Feature: The Story of the Former Wisley Airfield – Part 2

Published on: 19 Sep, 2018
Updated on: 22 Sep, 2018

Ben Paton

Ben Paton is a resident of Ockham who continues to campaign against the development of the former Wisley Airfield, also known as Three Farms Meadow. In a series of three articles, he tells the story of the site from the perspective of a local resident whose family goes back in the area for some generations.

In the first part, Ben traced the history from the Second World War to the 1980s. In this second part, Ben covers the 1981 Public Inquiry into the development of Wisley airfield and its aftermath…

In 1980, a company called Jenstate applied for permission to turn the former Wisley airfield into a commercial airport. GBC refused, giving reasons which apply with equal or greater force today:

Conflict with green belt policies
Conflict with Surrey Structure Plan which opposes re-opening of disused airfields and development or changes in aviation
Increase in traffic on a major road
Loss of good-quality agricultural land

View across over Bridge End Farm towards Guildford with the Hog’s Back on the horizon

An appeal gave rise to a further Public Inquiry in 1981. The Guildford Society opposed the application. The County Planning Officer for Surrey set out the history of the land and argued against development. He stated:

The pressures that permission for this development would create would in my view ruin and eventually completely destroy the green belt in this area. Lord Nugent of Guildford, in a debate in the House of Lords on 2nd December 1980 regarding Wisley Airport said this area

“… is the first major stretch of open countryside for the Londoner to enjoy when he comes out of London for the weekend or for the evening in summer. Its preservation from development is crucial to the whole concept of the London green belt”.

I wholeheartedly support that view. Lord Nugent, … went on to say

“It is therefore clear beyond a peradventure that the proposed development of a busy commercial airport – with the inevitable service industries and commerce which would necessarily grow up around it –at Wisley would constitute the biggest single breach of the green belt and government policy supporting it, since the policy was established a third of a century ago.”

The planning inspector upheld refusal of planning permission saying:

It would, in my opinion, call for the most exceptional circumstances, a clearly established national need, and exhaustive survey and subsequent rejection of all other possible alternative sites with less formidable planning barriers, before I could conceive of this site, with its surroundings containing such highly valued and vulnerable recreational areas protected as it is by such longstanding and recently so authoritatively approved planning policies being suitable for this use even at the very lowest conceivable level of user’.

Michael Heseltine, then Secretary of State, accepted the inspector’s report and dismissed the appeal.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards investigated how the Government had failed to honour its commitment to pull up the runway. He reported:

‘‘I believe that if the tender had been accepted and the runway taken up as planned, the result could have been seen to be fair to all parties in the light of past statement and event. …As to the retention of the runway, I feel that that decision, inconsistent as it was with what had gone before, was administratively inept in all the circumstances. Preceding correspondence about plans for its removal was perhaps firmer in tone than the PSA had intended; but in my opinion it amounted to a moral commitment to proceed with their plans if that was economically possible.’

What has changed since the Public Inquiry 1981? The land has become more sensitive in character.

The M25 is the biggest single physical change. It cut a swath through Ockham Common, creating impassable barriers to mammalian wildlife. According to Highways England, traffic volumes between J10 and J11 (west) have increased by up to 10% in the past five years, and 93% of journeys between J11 and J10 experience some delay. The flows on the A3 exceed capacity daily especially between Ockham and J10 and Painshill and J10. The Road Improvement Scheme for J10 will take a further eight hectares of land from Ockham and Wisley Commons.

View looking South to Wix Hill and the North Downs

In October 1996, the Surrey Local Sites Partnership designated part of the former Wisley airfield as a Site of Nature Conservation Interest or SNCI. On re-survey in 2007 it recommended that all of the former Wisley airfield should be designated SNCI:

‘This site is selected for its importance for reptiles, plants and birds. Nine notable Surrey plant species have been recorded on the site. In addition, three RSPB red-list bird species and seven RSPB amber-list bird species have been recorded on the site. This site has an exceptional population of grass snakes as well as supporting good populations of slow-worms, common lizards and common frogs.’

In 2002, Surrey Wildlife Trust took over management of the Commons from Surrey County Council and in 2005 they were designated as a Special Protection Area (protected in UK law by The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010).

In March 2013, SCC passed a unanimous motion to protect Surrey’s green belt:

‘Council believes: Surrey’s green belt, Countryside Estate, SSSIs and other green spaces are vital, not only for the county’s environment but also for maintaining a “green lung” around London.

Council resolves: 1. To use its power to protect Surrey’s green belt….’

View looking due West to Woking

In August 2014, an ecological study found that a total of 80 bird species, eight herpetofauna, 48 invertebrate species and 30 plant species were recorded within 2km of the site.

In 2015, Surrey Nature Partnership included the whole of the former Wisley airfield within a Biodiversity Opportunity Area. This was for landscape-scale nature conservation in accordance with the NPPF.

Chapter 11 of the NPPF (para 109) begins; “The planning system should contribute to and enhance the natural and local environment by minimising impacts on biodiversity and providing net gains where possible, contributing to the Government’s commitment to halt the overall decline in biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures”

GBC has decided to promote Three Farms Meadow as the site for the third-largest town in the entire borough. Why did it decide that this was a suitable site? What happened?

Next week the third and final part of the story…