Mariposa Investments Limited, the owners of the Panshanger site - TopicsExpress

Mariposa Investments Limited, the owners of the Panshanger site have decided that they will not renew the lease to the North London Flying School when it ends on September 21st 2014. Following the sad demise in March of Dame Phyllis Somers - the widow of Nat Somers, the original owner of the site since 1953 - the trustees have decided not to renew the lease. This is a tactic to try and improve their chances of getting the airfield designated for housing in the Welwyn Hatfield local plan. But this local plan will not be finalised until the end of 2016 at least, so the site will remain abandoned for more than two years when it could have a vibrant business, supplying jobs and enjoyment in the area. It will not help them in planning terms, as the airfield’s planning permission will remain intact. If, as we hope, the site is dropped from the local plan, the opportunity to reopen the airfield still exists, it is just a shame Mariposa will not consider renewing the lease for two more years until the final decision is made. Panshanger People with the support of the local and the aviation community will continue to campaign for its removal from the local plan and the reinstallation of an airfield here. The site is in an ideal location for a GA airfield with good transport links to North London and Hertfordshire and has remained buoyant throughout the recession. There are almost no airfields in the crowded South East which are not under planning pressures and if they disappear one by one, aviation in this country will die. We want to demonstrate that the site has a commercial future as a thriving airfield and is an economic and social asset for Welwyn Garden City. Please go to panshangerpeople.org.uk to find out more about how to protest about this. We will need your support and help in the forthcoming November consultation and we also need your money to employ professional help. If, like us, you are dismayed at Mariposa’s actions, you could also write to them requesting that they renew the lease for another two years at; Mariposa Investments Limited Millbrook Place, St Lawrence Jersey, JE3 1LN