Bovingdon Needs Your Help

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Member for

20 years

Posts: 3,902

Posted on behalf of present owner.

''Dear Sir,

Sorry to trouble you, I have just registered on this forum in a hurry and can not see how to post my notes, Please may I ask you to post this for me ? We only have 10 days to get as much information about our runway so that we can obtain a Certificate of Lawfulness to continue flying, otherwise the local Council will issue an Enforcement Notice to stop us.

I hope you can help,
Best regards,
Paul Webb. email: [email]berryfarm.uk@gmail.com[/email]

Dear Members,

RE: BOVINGDON AIRFIELD. Hertfordshire. HP5 3RW. United Kingdom.

We need Urgent Assistance ! Please can any of you help?

My name is Paul Webb and My father and I recently purchased Berry Farm HP5 3RW. We bought the farm, freehold, specifically because a large section of one of the former RAF runways in included on our land and currently used for light aircraft. Our section is 08 -26 and it is the section that runs vertical just north of the V.O.R. (Easily identified on Google Maps, HP5 3RW. ) Runway is 150 Ft wide concrete, more than a 1/3rd of a mile long. There is a Cherokee 180 based on the farm, owned by a local businessman who has used the 08 – 26 runway continuously during the past 25 years but only averaging 12 days a year. We ourselves are learning to fly a Eurostar Microlight and intend buy one as soon as we pass our tests.

The county boundary runs through our land. Herts / Bucks. The majority of the farm is in Bucks but the runway is in Herts.

Our section of runway has had continuous use for light aircraft since the RAF vacated the site in the early 70’s and it is our intention to continue flying from our runway but we now have a serious issue with the local council. They want to stop us flying as they are suggesting that the use has been abandoned! We know it has not been abandoned at any time but we now need to prove it.

Our only chance to keep the runway active is to apply for a Certificate of Lawfulness and to do this we urgently need to hear from any members who have, or are aware of anybody who has; either landed at Bovingdon or used our runway with or without permission for ‘Touch & Go’s since the end of WW2, to date.

If any members have any entries in their log books that mentions Bovingdon this will be great but even if flights have not been logged a simple statement by email will be very much appreciated. Please ask around as we need urgent help from as many people as possible.

Please keep in touch because if we succeed with our ( CLEUD ) you may find the facility at Bovingdon of use to you at some time. Any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Best contact is email as we run a working farm and are not always available on the telephone.

Please remember, we are looking for any flying activity at Bovingdon since the war till now.

We have an Aviation Planning Consultant, Peter Kember helping us but we still require urgent help / information from any members !

All emails received will be attended to promptly.

Thank you very much,

Paul Webb.

Email; [email]berryfarm.uk@gmail.com[/email]

Postal address; Berry Farm. Whelpley Hill. Chesham. Bucks. HP5 3RW.

Original post

Member for

13 years 1 month

Posts: 1,026

Can't help with landings etc but 5 B-25 Mitchells were there in the 1970's for the making of the film Hanover Square, 633 Squadron with Mosquitos was made there and The War Lover with B-17s. I have pics of the B-25s if that helps at all?

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,389

I cant help but think that it does not help their cause that the first website that comes up on a google search for Bovingdon airfield come up with a sunday market, Bangar racing and the words the airfield closed in 1972. Also found elsewhere the airfield shut in 1972. Now offering the airfield for hire and events.

Does little to help the suggestion that flying has continued since it was demobbed.

I know lots of runways that still exist but flying has been long since abandoned.

Good luck with the certificate anyhow. More flying fields available the better as far as I am concerned.

Member for

12 years 4 months

Posts: 2

RE: BOVINGDON AIRFIELD. URGENT.

Hi Merlin,

RE: BERRY FARM RUNWAY 08 / 26. BOVINGDON.

I realise it is very misleading but the website that you refer to is not our land or runway. The Bovingdon Airfield website refers to our neighbours land and is not connected in any way to Berry Farm being our property.

The ex: wartime runway, 08 / 26, runs across both our properties and our ownership of the section of runway stops at the intersection of the two wartime runways. Being a cross, there are four legs of runway. Three of the legs are non operative for aviation, but our leg has been active since the RAF vacated he airfield after the war.

Mr. Mash owns two of the legs of runway and he has planning permission for the Saturday Market. ( The website that you refer to is his. ) The other, non active aviation leg is owned by Mr. Simms and he uses this leg for HGV training and hires out to the Police & Fire Dept.

If you are still unsure about the situation concerning our runway, 08 / 26, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Paul Webb. [email]berryfarm.uk@gmail.com[/email]

The section of runway on our land has never been subject to any of the planning applications granted to the other three legs of runway. The Berry Farm runway has always been, and still is an ‘active’ runway. All we need to do is obtain a Certificate of Lawfulness to confirm this. Fortunately, our deadline has been extended and we now have a couple more weeks to make our application. We have already received a great deal of support and many pilots have supplied information to show they have used our runway over many years for either Touch & Go’s or the odd landing. We need as much evidence as possible so if there is anyone else who can add to the information already received please get in touch by sending an email to the above email address.

Many thanks. Paul Webb.

Member for

12 years 10 months

Posts: 118

Hi

I really do not want to tell granny how to........... but are you aware of the 28day rule etc etc? Will not waste everyones time going into it unless asked but just thought it may help you??

Member for

12 years 4 months

Posts: 2

11th Hour Request ! Bovingdon Airfield.

11th Hour Request !

Save what’s left of Bovingdon Airfield. Runway 08 / 26.

The Council want to close our airfield as they believe that aviation use has been abandoned. This may be the case with the main Bovingdon Airfield which is now mainly a Saturday Market but the majority of runway 08 / 26 still in good serviceable condition is actually on Berry Farm land and is unaffected by ‘change of use’ that the main airfield has been granted over past years by the council.

Berry Farm consists of 150 acres of land, part of which is runway 08 / 26. This is the last remaining ‘active’ leg of the former Bovingdon Airfield. Since the RAF vacated the airfield and land was returned to various owners, our runway has continued to be used by a variety of light aircraft. For the past 27 years it is common knowledge that a local businessman has based his Cherokee at Berry Farm and has regularly used 08 / 26 and associated taxiways for take-offs & landings.

Please may we ask any pilots who have used Bovingdon, runway 08 / 26 over past years for practice Touch & Go’s, / Landings, with or without our permission or that of the previous owner, as we need to prove to the council that use has not been abandoned.

We were previously advised that our Application had to be with the Council by the 9 November but this has now been extended for at least a couple of weeks.

Please email us your details and we will return a statement form for you to jot down the dates that you used the runway. We realise that it is not normal to log Touch & Go’s so just the date and a copy of your log page to show you were flying on the day will suffice.

Sincere thanks,

Paul Webb.
Berry Farm
HP5 3RW.

[email]berryfarm.uk@gmail.com[/email]