Peg
The prision at Wayland was build donkeys years before the airfield site was closed. RAF Watton was open even when the Prison was open and the Prison does not encroach on the airfield site.
RAF Watton closed because the Radar facility was no longer required (superceded) and the Watton Airfield site was sold because DIO wanted to sell it (simple as that). Actually the main users of the site (apart from the VGS) was USAF C-130 traffic (rough field and unprepared strip training for which they provided their own fire engine !!) from Mildenhall. Some para jumping and some rotary wing traffic (minimal). USAF said they had no real further use for it and bingo............... airfield sold (with undue haste and for well under what it was worth).
I expect that Wethersfield will 'do a Coltishall' and build a prison, some houses and bit of light industrial on the site. The requirement for a VGS site means nothing to DIO or the Treasury................
Arc