North Weald - Review by Epping Forset District Council

[John Brady]

The Epping Forest District Council (EFDC), the owners of the North Weald airfield, are asking for comments on their 20 year Local Plan and the future of North Weald Airfield. Please would you respond to this as one of the 4 options for the Council is to close the airfield.

They itemise four options (abbreviated in bold below) and require comments.

CHAPTER 4: Options for Growth and Distribution of Development
NORTH WEALD AIRFIELD
ix) North Weald Airfield

QUESTION 57: Identification of potential development options for North Weald Airfield

The proposals put forward in the document are as follows:

1. Maintain existing policies

Maintain existing policies and approach to the use of the airfield including encouraging existing operators to expand their businesses and small new aviation operators to start businesses within current policy parameters.

- Current policies in the Local Plan state that the Council will continue to promote and enable the use and development of NWA as a major multi-functional recreation and leisure centre and showground, and to continue to enable use as a working airfield. Additional policies protect the historic interest and permit some development in specified areas.

- This option therefore maintains the broad status quo. Development in future would continue to be restricted to supporting existing and some new airfield uses and some employment generating uses on the periphery of the runway. There is an area of allocated employment land. This brings advantages in that the historic character would remain largely unchanged, and existing operators could be provided with opportunities for expansion or diversification of their current businesses and some new small aviation operations may also be possible.

- However, at present NWA is reliant on the market to remain profitable and as a public landholding this level of financial risk is not considered acceptable in the long term. Further investigation is necessary on the range of uses which could be accommodated within the existing developed areas of the airfield (Areas A & B in Diagram 4.16), and whether development of only these areas could alleviate the financial risk to public funds.

2. Moderate expansion of commercial activity

Moderate expansion of commercial activity around the NWA, with retention of current level of aviation use.-

A previous report into the potential future use of NWA (Drivers Jonas, 1999), found that more intensive development to the southern end of the existing runway could take place without jeopardising the current general aviation uses.

- This option could deliver commercial growth in Area C in Diagram 4.17, in addition to Areas A and B in support of the existing general aviation use. Whilst such development would impact on the Green Belt in this area, this could help to mitigate the financial risk of the dependency on the market. Development could be restricted to commercial use, to prevent potential conflicts from noise, light and general activity caused by the aviation uses.

3. Active development of commercial aviation

The aviation intensification report by Halcrow considered the options available to increase the aviation use of NWA, and concluded that it may be possible to attract a commercial operator to do so. NWA is currently unlicensed by the Civil Aviation Authority, and such licensing would be required to enable a commercial operator to run an effective business, for example by using small jet type aircraft.

- Significant investment, and potentially further land acquisition and uses, would be required to bring the runway and surrounding areas up to the necessary standards, and this level of investment is not available from the Council’s funds.

- Additional development areas would also need to be allocated on the periphery of the airfield to provide space for associated new supporting development (see Area D in Diagram 4.16). Further detailed investigation would be necessary into this as a potential option if the principle of such development is supported.

- This option would clearly preserve the continued aviation use of NWA. However, by becoming a commercial licensed operation, there could be some negative implications in the area from noise, light and traffic. The associated development that would be needed to accompany such an intensified use could also have implications for the Green Belt.

4. Cease aviation uses – pursue alternative uses for NWA.

A further option for NWA is to not pursue continued aviation use of any type, and to allocate the land for alternative purposes within the Local Plan. This would require a significant change in policy approach in this area, although specific historic features could be protected and retained.

- It should also be noted that existing agreements/leases with airfield users would have to be ended with potentially significant financial consequences. It is reasonable to consider that a mixed use development, incorporating housing, employment, community facilities and open space could be delivered on this land, should other aviation oriented alternatives not prove acceptable or deliverable.

- Any of the options above would require a partnership approach to delivery between EFDC, North Weald Parish Council, Essex County Council and the existing operators and lease holders of NWA.

- Infrastructure investment will be necessary at varying levels depending on which option is pursued, but could potentially be significant and impact on the viability of proposed development.

PLEASE COMMENT before the closing date which is 15 OCTOBER by EMAIL to...

[email protected]

... quoting: Options for Growth and Distribution of Development NORTH WEALD AIRFIELD

The EFDC website is very temperamental so we strongly suggest the email approach.

Further details and suggestions are here...

http://www.northwealdairfield.org

With thanks to the Flyer Forum