Great Western Coffee Shop

The suggestion of a new commercial airport at Filton has also been dismissed elsewhere but while many say the location is unsuitable because homes surround the airfield, some have welcomed the idea.

One reader, from Bradley Stoke, commented on the story on this (the Evening Post) website, saying: "Filton Airfield is so right to be made into a commercial airport. "It has a far better infrastructure than Bristol International with better access to the motorways, there is even a railway line that runs around the perimeter and a dual carriageway leading to the entrance."

Another reader said: "In this day and age and with the economy as it is you have to maximise the resources you have. And here we have a runway, land and excellent transport infrastructure waiting on a plate, what exactly is the problem here?"

What happens to the Avonmouth branch?

An aspiration of Friends Of Suburban Bristol Railways is to have a half-hourly Portishead-Bristol-Clifton Down-Avonmouth service, with extensions to Severn Beach/Bristol Parkway via Henbury (a suggestion is hourly to each.) An upgraded Filton Airfield (in theory I stress, given the obvious environmental and residential concerns) could be served by a station at North Filton (link below.)
http://www.portisheadrailwaygroup.org/FOSBR_future_of_network_map.pdf

"The proposed site (of a housing development) is east of the main Filton runway with The Henbury loop line running through the airfield on the west side of the runway.

When Filton airfield was being considered as a passenger airport some years ago Railtrack upgraded the airfield station and I worked on the tender for a new passenger terminal next to the station. The station site is not far from the A38 so could be a good alternative for local residents to use as long as the airport owners agree."

I notice that Filton west junction may need an upgrade if the Port of Bristol is to expand as this would require increased rail capacity. At the moment there is work going on west of the former Filton station site, (on the line towards Henbury) and it looks as they are increasing the width of the embankment, implying that the line is being double-tracked at this point. Does anyone know what's being done?

Bristol's Filton airport to close from end of 2012

Bristol's Filton airport is to close from the end of 2012 following a review of its commercial and economic viability.

A BAE Systems spokesman said all users of the airfield had been informed and the airport's 19 employees had been told of the closure.

Jack Lopresti, Conservative MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, said he was disappointed at the news. "The closure means the end to over 100 years of use as an aerodrome," he said. "It's a huge part of our aviation history. We must of course respect and honour the past but always keep looking to the future, which Filton has always done and thrived.

"Clearly the priority is to make sure that the airfield's closure does not have an adverse affect on the local economy and the South West's standing as the home to the British Aviation Industry," Mr Lopresti added.

The airfield, which opened in 1910, is mainly used for corporate passengers, training flights and aircraft maintenance operations. It is also used by the police helicopter operated on behalf of Avon and Somerset police and Gloucestershire Constabulary. A separate helicopter run by the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity is also based at the South Gloucestershire site.

Bristol's main passenger airport, at Lulsgate, North Somerset, is not affected by the decision.

BAE Systems would not comment further but in a statement said it regretted the impact it would have on its 19 employees. "We will work with them to explore employment opportunities.

"We recognise the importance of Filton airfield to the local residential and business community and understand the concerns its closure may have," the company spokesman added.

Aircraft maker Airbus - which has a site at Filton and uses the airfield - said it had been in contact with BAE over the decision and was working to ensure a smooth transition to new working systems and practices.

A spokesman said: "We're confident that once the airfield closes we will have in place a range of effective mitigation measures that will allow our work here to continue effectively and efficiently, without any major disruption. Airbus is fully committed to its site at Filton which is a global centre of engineering and design excellence. This is clearly illustrated by our recent decision to build a multi-million pound business park at Filton and the continued investment in state of the art facilities such as the A350XWB Landing Gear Test Facility."

No more use now the shuttle programme has finished I suppose.

Given its proximity to Bristol and the great transport links, not to mention its runway length, development of Filton as a replacement for Lulsgate would seem a no brainer, wouldn't it........?

You might think so, but these days it's slap damn in the middle of a residential area so although it has all the things you mention to recommend it as Bristol's main airport I think it's aircraft noise that has stopped this happening.

Filton airfield plans condemned by Bristol City Council

Plans to build 3,500 houses at the site of Bristol's Filton airfield have been condemned by the city council.

In April BAE Systems said it would close the site at the end of 2012 following a review of its commercial and economic viability.

South Gloucestershire Council has said the site is suitable for development as part of its long-term core strategy.

The leader of Bristol City Council, Barbara Janke, said she wanted to see "a proper strategic approach". She has called on South Gloucestershire Council to work with the city council to create jobs rather than homes. "We believe it should be about a proper strategic approach to this area of the city which has been so important to the city's history," she said.

Labour councillor Bill Bowrey of South Gloucestershire Council, said he wanted to keep the runway open. "There's always a use for an operational airfield of that standard. I believe all the options have not been looked at yet," he said. "This is the wrong decision both economically and environmentally."

The move has also been criticised by Sir George White, whose grandfather founded the Bristol Aeroplane Company. "[BAE Systems] inherited it, they didn't buy it, they didn't earn it," he said. "For them to sell it off now and risk future jobs seems to me to be incredibly undesirable. It seems to be the biggest asset strip that this district has seen in many, many years. It's an absolute tragedy for the future."

Filton Airfield march against site's closure to take place

Campaigners against the closure of Filton Airfield in South Gloucestershire are holding a march against plans to build on the land.

BAE Systems is planning to shut the airfield at the end of this year, which will result in the loss of 19 jobs.

South Gloucestershire Council has backed the closure and recommended up to 2,500 homes be built on the site.

Council planners ruled two-thirds of the land should be allocated for housing and a third for businesses.

A final decision is expected to be made by a planning inspector, next April.

"The Save Filton Airfield campaign group is proud to be involved with this march," said Paul Lee from the group.

"We don't want more houses and more traffic chaos at the expense of a valuable asset that could bring huge future opportunities to our region.

"Please show support for our region's aerospace industry and heritage. Show that we'd like a future for Filton, not just a past."

The "friendly march", organised by Save Filton Airfield campaign group and Unite the union, will start on Golf Course Lane and then head along the A38 towards the airfield itself.

A station at Henbury would be nice. Would give me the option of a downhill walk from where I live.  ;D

"Ghost" spotted on Google Earth map at Bristol village bulldozed to make way for Filton Airfield

A spooky image of a man has been captured on Google Earth at the remains of a house in Charlton ^ the so-called "ghost village" that was bulldozed to make way for Filton airfield.

Mother-of-two Fiona Powell, from Fishponds, came across the dark figure when she was scouring the airfield on the internet.

(http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/images/localpeople/ugc-images/275775/Article/images/18143307/4562301.jpg)

"I had recently read about Charlton village and knew that it used to have a pub, a pond, some cottages and farmhouses," she said. "I love history and old buildings, and learning more about how Bristol used to be. After reading the book about Charlton, I decided to see if anything was left of the village, or could be seen on Google Earth. I was looking around the Brentry and Pen Park area, as it's near where I work, and went on to look at Filton Airfield. I went to the end of the runway and saw the remains of what looked like two old farmhouses. Then suddenly in the right hand corner I noticed the dark figure of a man with a cap on above the site of an old building. It looked quite spooky so I called my husband over ^ we zoomed in again and again and couldn't believe it."

Mrs Powell, 38, who works at St Peter's Hospice in Brentry, told The Post: "I'm not sure what I think about it now. It's definitely a shadow of something and looks like a man. I'm quite open-minded about ghosts and this could be one. If it had been just anywhere in Bristol I wouldn't have found it so interesting, but because it was on the site of an old farmhouse in a village that was abandoned, I thought it was fascinating. It looks like the figure is looking over a house that once was."

The village of Charlton was destroyed in 1946 so that the airfield in Filton ^ owned by Bristol Aeroplane Company, now BAE Systems ^ could be extended for the giant Brabazon airliner. Charlton once had a manor house, two or three farms, cottages, a church, a pub called the Carpenters Arms, a Common and a post office. The village's 17th-century Manor Farm had once belonged to the influential Cann family, who gave Bristol two Lord Mayors. And in Victorian times Charlton Farm was the home of Christopher Thomas, the well-known Bristol soap manufacturer.

Most of Charlton's streets and buildings now lie buried under 14ft of soil and tarmac. Villagers had their homes compulsorily purchased and bulldozed to make way for the huge Brabazon hangar. But the Brabazon aeroplane, hopelessly overweight and under- powered, was doomed to failure and the project was scrapped in 1953. The runway remained but the promised replacement village never materialised and most of the old residents of Charlton moved to Patchway.

It is only now that the airfield has been sold to a London-based property firm by landlord BAE Systems in a multi-million-pound deal, that houses look set to be built over the runway ^ and over the remains of the old Charlton village. Diggers have already moved onto the historic runway after the airfield officially closed to flights in December. The new village of more than 2,000 homes will revive the area's original name, to become Charlton Hayes.

Bristol's Concorde museum could open in 2017


A permanent museum for Concorde 216 in Bristol could open in 2017, 14 years after her final flight.

A planning application to house the iconic aircraft in a covered visitor centre on Filton Airfield has been submitted and the team behind the project say the required funding is falling into place and work on the museum and education centre could begin next year, with a view to it opening to the public in spring 2017.

Lloyd Burnell, director of the Bristol Aero Collection Trust, said the planning application was an important milestone..

As well as the new museum, the planning application, sent to South Gloucestershire Council, is also seeking consent to refurbish two existing Grade II-listed First World War hangars on the airfield in which to exhibit the Bristol Aero Collection, previously held at Kemble, Gloucestershire. Mr Burnell said: "If the museum receives consent in November we remain on programme for formal opening in spring 2017." A large chunk of the money needed for the ^13.5million project has been secured, with ^2.9 million being coming in the last 12 months.

Mr Burnell said: "We're at an advanced level of discussion over several funding prospects. There's a funding gap but we're confident major partners who have not committed will do so."

A decision is due this year on bid for ^4.4 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Some ^1.1 million will be coming from South Gloucestershire Council, along with pledges made by Rolls-Royce, Airbus and BAE Systems.

Concorde 216's final flight was from Heathrow to Filton in 2003. A visitor centre opened at Filton in 2004, with Concorde 216, the last of the fleet to fly, as the centrepiece. It closed six years later to allow an overhaul of the jet.

FILTON KEYNES: Plans to transform airfield near Bristol into new neighbourhood unveiled

(http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/images/localworld/ugc-images/276268/Article/images/23218984/7125597-large.jpg)

The vision to transform Filton Airfield into homes, schools, shops and businesses over the next 20 years can be revealed in detail for the first time.

Land owner BAE Systems has submitted an outline planning application for the site to South Gloucestershire Council.

If it is approved, work could start in 2016 or 2017, with the first people moving in that year. But the scheme may not be finished for up to 20 years.

The site stretches across 354 acres ^ that's about 354 football pitches or 5,664 tennis courts ^ and will include:
● 2,675 new homes
● Two new primary schools and one new secondary school which will double up as a sports centre
● A community centre, bowling green, skate park, three kick-about areas and 12 play parks for different age groups
● Dental surgery, health centre, optician and 70-bed care home
● A pub, supermarket and other shops
● 120-bed hotel
● New railway station, Metrobus link and road improvements.

The project will support 700 jobs in construction and 800 more from suppliers. But those behind it believe the real economic benefit will come in the shape of more than 7,000 jobs in companies they hope will move to the new offices and workshops that will be built on part of the site to be called Concorde Park. Those jobs are estimated to contribute ^300 million a year to the economy, with workers and residents expected to spend ^44.5 million a year.

They hope is that the area's strong aerospace and engineering sector ^ combined with a supply of new homes and leisure facilities for workers nearby ^ will attract more similar business, bringing high-skilled jobs with them.

When the airfield closed, many feared the vital aerospace sector would disappear but there is little sign of that so far. Airbus recently invested ^70 million refurbishing art deco building Pegasus House to house 300 of its 4,000 staff in Filton. And the wings it makes here are now shipped to Seville, Spain, for assembly instead of flown there.

BAE, itself a big part of the aerospace industry in Filton, has hired property agency Alder King to handle the planning application and then market the site to developers, who would buy it as a whole or in pieces to build on.

Previous partner Bridgehouse Capital is no longer involved. It had been reported in the past that the private equity firm was buying the site but the deal never went through and the parties have now gone their separate ways.

John Benson from Alder King said the area's heritage would be celebrated in the development. "During our consultation, people told us what was most important to them ^ heritage, jobs, transport and community facilities," he said. "Ninety-five per cent agreed with the plans to celebrate heritage, not only through the new museums but also through naming the site, roads and buildings after famous people and planes from the past. We will continue to work with local groups to do this and will call the employment area Concorde Park in line with the public vote."

Representatives from Alder King and BAE will be meeting regularly with the council and nearby South Gloucestershire College to talk about skills and training. The aim is to ensure the college produces people with the right skills to take advantage of new jobs created on the site.

College vice-principal Sara-Jane Watkins said: "Our students took part in the consultation on the airfield and made it clear that jobs were their top priority. By taking part in a skills and training body, we can see what jobs will be required and make sure local students are ready to fill them."

The council has learned from the experience of Bradley Stoke, where new communities were left for years without facilities. Then house builders only had to provide schools and other facilities after they reached a set level of homes, meaning if they stopped just short, no facilities were built. At Filton, they will instead be charged a roof tax, where they pay a fee for every home built into a pot, managed by the council, to spend on the site as needed.

One big concern will be transport, with thousands of new jobs and homes leading to thousands more cars on the roads.

The development will be contributing to road improvement and transport schemes designed to get people out of their cars, including a Metrobus route running through the site and the land for a new railway station that would be served by the restored Henbury Loop line ^ if it becomes a reality. Planners will also hope that having homes, jobs and leisure facilities close together will mean people can work, rest and play without having to commute into Bristol city centre, in theory at least.

Alder King and BAE Systems are also working with the Great Western Air Ambulance and National Police Air Service to find a permanent site for the helicopter services, which are currently based at the airfield, but nothing has been agreed yet.

The Filton Airfield scheme will be part of the wider redevelopment from Cribbs Causeway to Patchway, creating 5,700 new homes in total.

Have they considered the Spruce Creek model (http://www.amusingplanet.com/2014/04/spruce-creek-where-everybody-owns.html) ... with some of the transport infrastructure already in place?