AN OFFICIAL appeal has been launched after the latest plans to redevelop Old Sarum Airfield were chucked out earlier this year.
The application sought outline planning permission for approximately 315 homes and employment, commercial and leisure spaces, which would include a control tower, heritage centre, visitor centre, café restaurant, parachute centre, aviation archives and aircraft hangars.
It was refused in August this year.
A similar application submitted in 2015 was also refused, despite it being taken to appeal - that case went all the way to the High Court.
At the time, the appeal inspector concluded that harm, to both the airfield conservation area and the setting of Old Sarum scheduled monument could not be satisfactorily mitigated under any circumstances.
Grenville Hodge, director of Old Sarum Airfield, said he was "extremely disappointed" in the council’s decision to refuse the latest application.
He later told the Journal that Old Sarum Airfield would be more profitable if it focused entirely on flying and scrapped plans to build houses, Mr Hodge confirmed.
However, in a bid to be a “responsible business”, Mr Hodge would prefer to build houses to sustain the site.
“If we fly, we will destroy the livelihoods of 10k people around the airfield,” he said.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here