North Weald Airfield to Close

[Saleen836]

Couldn't find an existing thread regarding this, February last year Google paid £88.4m for the 52 acre site from Epping Forest District Council, it looks like the site will be closed from as early as August for redevelopment to begin.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-683020...

A fair few on here have I imagine been there for a track day or similar but sadly it will no longer be available as a venue

[C5_Steve]

Been on the cards for a while, been to a fair few really good events there but I imagine the offer from Google was too good to turn down which is understandable.

[SpudLink]

Most useful training I’ve done was with Car Limits at North Weald (commonly known as a ‘Walshy Day’).

Having just bought a new mid-engined car I was thinking it might be time for another visit.

[Elderly]

SpudLink said:

Most useful training I’ve done was with Car Limits at North Weald (commonly known as a ‘Walshy Day’).
.

/\ This.
Walshy’s ‘One finger’ technique allowed me to get round Quarry after my brake servo failed at Avon Rise.

[Peterpetrole]

The airfield will still be open, they are building a new control tower at the moment

[CraigyMc]

So yes. Bang goes the Walshy day. I did mine about 22 years ago.

[CraigyMc]

Peterpetrole said:

The airfield will still be open, they are building a new control tower at the moment

I just took a look at this, and the existing ATC tower is a grade II listed building, so it'll be staying.

One problem with keeping it in use would be the new 24m tall Google datacentre building that'll be constructed between it and the active airfield (presumably the new tower is going over on the West side of the field by the cafe and hangars).

I find it a bit bonkers to keep the old tower to be honest.

I thought similar of the plan to keep the nuclear bunker in Reading Uni as part of the new ECMWF HQ development.

Both of these are run-down but grade-II listed, both could reasonably be bulldozed (to my mind).

[carl_w]

CraigyMc said:

So yes. Bang goes the Walshy day. I did mine about 22 years ago.

Somebody told me last weekend that Walshy has been told to get out by the end of August. I notice there are no dates on either AW Driver Training or Drive Limits after the end of August.

[F355GTS]

Sad to hear, Walshy's days were great fun

[CraigyMc]

F355GTS said:

Sad to hear, Walshy's days were great fun

I wonder if he'll find another location to run carlimits/AW days from. There are a few I can think of.

[carl_w]

Although to counter this it appears the outline planning application hasn't even been discussed yet, and it usually takes some years to get from outline planning to full planning approval.

https://www.northweald-pc.gov.uk/google-data-centr...

[Furyblade_Lee]

We have had noise problems there fur over 10 years with sprinting, as someone decided that with 2km of nothingness surrounding the place to build a block of flats right on the corner of the airfield… 🙄 Then give the new residents rights of noise. We were not even allowed to drive past the flats on the way in anymore in case we upset them.
As far as I know Gordon Brown when he was PM gave outline permission to develop the site, and ever since then it has just been a matter of time.

[ecsrobin]

carl_w said:

Although to counter this it appears the outline planning application hasn't even been discussed yet, and it usually takes some years to get from outline planning to full planning approval.

https://www.northweald-pc.gov.uk/google-data-centr...

Walshy put on social media to at he’s been told to vacate despite as you say potentially years of paperwork before building might commence.

[carl_w]

ecsrobin said:

Walshy put on social media to at he’s been told to vacate despite as you say potentially years of paperwork before building might commence.

Green Belt MC say their July and September sprints are going ahead but I understand that NW is issuing contracts on a month by month basis.

[aeropilot]

Shame, but major development on the site was only a matter of time.
I remember there were question marks over it back in the early 90's when I was Sprinting there.

Still have fond memories of attending the old Fighter Meet airshows held at Weald back in the mid 80's.

[bergclimber34]

The sad thing is that sprinters hardly make any use, most speed event cars have far better silencers than most single seaters, yes they make a noise and I can imagine it would be annoying, but it is hardly every week, the drag racing I can recall tuner meets there probably cause far more noise.

Sprinting is very infrequent and most cars are fairly quiet. But as usual the moans get their way

[okenemem]

what a shame

[2172cc]

Funny enough, I stopped there today on the way back home for the Steve's Breakfast Club meet but got there when most people had left. There was though, a fund raising thing going on just in front of the old control tower where performance cars could go round a pre set ( although not particularly challenging) course that usually hosts the supercar driving experience. I've done many a sprint on that bit of the airfield before in days gone by, but some of the cars today were extremely noisy, especially a TVR and a Nissan GTR which were not far short of full blown competition cars for noise although in stock looking road trim. No way they would have passed a noise check at an MSA sprint I suspect even though the helicopters and the odd classic jet fighter can still make a fair old racket when they take off.
Still, I will be sad to see the airfield not hold any more motoring events in the future.

[ecsrobin]

2172cc said:

Funny enough, I stopped there today on the way back home for the Steve's Breakfast Club meet but got there when most people had left. There was though, a fund raising thing going on just in front of the old control tower where performance cars could go round a pre set ( although not particularly challenging) course that usually hosts the supercar driving experience. I've done many a sprint on that bit of the airfield before in days gone by, but some of the cars today were extremely noisy, especially a TVR and a Nissan GTR which were not far short of full blown competition cars for noise although in stock looking road trim. No way they would have passed a noise check at an MSA sprint I suspect even though the helicopters and the odd classic jet fighter can still make a fair old racket when they take off.
Still, I will be sad to see the airfield not hold any more motoring events in the future.

I was one of the cars there today. The airfield has quite strict noise regs with a microphone by the toilet block and another one by the old control tower I believe he said. All cars are tested 3/4 static like any track day.

I mentioned this thread and he was happy to say google on installing some big fences on the site have irritated the local council and so he’s now been given a small extension (dates now until September) whilst they deal with that.

[aeropilot]

ecsrobin said:

I mentioned this thread and he was happy to say google on installing some big fences on the site have irritated the local council and so he s now been given a small extension (dates now until September) whilst they deal with that.

Par for the course with Google.
Back in 2013 I worked for a company bidding to build Google's new swanky offices in central London. By a significant margin, they were the worst client I've ever worked for in my 45 years in the construction industry.