Aviation planning and in particular securing the lawful status of airfields and air strips through Certificates of Lawfulness for Existing Uses and Development is an area of planning which requires careful consideration. Good quality evidence to demonstrate a particular use is important and often pilot log books become invaluable in demonstrating a level of activity.
Local Authorities often seek to control aviation uses by capping the number of days or number of flights per annum. If evidence can be presented which demonstrates a consistently high number of air traffic movements across the whole of the year then your certificate will be more beneficial.
In some cases objection letters and complaints lodged with local authorities can help form the evidence base. A freedom of information request should be able to bring these into the public domain to help support the case.
One other aspect of lawful use applications is defining the planning unit, particularly where a mix of agriculture and recreational flying is involved. The correct planning unit needs to be identified, particularly if future development is proposed.