Salisbury Plain Training Area

News Sheet for the Month of March 2007

TRAINING:  March will be a very busy month on the Plain.  The week beginning Monday 5^th March will be dominated by a heavy armoured exercise from the Land Warfare Centre manoeuvring from West to East and back again.  This will involve fast jets on 5^th, 6^th and 8^th March.  The period Monday 10^th to Thursday 22^nd March sees the largest number of troops ever scheduled to train on the Plain as 1Mech Bde prepare for their forthcoming tour of Iraq. This exercise will involve considerable air activity both fast jets and helicopters.  Then in the last week of the month a second armoured exercise will run out from Warminster but this should not cause any disturbance.

LIVE FIRING:  Normal live firing takes place from 0830 – 1700 hrs daily, but may continue throughout the night, this is normally on Tuesdays and Thursday only. Noise may be greater in certain areas depending upon the meteorological conditions at the time of firing. Dates and locations are subject to change.

ARTILLERY FIRING FROM SALISBURY PLAIN (WEST):

Nil

LATE FIRING DAYS ON SALISBURY PLAIN (WEST)

Nil

HEAT FIRING DAYS ON SALIBURY PLAIN (WEST)

Nil

ARTILLERY LIVE FIRING DAYS FROM AREAS  7 & 8

Nil

ARTILLERY FIRING FROM SALISBURY PLAIN (EAST)

1 (AS90)

LATE FIRING FROM SALISBURY PLAIN (EAST)

Nil

LATE FIRING DAYS LARKHILL/WESTDOWN RANGES:

1, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13,15, 20, 22, 23, 27, 28

NON FIRING DAYS ON LARKHILL/WESTDOWN DANGER AREA

3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18

NON FIRING DAYS BULFORD RANGES

10, 11, 17, 18, 24, 25

NON FIRING DAYS ON WARMINSTER RANGES

3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18

NOTE:  Due to unforeseen changes there is always a possibility that there could be firing on other of the days listed. This is particularly so now operational training is being conducted to meet many and varied exigencies. The public should be careful to check that Red Flags are not flying before they enter the range. It is the time of the year when we change late night firing times. From March through to October the Tue, Thurs and Sat night firing times will revert back to 2330hrs.

AIR ACTIVITIES:  Dates and timings given below are those listed at the time of printing but may be altered due to aircraft serviceability or weather conditions.

HELICOPTER NIGHT FLYING:  Night flying will normally take place Mondays - Thursdays inclusive over parts of the training area dependent on the weather and the availability of range space.  In some cases the aircraft will show no lights but will operate under strict area control.

AIRCRAFT TRIALS:  Aircraft may conduct trials over Larkhill Range on each Wed and Fri from 1200 - 1700 hrs which could involve circuits to the East crossing the Avon Valley.

PARACHUTING:  Parachute dropping is scheduled to take place on EVERLEIGH and FOX COVERT DZs during normal working hours on most weekdays.  Outside working hours and at weekends the dates and approximate times are:

PARACHUTING

FOX COVERT DZ              EVERLEIGH DZ                       IMBER DZ

          (C130 )                           (C130)                                                   (C130)

06  1030 – 0045                  01.  1500 – 0230                                            NIL

07.  0900 - 2210                  02.  0930 – 0230                                                                                

09.  1900 - 0130                  03.  0900 – 1530 

23.  1330 – 1645                 04.  0930 – 1330

26.  1745 - 1915                  05.  1600 – 0230

                                         08.  0800 – 2210

                                         22.  1330 – 1645

                                         27.  1030 – 1200

                                                         STRIPLANDINGS

                                                                       KEEVIL                                                    

          10.  1900 - 2015                    14.  1030 - 1600                   16.  1300 - 1600

          11.  1900 - 2015                           1900 - 2015                          1845 - 2200

          12.  1630 - 2030                    15.  1300 - 1600                   19.  1845 - 2045

          13.  1045 - 1545                           1900 - 2200                   21.  1845 - 2045

                 1900 - 2200                                                                  28.  1745 - 2030

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE – DTE SP (WEST) IMBER RANGES

1.  Notice is given that only the roads from:

              a.  Warminster to Gore Cross via Imber,

       b.  Bratton to Heytesbury via Imber

 Will be open to the public from 1800 hrs (06.00pm) Thursday 5^th April 2007 through to 1800 hrs (06.00pm) Monday 9^th April 2007.

2.  All other tracks, stone tracks and Southern Range Road and IMBER VILLAGE remain closed (Out of Bounds) in accordance with the Imber Ranges Bylaws.  Any movement off the aforesaid roads on the Imber Ranges is forbidden, trespassers are liable to prosecution.

3.  Red Flags are only flown at the vedette post when live firing is taking place on the ranges.  The absence of red flags does NOT imply that the roads are automatically open to the public, times for which are notified in the Press and displayed on the entrance notice boards.

4.   The roads identified above are not maintained to public road standards, if traversing the training area drivers should do so with extreme caution. 

CONSERVATION OF SALISBURY PLAIN UPDATE

We very much appreciate your many complimentary remarks regarding our monthly conservation updates, and recognise your disappointment at this break in continuity; however we remain optimistic that these will commence once more within the near future, thank you for your patience. 

FIGHTER GROUND ATTACK(FGA)

05.  1100 –  1500

                                                           06.  1000 –  1100

                                                           08.  1030 –  1230

           10  – 21 (incl) SPTA  -  EX DESERT DRAGON 

                                                            STRIPLANDINGS        

 UPAVON                                                                                 DEPTFORD DOWN

      NIL                                                                                                       NIL

COMPLAINTS MAY BE TELEPHONED THROUGH TO STONEHENGE (01980) 620819 AT ANY TIME