I saw an F3 (I think) take the cable at Linton one day. Not sure if it was real or a practise to test the newly installed rig but it was quite spectacular to see. I think the idea was for any stude JPs to bolt for Fenton or Dishforth pronto with the option for the short runway if an Instructor?
It's a long time ago, but I think I included the option for studes to use the short provided they were cleared and the X-wind was in limits; priority was always to deal with solo studes, balancing remaining fuel and experience levels. Staff could be held to PLE if necessary and there was a separate issue with crash cover, the fire crews being required for the cable engagement and subsequent rewind. The cable was a PAAG, so definitely a temporary installation.
Still, the officer's houses will be snapped up quickly on the open market.
Possibly, assuming Annington Homes puts them on the market rather than re-developing. When the Joint staff college moved out of Bracknell, the whole site was bulldozed and the developer then crammed in 3 x the number of houses (maybe more). A developer friend once told me that once you have cleared land with planning permission, access roads and utilities on site, every 3rd house you build is straight profit.