Chrichel Down Rules

Applies to agriculture land acquired after 1 January 1935. That date has changed surely - I thought it didn't apply to agriculture land purchased before the outbreak of WWII (for example two recent cases - Coltishall was sold to HMMoJ and then in part to NCC and Kirton was sold privately). This will mean that vertually all airfields of expansion period stations (not that there are many left) and temporary airfields will go back to original owners. With the possible closure of Mildenhall, Alconbury, Molesworth etc it could mean that parts of these stations will be split between former owners. In the case of Mildenhall which will include all of the post 1933 airfield, would mean the closure of the aerodrome would it not - as it will be split up? It would also mean that the remaining RAF Alconbury would not go to Urban and Civic and neither would Waterbeach.

When airfields were retained post war was the land ultimately purchased where it was requisitioned under the emergency powers act? I know most were expansion period airfields but additional land was taken on virtually all of them during the war. The relevant regulations were due to lapse after the war and although an extension was given whilst the post war RAF was being decided (into the fifties?) that extension would have lapsed too.

The reason I ask is that some ranges seem to have hit the headlines in local papers post-war when the Air Ministry announced its intention to purchase and retain permanently. A lot of people either didn't realise there was a range there and got upset about the "new range" or assumed the range was getting bigger when it wasn't.

Lastly did Crichel rules apply to land that was willingly sold to the Air Ministry or indeed the other forces? I know I have come across one case where the landowner was glad to sell but I doubt if I could find it again as I wouldn't have recorded the fact. I wish I had an eidetic memory, which I believe we all supposed to possess - with the right app installed

I did read the various acts at TNA but I glazed over and get lost in the web of legal gibberish and often found that I thought it contradicted itself in places, which I assume it didn't - I think