RAF Lyneham training college

[SRENNAPS]

BBC News - RAF Lyneham training college plans submitted (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-22888739)


Well I really hope RAF Lyneham gets this and they are not messed around from pillar to post like RAF St Athan was.

I know a lot of people that disagreed with it going to St Athan and to be honest I could understand the reasons why. But what annoyed me was the continual carrot that was dangled to the workforce and local population of St Athan suggesting that it would happen.

When I left the RAF in 2007 the prospect of teaching “engines” to young recruits sounded very appealing and it was a major job consideration in my plans. However, to be honest, I very quickly realised that only hollow words were being spoken by Politicians and the MOD and I had a pretty good gut feeling it was never going to happen. Fortunately for me I fell into a whole different career, earning a hell of a lot more money. Sadly I know many that hung on to the dream of St Athan becoming a reality, only to be very cruelly let down.

Good luck to RAF Lyneham, well deserved and lovely to see a great RAF Station kept open with a new lease of life.

[smujsmith]

Having spent a goodly proportion of my service life at Lyneham, I wish them all the best with their quest. Hopefully it will also bring some much needed employment, to a community that has always been extremely loyal to the military estate.

[November4]

A glossy planning document is on the Movers website here (http://www.rafmams.co.uk/Social%20Letters/MoD%20Lyneham-%20Non%20Technical%20Summary%20-%20Planning%20Ap%5Bplication.pdf) (4MB so may take a while)

Under the plans a public museum dedicated to the army's Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) will also be relocated to the site from its current home at Aborfield Garrison near Reading


According to the planning document, this will be in the Officer's Mess and open to the public.

[smujsmith]

November 4,

Have you any idea when it will be available to the public ? I'd like a look. Nice to see my old mates the movers on here, had some great times down route with the "muppets". All respect.

Smudge

[November4]

Smudge, just found it on the Govt website (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203536/dctt_lyneham_non_technical_summary.pdf) as well - released in May so is already available.

[smujsmith]

So when can we pitch up for a gander mate ? And, will the bar be open ? :confused:

Smudge

[oldmansquipper]

All they need to do now is build a huge hanger, big enough to accommodate every airframe in the RAF fleet (about two?) in the middle of the site, (for umpty ump million squids of course), do a very expensive appraisal of the potential for PFI and outsourcing, ignore the appraisal recommendations, and then forget why they built it.:ugh:


Sorry, been there before:sad:

[downsizer]

Shame it won't be an RAF Station and that the Army are moving in first and will therefore get their "way" in everything...

[Always a Sapper]

The place is progressing. The old ATAF has gone (not before time mind), its going to be a busy place over the next couple of years.

[12 twists per inch]

This plan is only there to pacify the lyneham locals. How ludicrous in these frugal times to think tens of millions of pounds will be spent relocating a perfectly good, centrally located training school such as Cosford to Wiltshire. I can possibly see some training moving there but whole scale - not a chance.

[Gnd]

I hear the Army basic training (flying) may go there as it has better facilities and with all their new aircraft coming soon, will be big enough?

[November4]

I hear the Army basic training (flying) may go there as it has better facilities and with all their new aircraft coming soon, will be big enough?

Could be difficult as the document shows new planting down one side of the runway.

http://www.rafmams.co.uk/images/Movers/Lyneham%20Future.jpg

[NutLoose]

Having looked at the plans, you know the place is almost perfect built and would be ideal to move the Herc fleet to, thus alleviating some of the burden for Brize..


Call me old fashioned but moving the Herc fleet from and shutting Lynham in the first place was to save money...
How does pouring hundreds of Millions into Brize to enhance the facilities to take the Herc fleet save money when the base they moved from to save doesn't actually close but additionally has hundreds of Millions poured into it as well... Cosford will not close per se as the Museum is on site, one would have thought moving the Army to Cosford etc and building new facilities on the far side of the airfield etc would have made more sense and have been cheaper than moving all of the schools to new sites.

Another query is over accommodation, i wonder if it is going to be the same across the board as the Army has different requirements to RAF accommodation on the whole

[Red Line Entry]

Only Tranche 1 - the move of the REME from Arborfield and Bordon is under work at the moment in the run up to the Main Gate later this year.

Other moves (Cosford, Gosport, Blandford etc) will have to stand or fall on subsequent business cases that may or may not prove Value For Money.

[Gnd]

Trees, helicopters - made for each other. It's only the FW chaps that get all upperty about trees and FOD! It's perfect. (and the BC is easy ans it is only a few mins North)

If the REME are there as well - oh, a match made in Heaven!!

[smujsmith]

Nutloose,

Lyneham closure and Herk move to Brize, PM Camoron has Brize in his constituency I believe. Can you imagine the uproar had whoever the MP for Lyneham is had become PM and closed BZN ????

I like your suggestion that the new plans for EGDL look good for returning Albert to its home. I suppose I'm a bit of a dreamer, so I'm not holding my breath.:ok:

Smudge

[November4]

Seems not everyone in the local area is happy with the proposal for the use of Lyneham

Villagers worry Lyneham complex will disturb their peace (http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/chippenhamheadlines/10580910.Villagers_worry_Lyneham_complex_will_disturb_their_ peace/)


“There’s reference (in the planning documents) to 36 events a year running over a 24-hour period,” said Mr Palmer.

“Does that mean through the night? I’m not quite sure. But the noise intrusion is something everyone is concerned about.

How quickly people forget what it was like when the base was operational

[Wander00]

Best someone points out the economic benefits, or at least the down side of not having it, - they will soon come round

[John M]

All they need to do now is build a huge hanger, big enough to accommodate every airframe in the RAF fleet (about two?) in the middle of the site, (for umpty ump million squids of course), do a very expensive appraisal of the potential for PFI and outsourcing, ignore the appraisal recommendations, and then forget why they built it.

And said hangar has been empty for several years now, except when the Welsh Assembly Government rent it out to the makers of Torchwood/ Doctor Who, civvy police for exercises etc.

[November4]

Good to see the plans have gone through

Plans for the £230m redevelopment of the former RAF Lyneham airbase have been approved by Wiltshire Council.

The proposals will create about 1,700 jobs and include a military college which will train thousands of students from all three of the armed forces.

The project will see the demolition of the base's Chapel of Rest, which about 6,000 people signed a petition against.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it will build a garden of remembrance in its place.

BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-24430520)

[Whenurhappy]

Well, I hate to be right...but it was pointed out a decade ago that RAF Lyneham had no net realisable value, as the airfields (yep, there were two) and associated sites were built on land requisitions from the owners. This requires the MOD to release the land back to the owners or their descendents at the original unimproved proce of, IIRC, £25,000.

Closer to home, on a trip along the M4 yesterday, we decided to have a look at our first MQ (and probably our nicest) we had when we married, at Lyneham. I really wish we hadn't. The OMQ estate looks very very run down - loads of empty quarters, sagging fences, quite a bit of litter, overgrown gardens and, it seems, some non-MOD occupants. Our old quarter was empty, so we showed the kids it through the window. There were mushrooms growing on the living room carpet (on the site below a leak on the ceiling above) and it seems that there were birds nesting in it as well.

I'm in a DII-F free environment so can't check the DIO intranet site. Are these quarters (on one of the'Duck' roads) still in MOD hands? I can't imagine that the new college will need a huge number of officers' quarters, but whatever happens, it is a crying shame to see them deteriorate to such a poor condition.

[Always a Sapper]

In respect to Mr Palmer and his fellow protesters, me thinks that the potential '36' events / year is going to be the least of their problems....

Just wait till the students hit the local pub on the lash.... :E IIRC something like 3500 students was mentioned... :eek:

And if RSME in the 80's is anything to go by the whole college pretty much went down town on the lash at the same time, thing is Brompton and Chatham pretty much had a pub on every street corner, good old Lynehams got 2 lol... It's gonna be a giggle.

[CAndyPOB]

NutLoose: Call me old fashioned but moving the Herc fleet from and shutting Lynham in the first place was to save money...
How does pouring hundreds of Millions into Brize to enhance the facilities to take the Herc fleet save money when the base they moved from to save doesn't actually close but additionally has hundreds of Millions poured into it as well... Cosford will not close per se as the Museum is on site, one would have thought moving the Army to Cosford etc and building new facilities on the far side of the airfield etc would have made more sense and have been cheaper than moving all of the schools to new sites.

My italics. Part of the cost of staying at Lyneham was renovating the fuel storage and delivery pipelines. This would have been prohibitively expensive. From leaks, soil contamination and other unknown costs that could only be estimated until the actual digging had begun...

[Always a Sapper]

Aye, I can agree with that. While the crossbase was a measurable factor, it was the crosscountry route that did it with the unknown cost.

Btw, when they dig up the crossbase, there's two still two pigs in there. In the sect between the valve chamber outside of 21 and the blending area, sort of missing in action :sad:

[Blue Bottle]

Things moving on fast now by the look of it..

All go for £230m college at RAF Lyneham | British Forces News (http://www.bfbs.com/news/all-go-for-%C2%A3230m-college-raf-lyneham-65119.html)

[Dave Wilson]

There’s reference (in the planning documents) to 36 events a year running over a 24-hour period,” said Mr Palmer.

“Does that mean through the night? I’m not quite sure. But the noise intrusion is something everyone is concerned about

Do they put something in the water down there?

[Always a Sapper]

Work/train through the night :eek: is someone having a larf??? It's the Army and 'd-REME' at that. Can't see a lot of work going on overnight, they'll all be tucked up in bed by 22:30 at the latest...

Of course, if the Corp of Royal Engineers were to move in I reckon the outer parts of the Airfield would make a nice Dem's Range.... a few sticks of PE, with a couple of seconds between each stick always used to wake the locals in Surrey :E

Either way, being squaddies, expect more than the odd local daughter to be getting home at some god forsaken hour in the morning.... ;)

Lyneham village is sooooo gonna luv the place :ok:

[Blue Bottle]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-defence-college-of-technical-training-announced