Check it out on the Braintree District Council planning site, ref 08/01760/MIN, it looks a monster, but built on the site of the southern taxi way near Woodhouse Farm. The runways are already dug up to a great depth for gravel extraction, presumably this will cease when the plant is constructed.
At the moment there is an access road from the single track A120 at Bradwell, no doubt this will form the route for the waste lorries and give all the local residents even more horrendous traffic to worry about.
I can’t see the scheme having much of an effect on the remaining airfield buildings though.
There’s another cunning plan to build an ‘eco-village’ on land adjacent to Andrewsfield Airfield, this would destroy the wood which is the site of the bomb dump and probably one of the remaining original hangars and some buildings. The developers are not being very forthcoming with information apart from some pretty leaflets, I can’t see this happening though, but as the local authorities around here let the Pykies get away with anything, who knows.

Don’t knock him Moggy.
Many British servicemen died when the Jewish state was created, our poor sods had fought a long war, in some ways to save the Jewish race, fair enough, my father included, he dicovered Belsen during a Panzer battle. But many British troops ended up in Palestine with the inevitable consequences, the Israelis didn’t give a s”’ who they killed to get their own way, Hotel David springs to mind.
I have family members who risked their lives to save these people from the Nazis during the war and were treated with the threat of starvation at the end of it because they hadn’t got enough ‘sheckels’ to see them through, I’m quite happy to elaborate and prove it.
Am I allowed to say this or am I going to be considered anti Semetic, I presume that I am but the truth has to be sounded out, I have no respect for them at all, they really are a wierd, selfish bunch with full American backing, how is that going to help anybody, especially the Palestinians, no matter what Obama says.

It was getting dark when I got there last night, just a few blurry, sad images.

What more can you say, sad isn’t it, my crappy pictures sum it all up.

Sorry, I’ve been intending to reply since this thread first appeared. I have a client who lives just down the road from matey’s canvass igloo in the woods, I’ve been trying to finish a job so I can get over to Quendon and find out a bit more, hopefully that will be this weekend.
There have been a lot of stories flying around about ‘Flowers’ or ‘Dick’ ever since I’ve been working in the area which is over 30 years now.
He lived in a green canvass igloo in the woods with a permanently burning fire, even in the summer, on which he used to cook and keep warm. The entrance to his little spot consisted of a gate and the entrance was festooned with all sorts of soft toys, plastic flowers and anything he could scrounge. He also had an old table and chairs set out in sight of the road, though I never saw him sitting in it.
Across the road in the lay-by there’s a burger and tea van parked up most days from where he used to get a free breakfast, cup of tea and a chat, I think thats why the Army from Carver used to pull in as well, for the breakfasts and a cup of tea, he didn’t need looking after until it was too late, everyone in the area used to look out for him. Every Christmas a family nearby used to allow him in their house for his annual bath and a bit of Xmas cheer including dinner.
He would walk all the way to Stansted with his old pram and his old dog sitting in it in order to pick up his benefits from the Post Office as well as any goodies he could afford from the garage shop.
What impressed me was the fact that whoever owned the land was prepared to let him stay there all these years and he seemed to be considered with respect by everyone, it’s very sad that he’s gone, I gather that the poor old dog has been taken off to an animal rescue centre, I’m sure he’ll be much loved, but I bet he’s grieving for his master.
I want to get some photos of his place before it’s inevitably vandalised or cleaned up, I’ll go over there within the next few days and try and record some of his life for posterity, was he happy living like that, we’ll probably never know.
There’s another one that’s gone from the area, do you remember the famous knife grinder, he used to live in the woods between Rayne and Smiths Green, though I gather he owned a cottage somewhere near Quendon funnily enough. He used to cycle all over the place on his specially adapted bike, always looking immaculate in a shirt, tie and jacket, though, get too close, and he really stank, but he did a good job and everyone loved him. He always reminded me of the late great actor Michael Bates, both in manner and appearance, I think he succombed in the winter as well.
As far as I know, we still have ‘Bagman’ in the area, complicated story this one and I’ve gone on enough as it is. He walks from Debden Green to Bishops Stortford EVERY day as a pennance to his mother, he lives in a derelict farmhouse thats worth a fortune, have you come across him in your travels anyone. I’ll take questions later as I have to take the dog for a walk.
What a fascinating area I live in, self indulgent and wealthy, but having all these magical characters on our doorstep, I have one living up the road from me here in Braintree, I’ve just seen him, he’s ok.
Is it a sad thing to see all these ‘Men of the Road’, should our society have seen them off, are we neglecting our duties not to wade in and get Social Services involved, are they happy the way they are, I don’t know what to think, what do you reckon.
As Steve says, ‘There but for the Grace of God go I’, it’s true, I’m always on the edge of the ‘real world’, it’s very hard to cope sometimes, that igloo looks inviting during the bad times.

So whats new, and whose side do you fervently support, as far as I’m concerned it’s been the catalyst for so many post WW2 conflicts as we perceive them, it gets rammed down our throats and will continue to be so, it’s been a symbol for why religion formulates so much stupidity amongst mankind. It’s been the excuse for world wide terrorism. Lets just nuke and annihalate the whoe damn place, get it over with and let us all have a nice life, thank you very much, as long as the fallout doesn’t affect the holiday beaches on Cyprus. I have little sympathy for either side, non of their pathetic, religious fervour does anything for me and I reckon it’s probably the same for most people, if you dare to admit it, which you probably won’t.

So, following my reactivation of this thread, and looking at Mr Fry’s comments, nothing has been started then. My Lincolnshire contacts have not reported plastic Lancasters at Scampton, perhaps Peter Jackson is having second thoughts, whats the point in splashing out a fortune on a film that may only appeal to a critical Flypast Forum audience, I can’t see it filling cinemas in the USA and making a profit, unless of course the Chinese Lancs will be used in his proposed making of ‘The Hobbit’, Tom Bombadil with the appropriate name look out, you may have a black Labrador with a garbled and disguised name to cope with as well.

Rather coincidentally they are constantly running an advert for them on our Anglian regional TV area, never seen an advert for funeral directors on TV before.
I hate adverts at the best of times, the increasing number of them drives me round the bend, but this one is just so depressing.
Could it have something to do with the increased number of suicides during the current recession, or, while attempting to slash your wrists during a commercial break in ‘Red Riding’, make sure you ring the Co-op before you start and get a quote.