Popham Airfield: International support for development fight

As previously reported, Popham Airfield was included in the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council (BDBC) draft Local Plan, with proposals to build 4,250 homes on the site revealed on November 28.

Popham Airfield was not included in the initial draft Local Plan, but was added in after the Labour government introduced a new planning framework, meaning that the borough must create 20,000 new homes by 2042.

Now, a campaign group, Popham Airfield Matters, fighting to prevent the site from becoming a huge centre of development, has received international support.

Aircraft at Popham Airfield (Image: Newsquest)

Václav Vašek, chairman of the Czech Aviation Association (CzAA), has written to Popham Airfield to express support for the campaign, saying he will offer assistance to preserve the site.

In his letter, he said: "Popham Airfield is a known, busy and historic airfield for general aviation in southern England with more than 50 years of history, known as a centre for recreational flying, pilot training and aircraft maintenance, a host to aviation events that attract both pilots and aviation enthusiasts from the local area and the wider community.

"The airfield is located approximately 45km north of the historic town of Portsmouth. The management of the Czech Aviation Association (CzAA) has registered information from November 2025 about the possible closure and the threat to the continued existence of Popham Airfield, which includes a proposal to build 4,250 houses across the entire airfield."

Mr Vašek explained that he wanted to help Popham following the CzAA's successful effort to prevent a Volkswagen Gigafactory, which would have manufactured batteries for electric vehicles, from being built on the site of the Plzen-Líně military airfield.

A light aircraft at Popham Airfield (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "As a result of this effort, the said airfield has been preserved not only for general aviation purposes but also from a strategic defence perspective.

"We know that the airfield is an important part of the airfield network, and a place not only for the general aviation public but also an essential infrastructure for civil protection and training.

"Therefore, the leadership of CzAA decided to express support and offer you assistance in preserving Popham Airfield.

"We are happy to help you according to your specifications and to support your efforts just as our fathers and grandfathers did. Since more than 2,500 Czechoslovak men and women served in the RAF, including the Battle of Britain, we understand the historical context and significance of the aviation community, as well as the importance of preserving active airfields such as Popham."

Previously, Brian Lloyd, spokesperson for Popham Airfield Matters, described the airfield as a facility of national importance, often used as a test site for aerospace technology and drones, but also home to state-of-the-art flight schools offering training that cannot be found anywhere else in the UK.

Brian Lloyd, pokesperson for Popham Airfield Matters, with his aircraft (Image: Newsquest)

He said: "There are 150 aircraft here, and there are three flying schools. It is amazing. You bring kids down here, and they just get so excited. And that's what often sparks this interest.

"We're also one of the only gyrocopter schools in the UK.

"Popham conveniently sits right in the middle of open airspace. Popham is the perfect drop-in place for fuel; we've got one of the very few electric charging points in the country for electric aircraft because the flying school actually operates electric aircraft.

"The point we're trying to make to Basingstoke and Deane is that the airfield has more intrinsic value than they realise."