Airfields

What's happening at our airfields, aerodromes & airports

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Old Sarum suing Wiltshire County Council

The management of Old Sarum Airfield has started legal proceedings against Wiltshire County Council for breach of contract over airfield development plans. The airfield owners claim they had an agreement with Salisbury District Council (now Wiltshire Council) in 2007 to significantly reduce flying movements in return for permission to develop some parts of the more than one hundred acres of land adjacent to the airfield. The development would be a housing development, and would include some unique ‘hangar homes’.

It is alleged that from 2007 the airfield’s consultants worked extensively with council officers and local planners on a scheme which would have secured the long term financial viability of the airfield. The plan was also intended to enable extensive repairs to the heritage assets and ensure their preservation. In return for these planning considerations, the level of flying would be reduced.

“The low levels of flying were a key point, due to the council granting planning permission for thousands of new homes to be built on land surrounding the airfield, homes that would suffer from increased flying noise levels and night flying,” said the airfield’s managers.

“These plans (2007-2014) were seen and approved not only by senior officers but by both Local Inspectors with support from the Council.