Melchett, you are of course, spot on.
However, your thinking seems based on the premise that the decision making is in the interests of the service, or indeed, of the defence of the realm.
Clearly, but not clear enough for some on here who used to bang on about how much we couldn't not have LRMPA, the driving force behind things nowadays is money. Not of course, the saving of it, but the spend in the right places. Buying capacity to do the job well is not as important as lining the pockets of the few, one way or another.
Never mind if it's the best aircraft for the job, how many votes are tied to the jobs in the area where it is built?
If the idea had been to provide excellent housing at affordable costs, then the MOD would have retained and improved the quarters, and had somewhere for the troops to live. But when the plan was to sell off the housing stock for next to nothing ,so that a mate could buy it up and make a killing, then obviously some work needs to be done before the sale.
Once you accept that the lunatics have taken over the asylum, you can see how it all makes perfect sense.