New analysis undertaken by aviation experts at Lasham Gliding Club demonstrates the extent to which the proposed expansion of TAG Farnborough airport would mean more air traffic and more noise over East Hampshire towns, villages and countryside. Farnborough, a base for business aviation, wants to expand its operation and with it, the amount of ‘controlled airspace’ for their use.
Under the proposals, villages such as Ropley, Four Marks and Selborne could see a large increase in the number of aircraft flying overhead, from a handful on a typical day to as many as 42. Whitehill & Bordon and Binsted & Bentley are both typically estimated to see and hear fewer than ten flights a day at present; that could rise to up to 65 a day. Noise levels would also be higher, as altitudes would be lower. Lasham Gliding Club stands to lose out significantly from the changes proposed. There would be much less space in the sky left for gliders, and ultimately that could jeopardise the whole future of the Club. There are also worries about safety, with more aviation traffic effectively being forced through narrower corridors and pinch-points.
Club chairman, Colin Jackson, said: “The world’s largest gliding centre is located at Lasham and has grown to its present size since its establishment there in 1951. If TAG Farnborough imposes its proposed airspace many pilots will conclude that Lasham has become a much more dangerous place from which to fly and will therefore leave. This means that Lasham will lose significant revenues and become unviable in its present form. Indeed it may become completely unviable. This could effectively lead to the loss of the several hundred jobs directly and indirectly linked to Lasham airfield.”
Local MP, Damian Hinds, said:
“Lasham is a word-class facility and an important part of our economy. I am very concerned at anything that might threaten its viability. I am also very concerned at the projections I have seen of increased traffic and noise over East Hampshire. I encourage people to make their views known in the consultation, which closes on 2 May.”