Consultation launched on changes to the glider take-off area and flight patterns at Wycombe Air Park
A consultation has been launched on changes to the glider take off area and flight patterns at Wycombe Air Park.
The two week consultation opened on Wednesday 4th December 2019 and will run until 11.59pm on Wednesday 18th December 2019. The consultation is available to complete on-line by clicking here.
The consultation is being run by Wycombe District Council and Booker Aviation to gain feedback on proposals that include the relocation of the glider take-off area at Wycombe Air Park. The proposed plans will result in changes to the flying patterns for aircraft.
Wycombe Air Park, which is also known as Booker Airfield, is located on Clay Lane in Booker. It has seen a general aviation aerodrome since 1965 and provides take off and landing facilities for small ‘fixed wing’ aircraft, gliders and helicopters. Currently the Air Park has three runways :
- 06/24 : Grass.
- 06/24 : Asphalt.
- 35 : Grass.
Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters use the runways whilst gilders operate predominately to the south of the Air Park.
Land at the Air Park has been allocated for commercial development in the Wycombe Local Plan. As a result it necessitates the shortening of grass runway 35 for safety reasons. It is proposed that a new asphalt runway is constructed adjacent to the existing 06/24 asphalt runway.
The new runway will mainly be used by the gliders that would have been using the glider operations area to the south of the Air Park. Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters will continue to take off and land in the same areas of the Air Park as at present.
The changes are designed to accommodate the commercial development of the Air Park and allow safe and efficient operation. They should not lead to an increase in aircraft using the Air Park.
The Air Park has proposed a change to the flight patterns of fixed wing aircraft and gliders which, if approved, will result in changes to the areas of High Wycombe that regularly see aircraft flying above.
When Runway 35 is in use the flight patterns will remain the same, however the new flight patterns are designed to reduce the number of houses that are flown over by aircraft using the Air Park.
There will be no changes to the existing Take-off Noise Abatement Zone above Lane End and Frieth and it will remain a Noise Abatement Zone that aircraft only fly above in exceptional circumstances.
Information on the proposed changes was featured on display boards at a consultation event held on Tuesday 3rd December 2019. The display boards can be viewed in the reception area of the Wycombe District Council offices in Queen Victoria Road until Wednesday 11th December 2019.
Following a review of the feedback from the consultation a planning application for the new runway will be submitted to Wycombe District Council early in 2020. That planning application will be subject to legal consultation in the usual way.
*Source of article : Wycombe District Council website.
