.... it seems that DDC is having to remedy the woeful under-provision of Traveller Sites in its area. Have a look at DCC's published criteria for evaluating potential sites, and this pretty much meets them all. Perhaps a small, well-managed airstrip is not such a bad prospect, after all!
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A formal planning application for an airstrip on the land between Willow Woods Road,
Little Mongeham and Mill Lane / Coulson Grove, Northbourne has been submitted to DDC.
The application includes an airstrip, 2 hangars, 20 light aeroplanes, 10 glamping pods and helicopter access.
What do you think about it? Do you want it? Tell us here.
FORUM
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Thanks for your comments Ben. Its good to hear other opinions. I take it that you don't live in the area affected. How close do you live to the airstrip you fly from?
Let's take a look at your points
You can sometimes hear a background noise from the not so busy A256, but the prevailing wind is in the opposite direction, so not very often, and certainly not at the levels of a Vintage aircraft engine.
I couldn't comment on Richards previous applications, as I wasn't aware of them. They obviously received the same amount of prior community engagement, as this proposal......zero.......despite CAA recommendations on unlicensed airstrip to engage. The quotes from Richard in the press advise that he will engage once he is up and running with an open day. Too late.
Quiet airstrip?......only when no planes are flying, and perhaps not even then with engine maintenance activities.
Agreed that landing aircraft make less noise than those taking off. But that is still more noise than we currently suffer. There can also be noisy engine revving when the pilot hasn't quite got their approach right. Imagine this less than 100ft from your roof top, which currently only have birds flying that close. Plus landing is only 50% of the movement at the airstrip. Take off is very noisy with engines running at full throttle. I do understand that large passenger jets will not be landing here. You also fail to mention the noise from helicopters.
As you say, the circuits will mean additional overflying to the take off and landing movements, which will already total more than 7000 , compressed into good weather days, mostly in summer. So more noise nuisance. The person setting up the airstrip is a flying instructor, so perhaps there will be training here too.
There maybe additional proposals in the full planning application ref overlying, noise etc, however I an unaware of them due to failure of developers to engage before hand. A little like your next door neighbour planning to build a block of flats in their garden and the first you hear of it in the planning notice on the garden gate......how would this make you feel?..........anyway, due to above, I'm not sure how different this will be from Maypole.......but we do know that fuel will be available there from the screening option documents.
I have not condemned the proposal out of hand. I parked next to Rochester airstrip this week to see what it would be like. I have also visited Maypole residents to find out their experiences.
If this airstrip is to just serve the 20 plane owners plus the odd visitor, it does seem a little unfair to disturb the lives of many hundreds of residents, with noise and air pollution, so that the 20 can enjoy their hobby.
Why not continue to fly from the airstrips that they are currently using?
I have enjoyed the view of the world you refer to from a glider at Waldershare. Same experience.....no noise or air pollution, just minutes down the road.