Wiltshire Councillor, Ian McLennan of Laverstock, Ford & Old Sarum ward has made a public apology to the Directors of Old Sarum Airfield. This comes after a long period of publically detailed inaccurate statements and quotes in the media which the Directors at Old Sarum felt needed to be addressed and the record set straight. Councillor McLennan’s statement can be read in full here: Public apology Matthew Hudson – Grenville Hodge – Old Sarum Airfield – Hangar 3 Over the course of last year (2020), I made various comments on Facebook, Twitter, and the Salisbury Journal website in response to
Read More

Matthew Hudson saved “Life Story” papers from Battle of Britain Hero which have now been published in a new book The man who saved both Salisbury’s historic Old Sarum Airfield and Prestwick International Airport and from closure has been instrumental in bringing to life important notes from one of Britain’s most famous WW2 historical figures, Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding. Dowding was appointed as the Commander in Chief of RAF Fighter Command in 1936 and is widely credited with playing the crucial role in Britain’s defence against a German invasion through the winning of the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Read More

Statement from Cllr Richard Clewer, Deputy Leader of Wiltshire Council 12 August 2020 “We’re disappointed that in this time of public need, we have to spend public funds unnecessarily resisting an unsustainable claim. However, we can confirm that we have received notice of legal action from Old Sarum Airfield, which we are strongly defending. “Given these are ongoing legal proceedings, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.” In response to Cllr Richard Clewer, Grenville Hodge a Director of Old Sarum Airfield says: “As custodian of this landmark heritage asset and ratepayers for more than 30 years we
Read More

Historic airfield issues writ against the local authority for breach of contract over airfield development plans Salisbury’s historic Old Sarum Airfield has issued a writ against Wiltshire Council for breach of contract in relation to its plans to develop land adjacent to the airfield to secure its long term future. The airfield owners had come to an agreement with Salisbury District Council (now Wiltshire Council) in 2007 to dramatically reduce flying movements in return for permission to develop some parts of their 100+ acres of land adjacent to the airfield – for housing, including unique “hangar homes”. As part of
Read More

Historic airfield and on-site businesses look to a positive future as the country returns from lockdown Salisbury’s historic Old Sarum Airfield is set to emerge from months of lockdown with onsite businesses re-opening and looking to the future now that the strict restrictions of the past few months are easing and the country returns to a new type of “normal”. GoSkydive, the UK’s leading leading Tandem Skydiving centre, which has been operating from Old Sarum Airfield since 2008, has announced that they are back open and have resumed tandem skydiving in line with Government and British Skydiving regulations. July has
Read More

Historic airfield wants to restore heritage ‘Hangar 3’ to former glory after years of damage from heavy machinery operating in nearby industrial estate The owners of Salisbury’s historic Old Sarum Airfield are set to launch legal action against Phoenix Life who were the freeholder of a building located near their own historic Grade II* listed Belfast Truss hangar, known as ‘Hangar 3’. Phoenix Life allowed their tenants, Equinox International, to operate heavy steel cutting machinery, a “Colgar Shear”, which created low frequency sound and ground vibrations for over 15 years. Back in 2011, specialist consultants advised council planners that the
Read More

Historic airfield helps transport veterinary surgeons across the UK as it awaits outcome of Judicial Review on redevelopment plans Salisbury’s historic Old Sarum Airfield is set to assist with flight operations to support vital Animal Health checks during the fight against Covid-19. Companies specialising in sensor technology to monitor the health of millions of poultry birds as well as the nation’s cows, sheep and pigs are now using the airfield to transport vets across the UK to complete nationwide checks and to respond to health issues as quickly as possible. A spokesperson for Old Sarum Airfield said: “This work is
Read More