The prison is nearly complete and I think it opens in October.
The setting up of a G/A etc facility is a great idea and, as far as I understand it, the runway and that side of things are still for sale but the questions arise:
1. If the runway etc is still for sale, the MOD will want top dollar and won't let it go cheaply, who has got the money to buy such a large site and how will they ever get a return from such a huge investment.
2. Will the planners ever let it return to aviation use? There are a suprisingly large number of NIMBYs, who were quite happy when it was an operational base but are vociferous opponents of any aeroplane/helicopter thats makes more noise than a sparrow farting. Daft I know, but they can be very well organised and cause a lot of problems for sensible developers.
3. The eco town plan has gone out of the window but there's no reason why it wouldn't become an industrial develoment area, if this was to be proven to be an employment booster there's every chance that the government would cough up for a basic link road or road improvements to the A140 from Coltishall. This would employ far more people than any aviation enterprise.
The sensible thing to have done would have been, the moment that the MOD announced Coltishall was closing, to start redeveloping the site as the 2nd Norwich Airport. I am told that in 2006 a consortium of 2 major UK builders approached the County Council and offered to buy Norwich Airport on the basis that they put half the money up front, (to start the redevelopment of Coltishall and build the A140 link road), followed by the rest on the day Coltishall was ready to open as a the new Norwich Airport.
660 acres @ the price of prime building land in 2006 = well you work it out!
I wish Catherine et al all the best, but I think they've got an almighty battle on their hands and I can't see them getting anywhere.