Little Gransden Airfield
Encyclopedia
Little Gransden Airfield is a unlicensed airfield located near the village of Little Gransden
, 5 NM southeast of St Neots
, Cambridgeshire
, England
.
Little Gransden Airfield is based in the grounds of Fuller's Hill Farm, the home of Mark Jefferies, 2005, 2006 & 2007 UK Aerobatics Champion, who flies an Extra 300. It is also the home of Yak UK Ltd., who import the Yakovlev
range of piston engined aerobatic aircraft.
on the left side just before the railway. Tempsford was a secret base operated by the Special Operations Executive
during World War II
. Nearby are other former RAF bases: Gransden Lodge airfield, now home to the Cambridge Gliding Club; and Bourn.
charity. The 2010 show took place on 29 August.
served a planning contravention notice on the airfield, which had been operating since 1966. The council was supported by a local pressure group Cambridgeshire Airfields Action Group (CAAG). In 1995 the council served a planning enforcement notice. The airfield, supported by planning consultant Peter Kember and some of some local villagers, argued at a public enquiry that they were operating lawfully based on 10 years' continuous use.
The airfield's planning appeal succeeded in 1999 and the airfield was allowed to continue operating. Furthermore, in 2002 Peter Kember succeeded in challenging South Cambridgeshire District Council's Small Airfields Policy which attempted to put further restrictions on Little Gransden and other airfields in the area.
Little Gransden
Little Gransden is 11 miles from the county town of Cambridgeshire, 10 miles south-east of Huntingdon and 47 miles north of London. The village stands on the B1046 road between Abbotsley, to the west, and Longstowe, to the east. A minor road runs south-west to Gamlingay...
, 5 NM southeast of St Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Little Gransden Airfield is based in the grounds of Fuller's Hill Farm, the home of Mark Jefferies, 2005, 2006 & 2007 UK Aerobatics Champion, who flies an Extra 300. It is also the home of Yak UK Ltd., who import the Yakovlev
Yakovlev
The Yak Aircraft Corporation is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer...
range of piston engined aerobatic aircraft.
Location
Pilots climbing out on runway 28 will be able to see the disused runways of RAF TempsfordRAF Tempsford
RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire, England was perhaps the most secret Royal Air Force airfield in World War II. It was home to the Special Duties Squadrons, No. 138, which dropped Special Operations Executive agents and their supplies into occupied Europe, and No...
on the left side just before the railway. Tempsford was a secret base operated by the Special Operations Executive
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Nearby are other former RAF bases: Gransden Lodge airfield, now home to the Cambridge Gliding Club; and Bourn.
Events
Each summer the airfield is home to Little Gransden Families Day Out Air & Vintage Vehicle Show which raises money for the Children in NeedChildren in Need
Children in Need is an annual British charity appeal organised by the BBC. Since 1980 it has raised over £500 million. The highlight of the Children in Need appeal is an annual telethon, held in November. A teddy bear named "Pudsey Bear" fronts the campaign, while Terry Wogan is a long...
charity. The 2010 show took place on 29 August.
Planning controversy
In 1992 South Cambridgeshire District CouncilSouth Cambridgeshire
South Cambridgeshire is a mostly rural local government district of Cambridgeshire, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chesterton Rural District and South Cambridgeshire Rural District. It surrounds the city of Cambridge, which is administered separately from the district by...
served a planning contravention notice on the airfield, which had been operating since 1966. The council was supported by a local pressure group Cambridgeshire Airfields Action Group (CAAG). In 1995 the council served a planning enforcement notice. The airfield, supported by planning consultant Peter Kember and some of some local villagers, argued at a public enquiry that they were operating lawfully based on 10 years' continuous use.
The airfield's planning appeal succeeded in 1999 and the airfield was allowed to continue operating. Furthermore, in 2002 Peter Kember succeeded in challenging South Cambridgeshire District Council's Small Airfields Policy which attempted to put further restrictions on Little Gransden and other airfields in the area.
See also
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
AIPAeronautical Information PublicationIn aviation, an Aeronautical Information Publication is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization as a publication issued by or with the authority of a state and containing aeronautical information of a lasting character essential to air navigation... - List of airports in the United Kingdom