Marshalls airfield Cambridge

[Pete Truman]

Something I forgot to mention because I've been busy and completely forgot.
I was looking at the Anglia Ceefax a few days ago and the old chestnut about Cambridge City Council wanting to redevelop Cambridge Airport for housing came up.
I've heard this all before, however, one of the possible new sites mentioned for the relocation of the airfield and presumably Marshalls, was Mildenhall.
Whether the USAF with their security paranoia, understandably so, would accept a civilian airfield and aircraft repair facility is open to question, or do Cambs Council know something we don't know.
Can anyone shed any light on this.
I hope that the lovely old terminal building at Cambridge won't be turned into a McDonalds as compensation.
I have to say with regard to aircraft activity at Marshalls, it's pretty hairy for the locals. A few years ago my ex-wife was being treated for luekemia at Addenbrookes, the ward was on the top floor. I used to visit and wait in the corridor outside giving me a clear view over the airfield. Once a C-130 took off and it was a bit daunting to see it lower than me.
Incidentally she made a full recovery, the ex as well as the Hercules.

[colhot]

Yes Mildenhall is the favorite. As for civil aircraft being there well the answer would be NO civil work only foriegn airforces ie SAF etc.

Only hangars for C130 and C17 would be built.

thanks
colhot

[bloodnok]

what makes you say there will be no civil work done if they move mildenhall colhot?

[Pete Truman]

Is there a suggestion that everything based at Mildenhall could be moved to Lakenheath, after all, haven't the special forces stuff gone or are moving to Italy. There always seems to be plenty of space at Lakenheath and I'm sure that they could probably cope with the transports and tankers, the last time I was there the KC-135's were doing touch and goes. But what about the light aircraft and helicopter training flights, would they be fobbed off to an already overcrowded Duxford, I would have thought that anyone involved with or working in the aviation industry at Cambridge airport wouldn't want to have to go too far away, despite the A14 link, after all it is a fairly large city and all cities have a close airport or airfield.
Imagine Marshalls having to shift all their equipment, it doesn't bear thinking about, they would probably knock it on the head then it would be another piece of historic British aviation industry gone to the wall.

[ZRX61]

Re-open Bourne ? How about Fowlmere? Bottisham? Rougham? Not like there a shortage of former airfields around the area.... Waterbeach?

[WebPilot]

Originally Posted by ZRX61

Re-open Bourne ? How about Fowlmere? Bottisham? Rougham? Not like there a shortage of former airfields around the area.... Waterbeach?

Wyton has also been mooted for Marshalls.

Some relevent extracts from the Cambridge East Area Action Plan


No decision has been made on the selection of any site for the relocation of Marshall Aerospace. Marshall commissioned Arup to prepare a report on potential sites, and Wyton, Waterbeach and Alconbury are included as possible locations as well as Duxford. However, Marshall's has now indicated that following further discussions with the Imperial War Museum, South Cambridgeshire District Council and Cambridgeshire Horizons, it has concluded that a possible relocation of Marshall Aerospace to Duxford is no longer feasible. In consequent Duxford will cease to be actively considered by the Marshall Group, as a potential alternative location to Cambridge

Work on identifying an appropriate location for Marshall Aerospace is continuing in parallel with the preparation of the Area Action Plan. The greater part of the development cannot be implemented until the airport has been relocated, although some early phases can be developed with the airport operational.

[bloodnok]

Originally Posted by ZRX61

Re-open Bourne ? How about Fowlmere? Bottisham? Rougham? Not like there a shortage of former airfields around the area.... Waterbeach?

but how many of those have a runway long enough to take boeing 777 or 747's?

[Pete Truman]

Originally Posted by ZRX61

Re-open Bourne ? How about Fowlmere? Bottisham? Rougham? Not like there a shortage of former airfields around the area.... Waterbeach?

There's not enough left of these airfields left as far as facilities are concerned, Bottisham's ex runway is covered in pine trees and anyway, Rougham is the other side of Bury St Edmunds and mainly an industrial estate with housing encroaching on to the perimeter.
Waterbeach is an army barracks and presumably unlikely to be released by the MoD assuming that there's sufficient runway left, as Bloodnok say's, they need a hell of a runway. Wyton is a relatively long way from Cambridge, I wouldn't want to commute from Cambridge along that notorious stretch of the A14 every morning and evening. Perhaps they should demolish Cambridge and leave Marshalls where it is, don't mean that, Cambridge is one of my favourite cities in the UK, what would I do without Ken Stevens music shop.

[colhot]

I have seen a proposal that includes new hangars for the C130 and C17, office accomadation etc As MA are on the verge of winning the 25 year whole live support for the RAf C130 and various other military contracts there will be more then enough work to go round without civil, IMHO.

[Pete Truman]

Originally Posted by colhot

I have seen a proposal that includes new hangars for the C130 and C17, office accomadation etc As MA are on the verge of winning the 25 year whole live support for the RAf C130 and various other military contracts there will be more then enough work to go round without civil, IMHO.

New hangars where, Mildenhall? Don't trust planners, they are really screwing me up at the moment, trust me, the whole planning system is falling apart, I'm very concerned about it, seriously, problem is, I have to try and make a living out of this shambles.

[bloodnok]

Originally Posted by colhot

I have seen a proposal that includes new hangars for the C130 and C17, office accomadation etc As MA are on the verge of winning the 25 year whole live support for the RAf C130 and various other military contracts there will be more then enough work to go round without civil, IMHO.

yes there's plenty of c-130 work, but i don't think they'd just stop doing civvy stuff. what about all the staff that are type rated on airliners, most of whom have been trained up a great expense.
also if the c-17 work is being bid for, that will need a hanger a lot bigger than a c-130 needs, and if you have a hanger that size, you may as well keep on doing airliners as well.

[colhot]

Yes but people can be moved about. Plus the costs of keeping open the civilian side of things can out way the cost of keeping just a few personnel. As for hangar size, yes there are proposals to build a hangar for C17 work but to allow civil onto a USAF airbase would just not be practical to the USAF Yes ATA tristars etc do some movements for them but its not that simple.

[92fis]

Originally Posted by colhot

Yes but people can be moved about. Plus the costs of keeping open the civilian side of things can out way the cost of keeping just a few personnel. As for hangar size, yes there are proposals to build a hangar for C17 work but to allow civil onto a USAF airbase would just not be practical to the USAF Yes ATA tristars etc do some movements for them but its not that simple.

The question is will the USAF still be at Mildenhall when the time comes for Marshalls to move.

[bloodnok]

Originally Posted by colhot

Yes but people can be moved about. Plus the costs of keeping open the civilian side of things can out way the cost of keeping just a few personnel. As for hangar size, yes there are proposals to build a hangar for C17 work but to allow civil onto a USAF airbase would just not be practical to the USAF Yes ATA tristars etc do some movements for them but its not that simple.

ATA aircraft do regular troop runs into mildenhall, so i cant see the difference in a civilian aircraft landing and taxiing to the military side, or to a marshalls hanger. its not as if marshalls have a lot of aircraft movements, in fact they would probably be less that the number of other civilian aircraft visiting.

[Moggy C]

The one element most people have missed, probably because we are all so familiar with it is that Marshalls are very strongly for the move. They want the vast piles of money that will flow from redeveloping the airfield for housing.

Interesting then that a very large factory building on a Mildenhall Trading Estate abutting the airfield, that used to be the property of Lamb Technicon, has just been sold, allegedly to .....?

You guess.

Moggy

[bloodnok]

yes, but that could be for the either the vehicle bodies, or the aerospace machine shops, both of which, ibelieve, are due to move, as land from that part of marshalls is released for housing.

[Denis]

One of our suppliers uses part of Wyton as a storage base, I was there last week and the manager told me that they were on the move to find other premises as Marshalls were moving in.
There you go, another urban myth? or news from the horses mouth?

[bloodnok]

or if you want more urban myths..... during the big opening ceremony at the DARA hanger at ST.Athans,(the week after its closure was published!) it was noted in the local press that an international aerospace company was interested in taking it on, and they also noted a certain sir Michael Marshall (from the international aerospace firm marshall aerospace), was amongst the VIP's attending......

[roarex]

they just had new runways at mildenhall and i see a lot of evergreen 747's and ATA 757's and other amarican airline aircraft even southern air transport also a lot of new ammo bunkers are made at the "back row" (late Farmer John's place) part of the airfield and some new hangars
i dont think they are going to move the usaf of mildenhall to an other place

[Firebird]

Originally Posted by roarex

also a lot of new ammo bunkers are made at the "back row" (late Farmer John's place) part of the airfield and some new hangars
i dont think they are going to move the usaf of mildenhall to an other place

On the contrary, spending shed loads on upgrading military airfields usually preceeds flogging them off......

[zoot horn rollo]

Originally Posted by Firebird

On the contrary, spending shed loads on upgrading military airfields usually preceeds flogging them off......

What do you mean usually? Always, I would have thought...

[bloodnok]

Originally Posted by roarex

they just had new runways at mildenhall and i see a lot of evergreen 747's and ATA 757's and other amarican airline aircraft even southern air transport also a lot of new ammo bunkers are made at the "back row" (late Farmer John's place) part of the airfield and some new hangars
i dont think they are going to move the usaf of mildenhall to an other place

i'd be suprised if you saw southern air transport, i though they went bust a few years ago.

[Pen Pusher]

One of our suppliers uses part of Wyton as a storage base, I was there last week and the manager told me that they were on the move to find other premises as Marshalls were moving in.

On the contrary, spending shed loads on upgrading military airfields usually preceeds flogging them off.

I work at Wyton. Lots of money being spent on lots of niff naff things and there are heavy duty security gates at the main entrance now.


Brian

[peppermint_jam]

Originally Posted by Denis

One of our suppliers uses part of Wyton as a storage base, I was there last week and the manager told me that they were on the move to find other premises as Marshalls were moving in.
There you go, another urban myth? or news from the horses mouth?

I have lived on and around Wyton for the last 11 years or so and have heard this rumour banded around. Something to note would be that the landing lights that were in a farmers field at the 09 end of the main runway were ripped out by force last year. Not the sort of thing I'd expect to see happen if Marshalls were planning to move in. The report I'd heard was that they had sent out a site survay team to assess Wyton, they had found that a great deal of money would need to be spent on the runways and taxiway to get the Airfield up to a useable site, so they removed Wyton from the short list.

Attached is a google earth pic of the airfield, prooving google are a bit behind on their updating, as the approach lights can be seen in said field!

[DGH]

In my opinion Moggy has hit the nail on the head. I personally think Marshalls are behind all the talk, rumours and newspaper stories. Where will they move to? Which ever location the property developers find that is most suitable to go with the biggest wedge of cash.

[worker]

i dont think you will find that marshalls have bought the building in mildenhall

[12jaguar]

Front runners in the proposed move are Wyton and Waterbeach, although AFIK Waterbeach is slated to be a housing development in the future anyway. Any move is unlikely to take place in the near future though. Wyton would be best for me although it would probably mean that the Stirling Project would have to relocate ( then )

[Firebird]

There's a lot of other redevelopment just starting at Wyton as well around the south side behind the hangars.

The rumour I heard was MA was looking at developing the north side dispersals and old Bloodhound site for it's use.

[12jaguar]

Originally Posted by Firebird

There's a lot of other redevelopment just starting at Wyton as well around the south side behind the hangars.

The rumour I heard was MA was looking at developing the north side dispersals and old Bloodhound site for it's use.

that would make sense as the domestic side of the airfield is being gutted to allow the JARIC compound to be built. The old Bloodhound site and dispersals is adjacent to the A141 which would make access easier too.

[trumper]

I would'nt think there would be a rush.Northstowe has been put on the back burner,the recession has stopped most building plans for now.
There is a building development near Arbury and the A14,seems to have come to a standstill as well.
Having saidthat,now is probably a buyers market and not a sellers market so it may not pay Marshalls to sell - - yet.
This seems to have a photo at the top showing in stages what is planned
http://www.landplanninggroup.com/cur...idgeshire.html