As a former Linton pad-brat (and with contacts still in the area) the locals unequivocally hated the RAF being there...
... right up until it was announced that the Station was closing completely, and then it became the end of the world.
Frankly, I'd hope when the current plans are finished, they build a great-big ****-off Amazon distribution centre and a supermarket regional depot, plus a few thousand houses, on the airfield, just to piss off the locals.