two chances, slim and none - and Slim's out of town right now.....
Sold-off airfields needed for future conflict, say MPs
Military airfields being sold by the government should be kept for aviation use so they can be brought back into service during any future conflict, MPs and peers have demanded.
The 15 bases, some dating back to the First World War, have been selected for closure as part of the Ministry of Defence’s plan to raise £1 billion from land sales. The sell-off list includes RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire, one of the largest RAF stations, which has been used by aircraft since 1913, and RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, which was used by RAF Bomber Command in the Second World War and is now used by the US Air Force. A third of the airfields facing closure have already been earmarked for housing estates.
The all-party parliamentary group on general aviation has written to Gavin Williamson, the defence secretary, about its “deep and growing concern” over the sale of the airbases. The group of 148 MPs and peers said that the airfields were “scarce national assets” that would be virtually impossible to replace because of the difficulty in obtaining permission to build new runways. Recent operations in Syria highlight that it is “difficult to accurately predict future defence needs”, the group argued. It says at least some of the military aerodromes under threat should be retained in aviation use to support jobs and the economy and as a standby for the military in future.
Grant Shapps, the Conservative MP and chairman of the all-party group, said: “At a time when the UK and our allies are facing significant global threats and uncertainties, the all-party group on general aviation is deeply concerned to see the Ministry of Defence disposing of military aerodromes across the country. Airfields are national assets which are virtually impossible to replace.” The group has urged the Ministry of Defence to work closely with the Department for Transport and Byron Davies, who was appointed as the government’s general aviation champion in February, to ensure that the majority of the airfields remain available for aviation use. Mr Shapps added: “Once these airfields are built on, they will be lost to the nation, for ever.”
Other bases due to close include RAF Wyton in Cambridgeshire, which was used for training by the Royal Flying Corps in 1916 and was a bomber base during the Second World War. Plans to build 4,500 homes on the site have been rejected by the local authority. RAF North Luffenham in Rutland was also used by bombers during the Second World War. It is the proposed site of a new “garden village”.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: “A defence minister will be pleased to meet with the parliamentary group. Around £300 million investment has recently been announced into key RAF sites across the UK. Where airfields are no longer required we will work closely with potential buyers and the local council to make sure that the sites’ future use best meets the needs of the local economy, including providing thousands of much-needed new housing or their potential for use as civilian airfields.”