Biggin Hill, a rival airfield to Northolt chasing executive jet traffic for London, has got hold of a 2012 report that says Northolt doesn’t meet current CAA standards for obstacle clearance, especially at the east end of the runway. Northolt has been there for a hundred years, so shame on the local council for allowing this alleged dangerous development to have taken place.
It wouldn’t be the only airfield to lose its CAA license since new rules came in (e.g. Sandown and Bembridge on the IoW) but then again it’s a military/government field and is regulated by the MAA instead. The civil operators of Biggin Hill and Oxford reckon the CAA should take over regulation, and (presumably) shut their rival down. They would say that, wouldn’t they?
Of course, a cynic like me may wonder whether the value of a huge plot of land next to the A40 had a bearing on what interested parties have to say on the subject.