 29 Squadron pilot who was based at Hunsdon. Afterwards I asked him if he wanted a look at his former airfield where he spent quite some time at. ‘Oh no’ he replied, ‘what do I want to to see a load of old fields for, there nothing there to look at is there, I think I will just go home’
But people do care…. dont they?, why else would nearly 400 people turn out to see the dedication of an airfield memorial…they couldnt all have been there to see the BBMF Lancaster, and Maurice Hammonds P51 could they?:)

Radlett, RAF Stradishall and Lindholme.

Dare I mention RAF Driffield – 95% complete – overlooked by English Heritage’s Thematic Survey and now to be wiped off the face of the earth. Local councillors and populous are apathetic as ever. The new owners plan to build 500 houses, which no one can afford.

Thing is, I think it’s a good idea to build on disused airfields, but only those that no longer exist. Technically under the PPG3 guidelines, the entire airfield can now be considered brownfield. There is no restriction on the level of incompleteness. I would rather have an airfield were the runways and buildings have been removed be turned into an eco village, than see RAF Driffield destroyed in the name of profit.

A few miles north of RAF Driffield is Cottom. During the war the the Air Ministry built an airfield there – in the wrong place – it was never used. But it was an airfield and under PPG3 it should be classified as brownfield. Now, many airfields do we know that no longer exist? What airfield can be sacrifice instead of Driffield, Scampton, Newton or the others mentioned in this thread. Can anyone recommend an airfield that has totally gone that is located near one of our more complete and more important airfields?

Phil Rhodes

pagen01, (and all), Hi,
It was not my intention, in my original post, to spark a huge debate – but just to make the Forumites aware. Arguments For, or Against, are best carried out at the local level – lobbying the Local Authority Planners, Councillors, MPs, etc, etc.
My own view is that in any proposed development there should be placed on The Developers a requirement to reflect the previous history of the site. The Pub, for example (and if they still allow them!) might be called “The Lancaster” (or “Canberra”, or “The Janker Wallah’s Rest”, or whatever). Street names are relatively simple, but any Community Centre might well be required to have, at least, a small area where photographs, artefacts, memorabilia, etc, are displayed to show what the area of land once was. Many men (and women) fought, and died, from/on these old airfields Their sacrifices and memories should not be forgotten. I may be in a minority – but I hope not.
Money is, undoubtedly, to be made in these enterprises but if just 0.01% of the Profit Margin was devoted to some suitable memorial(s) then the sacrifices may not have been in vain.
“At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them”.
Rgds
Resmoroh

I hate to say it but I’m kind of with Marktheevildude on this, old airfileds are large, flat, and semi prepared areas, and as such most are ideal for housing/business development.
It would be nice to see every site preserved, but that is clearly unreasonable.
It seems that most of the truely historic airfields have gone, but with great surviving remnants (Kenley for example).
It would be great if these airfields were surveyed, photographed and logged before any developement. Preserving of some of the buildings, say messes and control towers would also be good, some Air Ministry buildings have been converted into gyms, sport/civic centres. Its always nice when street names reflect the areas past aswel.
I am against some of the remote and rural sites being developed and turned into windfarms etc.

Sadly it is propsed to turn nearby Llandow into a large housing estate, ironically partly due to St Athans proposed expansion!

i have to admit, that if new towns are to be built(they should really try re-developing old ones first) then large brown feild sites such as former MOD land is going to be the best choice. Obviously the land has already been altered signifantly from its natural state, it means a lot of mess that has been made will be cleaned up, some transport links will already be in place and usually some money can be made avaiable for some kind of memorial.

I don’t know how much moeny the MOD gets from the sale of its land, very little i would guess, but anything is better than nothing surely, especially if they have to continue maintainace and policing of the original site, long after the forces have moved on.

My local experiance of former airfields being built on, is at hawkinge, and even if its just the naming of roads after aircraft types, i feel that at least its use and the sacrifices that were made live on.

Much as I despise new housing developments, and the gradual eating away of my beloved Essex/Herts countryside and being a “local” myself, if I had to choose between Hunsdon or North Weald being built on, I’d have to support preserving North Weald every time as it is still a live airfield.

There are also plans to build on Boreham airfield too now that Ford Motor Company has sold it and it is no longer required for Team RS testing.

Very true id have to go for NW myself but id hate to loose any of them,

how much do these old airfields sell for?
________
RSOV
________
Wellbutrin Settlement Info

Take a look at RAF hunsdon

Pro harlow north (on the site of the airfield)
http://www.harlownorth.com/

against harlow north
http://www.stopharlownorth.com/

And here she is today and during the war
http://www.wartime-airfields.com/

Thats denis’s website about so i hope he doesnt mind me putting the link up

668

Much as I despise new housing developments, and the gradual eating away of my beloved Essex/Herts countryside and being a “local” myself, if I had to choose between Hunsdon or North Weald being built on, I’d have to support preserving North Weald every time as it is still a live airfield.

There are also plans to build on Boreham airfield too now that Ford Motor Company has sold it and it is no longer required for Team RS testing.

Lincolnshire Echo have been on about this too, Manby and Strubby are short listed.
http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=156130&command=displayContent&sourceNode=242285&home=yes&more_nodeId1=156139&contentPK=20308206

RAF Hunsdon

Take a look at RAF hunsdon

Pro harlow north (on the site of the airfield)
http://www.harlownorth.com/

against harlow north
http://www.stopharlownorth.com/

And here she is today and during the war
http://www.wartime-airfields.com/

Thats denis’s website about so i hope he doesnt mind me putting the link up

668
________
Fake weed
________
Marijuana Hemp

Yes along with Leicester (East as was) Airfield. Even the depot adjacent to Long Marston has been cited. How much is wild speculation though?

I think I have said before elsewhere on these forums. The Government doesn’t have the foresight, courage or strength to enact mass development plans such as these. Especially beyond their expected tenure in power. Getting the odd part ownership block of housing built on redundant plots of land seems to be all they do at the moment. Plus I think you have to look at the land the MoD sits on then ask why they hold it all close to their chest. Even the airfields that have been disused for say 40 years.

At the moment it seems limited to developers putting in speculative work related to this new Bill, which hasn’t even been enacted yet.

Yeh and wind turbine farms threat ! Podington and Chelveston. Someone somewhere is getting rich on all this,never mind the locals !