Folks, It it just me or is there a marked increase in the number of Second World War sites being sold off for Housing? I visited a couple of sites today - Dispersed Living Quarters as well as a Second World War Radio Station which are For Sale. One site says Land for sale whilst another refers to approval for Housing. The amount of sites which are being lost is amazing - Airfield Operations Block, Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun Battery, Air Raid Shelters all of which are WW2. Anyone else seen this? Andy
We can't possibly preserve every piece of land just because it had a military post there between 1939 - 1945, otherwise we as a nation become defined by one short period in our history. This is Britain and our history is far richer, far deeper, than a couple of conflicts fought between 1914 - 18 and 1939 - 45. Yes these events are more real to us because our immediate families fought in those conflicts but they should not blind us to a deeper and more complex history. Additionally, we are an island and the population is growing. We need housing and that has to go somewhere. Much better that it goes on Brown-field sites than on green-belt, less we totally cease to be a 'green and pleasant' land..
It'd be nice if they built something other than housing for a change, though, for all these people to use or do.
Indeed by 1945 over 360,000 acres of England alone were airfields and supporting sites, an area larger than the county of Berkshire. Historic England has calculated that there were over 9,000 miles of concrete runways, taxiways and hard standing laid
...especially as we need land on which to grow the food that our population needs. It saddens me greatly to see whole swathes of good agricultural land - especially in my native area of the Lincolnshire Fens, some of the best agricultural land the World - being given over to large housing developments. There has to be a better way. Any use of brownfield sites is to be welcomed but there are practical issues: any construction company will tell you that it's easier to use land on which there has previously been no development than to use brownfield sites - cleaning up land that, for example, was previously used as a Gas Works or Factory is actually very expensive and consequently a major disincentive.
Hello Andy Yes I have seen this but you will always find (if the local council are not to gimpy) a plaque or memorial will be placed to show what the area was used for example here HMS Pembroke Eastcote, Middlesex now a housing estate Many of the old airfield/bases are now housing and are remembered by road names. RAF Uxbridge another example Bader Way,Uxbridge The above at least gives whatever type of person who lives in these new rabbit hutch houses a clue to what the area was about and they can they take their interest further if they so require. Forum Member Stan worked very hard on this Halifax Crew crash near Colchester 25th February 1943 Roads named after the Crew. However if a site is under threat you can ( as I have done on a number of occasions) contact English Heritage Home Page | English Heritage and request that the item is a potential for listing,they give it their consideration. I have posted here dozens of sites still around the UK United Kingdom and they are mostly listed with English Heritage. The below is oft said What we must all remember that this piece of our history is top of the pile for our country because without the defeat of hitler ( along with the Allies assistance) the world would be a different place. It must not be sold short. Not all is lost. onward and upwards regards Clive
You can get important local heritage listed on the local Heritage register Locally Listed Heritage Assets | Historic England If you have concerns about WW2 heritage try the Battlefields Trust for support. www.battlefieldstrust.com My own gripe is that the air raid shelter sign seem to have been cleaned from the house in Queen Anne's gate announcing a public shelter in the cellar. Pure vandalism
example here Filton Airfield is a historic local landmark. We are working with world-renowned architects to ensure its future lives up to the legacy of its pioneering past. The first phase of new homes is designed to form the heart of a thriving new neighbourhood for North Bristol.” Many of the new housing being built (particularly in London)are the slums of tomorrow but at least the little plaque/memorial will give a clue to the distant past.
Some of the base airfield strips decommissioned in the remote rural areas are not fit for the purpose of housing development due to their remote location and difficulties with establishing a settlement.In many cases previous compulsory purchased land has been bought back from the MOD by the previous owners as first refusal according to the Crichel Down legislation. As it stands these airfield former married quarters have been sold off and as it is, have little support from amenities which as former MOD sites,they had from the RAF.They remain isolated without on site amenities,none or very infrequent public transport which means that car ownership is a must to live there.District Councils have shown some concern over this but the problem continues. An exception to this is Skellingthorpe airfield the only BC airfield within a city boundary (Lincoln) where the entire site as Birchwood, has been developed for housing, benefiting from the city expanding south and contained within the western bypass....all roads are named after airfields. Within a short distance of here,there are four airfields,(one a prewar permanent airfield) where the runway site has not been put to housing but put to agriculture,one to leisure.one to private flying with the runway adjacent land put to agriculture.....interesting to see what happens to Scampton when it closes as planned in 2022 although I believe the Type C hangars are included in heritage protection. Some airfields have been designated as heritage sites and are shown in the article.I note that Yatesbury is included but I did not see much recovery of the Great War hangars when I visited the former airfield some time ago. https://historicengland.org.uk/imag...tes/heag048-historic-military-aviation-sites/
Many sites have listed buildings Bicester Airfield Today The airfield is a substantially unmodified pre-war RAF station with many listed buildings. The brick-built 1934 "Fort" type 1959/34 control tower survives, as do the two C-type and two A-type aircraft hangars. Our History Alt : Bicester Heritage Bicester Airfield - Wikipedia Good news RAF Northolt has many listed buildings as do other RAF airfields within the UK
Z Station Kodak site, Harrow has been locally listed. One would assume they have a door into it somewhere on the site which is now turning into a mass housing estate They have kept the pump house and Chimney stack which are listed Air Ministry Citadels Archaeology, Air Ministry Citadel and Kodak Legacy 9.14) There are no statutorily listed buildings within the application site boundary. However, a number of older industrial buildings date back to an earlier period of Kodak’s development. These include the 1925 power house, with its associated chimney. The proposal to retain part of the power house as a reminder of the former use of the site is therefore supported, in addition to the place making benefits discussed above in section 4 of this appraisal. The treatment of this structure, its restoration and management will need to be secured by condition. 9.15) The Harrow View East site is also occupied by the underground remains of a former Air Ministry Citadel, known historically as ‘Station Z’, which served as contingency wartime administration space. This structure, which originally comprised both surface and subsurface structures, now only retains its sub-surface features. This is being considered by the Council for local listing following recommendation by English Heritage and is located adjacent to the railway line. It essentially consists of an underground bunker, which previously formed the basement of a larger building (examples of an intact building exist elsewhere). The top of the bunker is approximately ground level on that part of the site and Kodak currently use this open area for storage. It is proposed to retain this structure in situ and construct the proposed energy centre and multi-storey car park on top. Given that the special interest of the bunker is its internal appearance below ground level, it is considered that the proposed development above would not unduly impact on its character http://www.harrow.gov.uk/www2/documents/s98520/Agenda
What to do with underground constructions can be a problem. There are a number within about ten miles radius of where I live. Their location is in part because there are red sandstone outcrops and it is relatively easy to tunnel it and partly because the last stop lines of the western defences of GB were there. One was intended as a large underground factory (aircraft I think), others were used to store national treasures (no not ageing actors) and a couple were some form of HQ - one still remains as a regional disaster coordination centre but the others are all empty. However one of these was discovered to contain an extensive cannabis factory and had been illegally hooked into the grid and was stealing large amounts of energy (which seems to have been what gave it away). There have been stories of others also being used for various illicit purposes.
Some years ago the local news trumpeted the building of 7000 homes around Grantham, I think it was. No mention of the 14000 jobs they'd need to pay for them, let alone the hit on the local infrastructure.
I have read that brownfield sites can be better for wildlife than greenbelt areas. Not sure if they say that here but they but they do say how important they can be. https://www.groundsure.com/news/brownfield-sites-a-wildlife-haven/ Brownfield | The Wildlife Trusts
Nature shall reclaim and she does brownfield sites sprout all sorts of plants Answer is what lay beneath now punches through
Although if what lies beneath is toxic industrial waste this is not good news. There is a confusion between greenfield and natural. Greenfield means not built on before (at least not in recent history) it does not mean natural. Much greenfield had been intensively farmed for ages. Most wildlife prefers mess, modern agriculture does not.
Apparently Bicester is regarded as the best example of a prewar Bomber Command airfield together with it technical site.The airfield dates from 1917.Updated from 1925, the airfield was assessed as deficient for updating when the war started and unsuitable for the aircraft of the expanding Bomber Command....the airfield was never converted from grass to hardened runways.Both No 12 and 142 Squadrons,equipped with Battles were posted to France the day before war broke out as members of the AASF force. Blenheims arrived at Bicester with Nos 104 and 108 Squadron shortly afterwards but then the airfield became No 13 OTU with the role of training Blenheim crews.....both squadrons were absorbed into No 2 Group Pool initially and as No 13 OTU from April 1940.Blenheim losses in France later increased the intensity of training to cover the extensive Blenheim losses in the Battle for.France Some redevelopment has taken place and a couple of up market factory retail outlets have been established in accordance with heritage acceptance. Grantham..... Spitalgate opened in 1916 and after being involved solely in flying training was requisitioned as a Bomber Command base in 1937 for No 5 Group.At the start of the war it was realised that airfield was too small to house a wartime Bomber Command squadrons and it reverted to flying training.Being surplus to RAF requirements it was transferred Army many years ago after being the main station for WRAF induction and training from 1960.The station was served with Sommerfeld steel matting runways after grass runway deterioration. Its flying training role continued throughout the war. Now appears to be subject to planning permission for housing, being less than 2 miles from Grantham
Come to Kent! Visit the village of Hawkinge most of the newer part of which covers the airfield. Have a look at Kingshill; formerly West Malling airfield. Lympne? Now an industrial estate. RAF Ashford - now returned to agricultural use. If only they updated the infrastructure before building all the housing things would be better. Chris
Fear not there are bundles of sites still around Im trying to get to many as possible. It would be possible to do all of them if I lived for a thousand years or so. Look all around there are WW2 sites of interest "keep 'em peeled!" Defence of Britain Archive Example below I passed by today home of the Attenborough brothers and taken over by the RAF in WW2 Used during the Battle of Britain for mapping. Now turned into flats which are bubbling under a million quid each Haydon Hill House Bushey,Herts
