ABOVE: The heat map was produced by overlapping the routes flown by SkyDemon users
With the planning consultation on the future of Popham Airfield having closed, GA pilots across the country will be watching the next move by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (B&DBC) with considerable interest.
As the council commissioned an independent review into the airfield’s strategic importance for the UK’s General Aviation (GA) airfield network, it will be extremely interesting to see what conclusions are drawn. The decision to commission the review came in response to the council’s previous justification for re-including Popham in its latest Local Plan. At that time, the council stated that neither the airfield nor the activities conducted there were considered ‘significant’.
However, this ‘heat map’ – kindly created by SkyDemon and sent to the Pilot newsroom by Brian Lloyd – would seem to indicate that, contrary to the council’s claims, Popham is very busy and extremely significant. Responding to a request by Pilot Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council said: “Changes to the government’s housing figure means we now need to find space for an extra 6,300 homes in the plan. We recognise that some of the sites put forward by landowners and developers… have prompted concerns from residents and local groups. Our significant challenge is to respond to residents’ concerns and, at the same time, meet the new government housing target that we’ve been set”
PHOTO: COURTESY SKYDEMON VIA BRIAN LLOYD
