Wisley Airfield

The land on which this airstrip was built was requisitioned in 1942 during WWII by the Ministry of Supply and leased to Vickers-Armstrong. Land was contributed mainly by the Ockham Park Estate, which at the time owned most of the Village of Ockham, Surrey. Land was taken mainly from Hyde, Stratford and Corsair farms – with land contributed by other tenants. The farm tenants vacated their houses to comply with the government's requirements. It has been generally believed and accepted that the government gave an undertaking to restore the land to its pre-war condition when it was returned to its original owners. In May 1969, Wisley was chosen due to its proximity to London, as the arrival runway for the Daily Mail trans Atlantic race for the Royal Navy Phantom FG.1, piloted by Lt Cmdr Burrowman. Upon touch down, both main tyres burst causing the Phantom to struggle until successfully coming to a halt. From Bisley, Burrowman completed the final leg to London by Wessex helicopter. In 1972 BAC terminated their lease. By that point the Ministry of Defence had inherited the land from the Ministry of Supply and decided on disposal of the land which was carried out by the Property Services Agency (PSA). As the land was not registered at the Land Registry until 1981, the wartime transfers of the land and any accompanying conditions are not recorded. The matter was raised in the House of Lords in Parliament at the time the land was sold back to Lord Lytton (the inheritor of the Ockham Park Estate) in 1980. Objecting to possible use of the airfield for executive jets, Lord Nugent said: The Minutes of Ockham Parish Council confirm that this was the general understanding at the time. ==Location filming==

The site is attractive as a film location. As high ground it has superb uninterrupted views south towards the North Downs. These views form a backdrop for film makers and have the advantage of being available close to London. These vistas of countryside helped re-create the landscape of northern France for filming of the Steven Spielberg film War Horse which took place in October 2010. Award-winning British film director John Boorman reconstructed a wartime suburban London street on part of the disused runway as the main film set for his autobiographical 1987 film Hope and Glory. ==Future plans==

In March 2010, the then-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham, gave permission to Wharf Land Investments to build a large composting facility on the former airfield but so far this has not been constructed. The new plant would be capable of processing 30,000 tonnes of waste per year and take up . A new road linking from the A3 Ockham roundabout would also be created to enable access. The Government approved the proposal after Surrey County Council did not record a decision within the required time. Local residents and nearby visitor attractions including RHS Garden, Wisley had raised concerns over the daily level of traffic that would visit the plant. In 2014 plans were unveiled for a proposed new town on the green belt land of Wisley Airfield in which between 2,000 and 2,250 new homes would be built. The plans were rejected by Guildford Borough Council and a subsequent Appeal to the Planning Inspectorate also dismissed in June 2018. In March 2020, Taylor Wimpey purchased the site for development and as of August 2020, community consultation events were ongoing. A Q&A document was formalised in July 2020 where the public asked questions of the developers and responses were formally recorded. The Stratford View development, 459 new homes to be built by Taylor Wimpey, was authorised in November 2025. ==Notes==