Campaigners celebrate as Old Sarum Airfield plans are rejected

Sarah Champion, 62, and her husband Ron, 77, became actively involved with online campaign group Save Old Sarum in 2014 as they shared an interest in flying and live near the airfield, in Ford.

The couple have lived in the village for the past 32 years and couldn’t see how an active airfield was compatible with 462 homes – the figure initially proposed by site Grenville Hodge a decade ago.

When these plans were refused and Mr Hodge lost a High Court appeal in 2020, he returned three years later with revised plans to build up to 315 homes. This would have still effectively doubled the size of Ford.

Read more: Old Sarum Airfield: 'Thousands of livelihoods at risk if plans refused'

Save Old Sarum continued to campaign against the plans as its members thought they were still unsuitable for the current infrastructure.

Ron and Sarah Champion (Image: Newsquest)

Mrs Champion claimed the plans were “dressed up as a way of saving flying” and distrusted Mr Hodge’s intentions for the site as he had previously made threats to shut down the airfield if his 2015 planning application was unsuccessful.

Mr Champion thinks there are “huge issues” with the plans, specifically regarding the potential impact on nearby highways.

He added: “It’s too many houses to be built without the infrastructure around to support them.”

Mrs Champion added equal weight to the conservation of the airfield which Wiltshire Council described as having “national importance”.

Mr Hodge previously described his opposition as a “NIMBY crowd” but Mrs Champion refuted this claim. She said: “We’re not just anti-building. I think we have taken more than our fair share of developments.”

Save Old Sarum was “extremely pleased” with the result of the planning refusal but equally disappointed that Mr Hodge “continues to make veiled threats about the alternatives to his plans”.

Sarah and Ron Champion, from Save Old Sarum, are happy that the plans have been rejected. (Image: Newsquest)

Immediately after the plans were refused, Mr Hodge said: “As part of the application, we were prepared for the council to impose restrictions on our current unrestricted aircraft activity and noise at the airfield for the benefit of the thousands of residents who surround the airfield, however this decision will now significantly impact the lives of local people.”

In response to this, Mrs Champion said: “His statement is loaded with inference as though the building of 315 houses would have had no ‘impact’ whatsoever.

“He has relied heavily on the report from Historic England which concluded, ‘We are content that in heritage terms alone, the heritage benefits outweigh the heritage harm. There will, of course, be wider planning issues for your authority to consider upon which Historic England are not qualified to comment’.

“The developer has taken the report from this one consultee as though Historic England carry far more weight than any other and ignored the considerable and very valid concerns of other agencies, particularly Highways, Urban Design, Sustainable Transport and the Conservation Officer, to name but a few that placed strong objections.”

‘Continued degradation, neglect and subsequent collapse of Hangar 3’

A Grade II listed hangar built during the First World War partially collapsed during Storm Isha on January 22 which followed years of “degradation and neglect” according to Mrs Champion.

Hangar 3 has partially collapsed. (Image: Sue Newman)

She continued: “Despite spending millions on applications, appeals and judicial reviews, the continued degradation, neglect and subsequent collapse of Hangar 3 do little to convince anyone that the applicants truly have the interests of the history of the airfield as a priority.

“The developer, when questioned by the government inspector, admitted he was unable to guarantee that should his application be successful, he would not sell out to a major developer.”

Salisbury City councillor Annie Riddle reported the planning committee’s view at the Trowbridge meeting which determined the application’s fate on Wednesday, August 14.

Cllr Riddle said the proposed homes would result in a “dangerous” traffic situation as the road connecting the village to Castle Road “will not be able to take the additional transport that this development will generate”.

Concerns were also raised about the site being close to a rifle range and the committee feared loud noise would impact residents who would then pressure the range to close.

On a personal note, Cllr Riddle said: “With ever-increasing designation of development sites in this vicinity it makes sense to preserve the airfield as an open area, a 'green lung' for the community.

“To do otherwise would ignore Laverstock & Ford parish council's 'made' Neighbourhood Plan.”