your air villa in your aero resort (verchocq)

We seem to have some conflict of opinion here.

You are absolutely right Moggy (and John Deering was also right at the time).
Since potential customers showed lack of interest in the lease offered, Mr. Delahaye had managed to change the plots title to a normal plots-of-land.
It involved, I understand, lots of meetings and visits from land surveyors (géometres), measuring the plots etc. (as one would expect from any successive bureaucracy countries :rolleyes:), but now, when you buy the land it goes through the normal Notaire and you get the full title of it.
Arnon.

To put the record straight, long leases and freeholds are unavailable under the terms of the development of a private airfield, this is a French legal requirement, nothing to do with the developers.

We seem to have some conflict of opinion here.

And the lease period is?

Moggy

The parcels are sold as pure Freehold and there is a shared ownership of the communal areas and facilities.

And the prices… one can now buy a plot with a beautiful house on it for 150000 Euros…
Just imagine, for 150000 pounds you get a complete dream holiday home

And the lease period is?

Moggy

I solemnly promise to pass no more judgement on this place until I have judged it for myself, which I would dearly love to do. I shall keep a firm objective head about me.

Now, did I hear you say you were offering rides down there? 😎

Set the record strait…

Although 3 years old, I feel that this thread should not be left like this.
I recently started using the airpark facilities and I think Mr. Delahaye deserves much more praise and appreciation for his project. The airpark really seems to take off. He told me that all of the first phase plots were sold and the construction of the swimming pool/spa/hamam is due to start next spring.
I understand that by writing favourable things I risk getting washed with cold water like John Deering did couple of lines ago, and no, I have no interests in the Verchocq (pronounced vershock) organisation.
I believe that couple of things should be set strait on this thread.
(*)- Janie, the missing stair’s railing picture is an old one of the Gite in the village and has nothing to do with the airpark villas. As much as I am for a healthy discussion of the HSA differences between France and England, I think it deserves a thread of its own.
(1)- I love Pas d’Calais. It has all the benefits of easy French living pace, with perfect positioning for UK, Europe and the rest of the world, and I fully agree with Mr Deering saying you finish work on Friday and in 2 hours you are in your holiday home.
(2)- The airpark villas are as far from a “wooden chalet” as possible. They are modern, fully insulated, character houses, and ones you can design yourself! Just drop by and see the 4 which are already there and you’ll appreciate it immediately.
(3 & 4)- I believe these points are now solved, and the plots are now sold as freehold or 99 years lease.
(5) The runway is 630 meters with 2.5% slope. I am not a pro, but I saw some nice “bigger” planes there (and frankly I’m happy that Ryanair would not add Verchocq as a destination).

And the prices… one can now buy a plot with a beautiful house on it for 150000 Euros…
Just imagine, for 150000 pounds you get a complete dream holiday home AND an ICP Savannah parked in its garage !! (not mentioning the superb restaurant 30 yards from it…).

So, come on guys, give some more credit where is due…:)

I bought, built (myself) and lived in a wooden Swedish house in Stockholm for 8 years. In my opinion it was far better designed and constructed than any of the houses I previously owned in the UK. Temperatures in Stockholm can range from -30 to +30 degrees C and it can rain there too – no problems with damp or mould, the drainage and humidity protection were first class. Insulation throughout was 30 cm thick.
Although I now live in an apartment (so I don’t have to mow the grass any more) I would without any hesitation live in a wooden house built to Swedish standards again, if I could afford it!
And the stairs did have a hand rail!

As for Trinny and DBW – are you sure you two wern’t married once. It certainly sounds like it. :diablo:

Oi!

Behave. 😡

Moggy

John, this is what happens when you use a public discussion board as a means of free advertising for your/their business venture. People WILL discuss it and will not always say positive things about it. If you cant hack the critisisim, dont post it on public boards.

….I strongly advise that you curtail your defamatory comments.

I am not quite sure what you mean by the line quoted above but it sounds like some sort of veiled threat? I was reading this thread with interest but your posts led me to believe that you are in some way involved with this project. Purely from your posting style and what appeared to be veiled threats, I formed the opinion that you are someone I would not want to do business with. Maybe you should either rethink your posting style or your approach to advertising your project. Your posts are only doing it harm.

Oh, and Janie has a good point. Either you are using misleading pictures or you are building stairs without stair rails.

Mr Deering

I refer to the attached picture from the airpark website. Assuming that this interior is an indication as to what will be built there and is not supposed to be intentionally misleading, I would say that, according to U.K. regulation (which obviously will not apply in France), the staircase is too steep and has no railings. It would be very easy to fall off of it.

So, if the staircase is not indicative, then yes you are right, I should wait until it is built, before passing judgement. Thank you for putting it so politely. :rolleyes:

John: May I ask what your relationship is with the Verchocq organisation?

Anyone fancy having a fly-in to Verchocq? How is that pronounced? FairCock?

As for Trinny and DBW – are you sure you two wern’t married once. It certainly sounds like it. :diablo:

I’ve been ‘off watch for most of today. On my return I have cleared some off topic posts from what is an interesting discussion thread.

DBW gets the prize for most constructive post of the day with

I’m quite happy to let bygones be bygones as I’ve said before

Moggy
Moderator

John

I would exercise a degree of care before making accusations of defamation.

The proof of the pudding with Verchocq is in its successful execution. The fact that this has been on the “cusp” of getting going for several years now speaks volumes.

Points 1 and 2 are a matter of personal opinion. I’ve expressed mine. They are clearly not without foundation. The weather in the Pas de Calais is substantially that of the Southern UK. I suspect that the sort of development that Jean-Louis has planned will appear downscale and less appealing than such as Vendée or Murcia. I am not alone in that view, as previous outings you have made on other forums demonstrate.

Item 3, which you claim requires no response is clearly an issue at Verchocq, as evidenced by the number of different attempts J-L has made to get it right. Prospective buyers have echoed this view to J-L in my presence. The reluctance of J-L to offer freeholds, or decent period leases on the pretext of wishing to be able to oust awkward or anti-social residents is not tenable. To attempt to wrap this in a veil of French planning law doesn’t actually bear inspection either. Perhaps you would like to refer us to the appropriate part of the Code so that we can see the point more clearly.

You haven’t dealt with 4. The point is valid.

Item 5 [“The runway is quite adequate except of course for the faint hearted”] is a frankly rather dangerous comment. Perhaps you would care to remind us what the take off run required for a Navajo is on upsloping grass at moderate weight. Or, more modestly, a PA28-161 with three adult occupants and a couple of hours of fuel?

Item 6 is clearly not “without foundation”. It is fact. Verchocq hasn’t got a customs concession. Not unusual, but a detracting factor.

I have nothing against J-L or Verchocq, but to fail to acknowledge the challenges faced by the development is a mistake.

Verchocq Air Park

OK Trinny, you did ask, my response might clarify some of your purile points. Have you ever visited the site of the airpark, if you have, how many times and when. Your item 2, Verchocq is a perfect location being roughly an hour away from major southern UK bases. You can finish work on Friday and be at your holiday home an hour or so after leaving the UK;Item 3, Frankly doesn’t deserve a response, you obviously have never seen the properties on offer. Item4, I have already dealt with. Item 5, The runway is quite adequate except of course for the faint hearted. Item 6, Customs, or lack of it, was dealt with earlier. You know about the re-alignement of the runway, so that problems out of the way. The swimming pool, conference centre, sal de fetes complex is not planned for completion until the first stage of chalet construction has been achieved. Those occupying chalets before construction of the leisure complex will enjoy a reduction in annual charges. I find, in addition, your caustic comments about “wooden huts” quite uncalled for and totally uninformed. Unless and until you condescend to visit Verchocq and look over one of these “wooden huts” I strongly advise that you curtail your defamatory comments. As for the silly comments from Janie concerning the chalet staircases being “scary” and would not gain UK approval, I suggest that she waits until a staircase is built before passing judgement, there isn’t one fitted at the moment.

Which comments are “completely without foundation”?

You have provided reasons why some of the comments are correct (the lease period for example, which was originally much shorter)), but you have not contradicted them.

I would question the wisdom of any (Piper) Navajo pilot operating off 600 metres of sloped grass with anything but the lightest load.

Verchocq Air Park

Trinny’s comments on the development of the airpark at Verchocq cannot be allowed to go unanswered. I would suggest that her comments are completely without foundation and I would go so far as stating that I doubt if she has ever visited the site. I have been intimately involved with both the Delahaye family and their proposals to extend their private airfield into a airpark since it’s inception and I can state quite catigorically that this development will take off and indeed the first stages have been completed and firm orders are coming in from a more enlightened clientelle. To put the record straight, long leases and freeholds are unavailable under the terms of the development of a private airfield, this is a French legal requirement, nothing to do with the developers. The chalets are not “wooden huts”, these are large Scandinavian type structures built within strict conditions and use parameters. The first show chalet is now completed and belies the accusation of it being a wooden hut, come and see for yourself before going into print. The electricity generating company EDF will be commencing work re-positioning and lengthening the runway within three months and will be completed by mid summer. The existing runway frequently welcomes larger aircraft, Cessna Grand Caravan, Cessna Navajo, Beech Staggerwing to name but a few, so your weekender should have no difficulty in putting down at Verchocq. No customs facilities are available or envisaged as are most of the smaller airfields in France are whether in the south or the north. To summerise therefore, talk is cheap and it’s a wise person who keeps his mouth shut when he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. If you want to know anything, contact me or the Delahaye family or even take a look at the website.

anyhoo….back to the thread 😉

I quite like the idea of the airpark, and having a garage/hanger (Garanger? Hanrage?) with car and plane residing, but having lived on one or two airfields in my earlier years there is the whole noise/smell issue (aircraft, not mine) that my good lady Wife would probably object to…..

It’s a shame you make this personal chaps.

Sadly, the points I make above are all correct. Disagree with them if you will, but try to keep the personal attacks under control…

Sound advice, perhaps others should also take this advice and try not to place inflammatory threads that get pulled, (you know who you are). I’m quite happy to let bygones be bygones as I’ve said before. Maybe you could quell your enthusiasm for wind ups and sarky comments. I’m sure we will all then get on.

It’s a shame you make this personal chaps.

Sadly, the points I make above are all correct. Disagree with them if you will, but try to keep the personal attacks under control…

Cranfield has aspirations towards an airpark, but they have been very slow getting their act together.

There have been a number of similar plans for elsewhere in the UK.

I think that Verchocq faces a number of challenges which the owners have had difficulty getting their minds around:

1) The Pas de Calais, whilst undoubtedly French, is not far South enough to get you away from the indifferent weather of northern Europe.

2) The British, by-and-large, are not “back to nature” types, and the idea of living in a wooden hut on a field, does not match many people’s idea of Utopia.

3) At Verchocq, you cannot own the land on which your hut is constructed. The owner has gradually been persuaded to extend the length of the leases that he is offering, out to 11 years now, but that is still very short.

4) The suggestion that you can mitigate the short-lease issue with the ability to dismantle your hut and erect it elsewhere is frankly not going to cut it.

5) The runway is too short (and too sloped) for the average spam can to make it across the water 3-4 up with anything other than very low fuel.

6) Customs is unavailable at the strip, forcing the pilot to land elsewhere both inbound and outbound, before being able to fly in to the strip.

Despite several launches on internet sites such as this, progress at Verchocq seems to have slowed from its previous pace a couple of years ago. The new runway alignment (giving a rather safer length) is still not in place. The swimming pool, long promised, is nowhere. The first huts, now long promised, are still not there to see, so far as I am aware.

Given a proper airpark development, this might stand half a chance. As it is, I don’t see the marketplace for it.

Well Trinny – I guess that’s p!ssed on his strawberries….

Just ignore Trinny, he/she has a go at everyone about everything, he probably was an unhappy child.

I think it’s a terrific idea and wish you every success.