Originally Posted by
NutLoose
It appears most are empty and the few civilian tenants are being evicted as the MOD intends to offload them, I just hope they will re occupied and not allowed to rot as elsewhere when taken over.
Similar stories ran in the media in 2020. Based on those:
There is no RAF or MOD need for Linton and there are no nearby units that need accommodation, which means its housing is surplus to requirements.
Annington Homes got a fantastic deal as part of the Portillo sell-off in 1993 (which ISTR saved 1p on income tax), which means MOD pays whether houses are occupied or not. As part of the deal, MOD is required to hand back housing in clusters (no pun intended). As a tax-payer, I would prefer MOD not to pay for empty houses.
Civilian tenants are on the same leases you or I would get if we rented any other property. When the landlord wants the property back you get notified. You only get evicted if you refuse to move out and can't convince a judge why you should stay put - from bitter personal experience with a buy-to-let property, there is a big legal difference between a tenancy being ended and someone being evicted.
It is a shame to see good housing going to ruin wherever it is, but that will be down to Annington, which owns them. When Bracknell was sold off and the housing handed back, even though most of the MQs were in good nick, the whole site was bulldozed and replaced with a much higher density development which no doubt made squillions for the developer.
I really enjoyed my 3 years+ at Linton and am as sorry to see the Stn closed as anyone else - the effect on the village should come as no surprise because the economic impacts of base closures are well known. Sad though it is, MOD and the taxpayer shouldn't be funding something that no longer makes a contribution to supporting the front line.