We have four runways at Glenswinton – the main one which is on the charts and in the flight guides for all and sundry to use, and three others which are a bit more interesting, requiring visiting pilots to pay a modicum of attention.
The legal situation regarding personal use of land in the UK is somewhat flexible: breach of planning regulations is not a criminal matter and there is consequently little case law as to what constitutes a change of use. Do we need planning permission to park a tractor in a field? A motor car? Ten cars or tractors? A helicopter? It depends. We are lucky in the British isles that the last forty years have not quite extinguished the general principle that people can do whatever is not explicitly forbidden or antisocial.
The trick is perhaps to look at any activity from other people’s point of view before we think of doing anything which makes a stink or a racket – pigs, shooting, flying, motorsports, a flock of geese or whatever. There’s a fait bit of give and take in the British countryside and people are less likely to be upset by neighbours who mind their own business while being willing to defend each other against our common adversaries: the forces of nature, weather and ”help” from the government.
Many years ago I went to see the local farmer (a nodding acquaintance of my parents) saying “I want to rent a 30m strip on the edge of this 550m field, and the corner of that barn, for £x. The flight path isn’t near any houses.” I don’t remember the figure, but x was the hangarage charged at the local airfield of a few hundred a month, and his eyes lit up 
He said he would have to think about it, but about a week later said no, because he was scared of problems from the people living in the village.
At the time I printed this from the General Aviation Awareness Council, which doesn’t seem to be on their website any more. It’s old, but has clearly been written by someone competent in the process e.g. planning permission, appeals etc.
From memory Geoff Farr’s Country Flying also has a section on setting up an airfield.
The friend of a friend in France has his own airfield. He did explain how it was set up, but all I remember now is that he had to create a dossier (file, application) and take it to at least the mairie (mayor’s office or local government) and gendarmerie; also possibly the DGAC/OSAC. It’s 750m grass literally on his doorstep, PPR, listed in BASULM. Shortly after we landed a pair of Pitts Specials did some low passes which didn’t upset the owner, so no NIMBY problems either.
Maypole is fore sale for a couple of million quid.
https://www.maypoleairfield.com/
Post moved.
It looks interesting, but 2M for a “farm strip” is really paying 2M for a house or something like that. In the UK, the runway can be set up in theory anywhere where you own the land or have landowner permission, and you need either full planning permission (very rare for farm strips) or 10 years’ continuous use.
The “customs” is not anything special AFAICT because every farm strip in the UK has this, using the GAR form.
Found this one :
https://proprietes.lefigaro.fr/annonces/chateau-gard-languedoc+roussillon-france/23942179/
Where does it say that Maypole is for sale? On the website you linked to, it doesn‘t, does it?
@Jujupilote: I looked up Château Potelières on Google Maps, That seems to match this property. Is the airstrip grass and in the north west of the estate with a 02/20 orientation?
Yes, the airstrip appears on youtube.
Korbach EDGK in Germany is also for sale here .
They try to sell it for a couple of years now. Price unknown. Funny side. I did my PPL and power glider license about 35 years ago at this airfield. The city was nice and not too far away.
