Disposal of Lyneham

[Desert Crash]

My understanding was that Lyneham was requisitioned under the Defence (Emergency Powers) Act 1938, which requires, (I]inter alia[/I], that on disposal holdings are offered to the original owners. Those details - including the purchase price of 12k Sterling - are given in the Defence Land Agent's Terrier held at Durrington, Wilts. BZN, by contrast, was established under the pre-war Exp[ansion programme as an FTS and ASU and the land was pruchased on the open market, therefore could be sold without lien. And at St Mawagan, there are other constraints... :(

[Goatfec]

From a Medical source- no more money is to be spent on the Medical Centre at Lyneham.

Read into that what you will

[Up Very Gently]

No more money to be spent on the Med Centre? Christ, well that's it then, isn't it. Better start packing.... :p

UVG

[BEagle]

But if the original owners knew that, rather than give up land which it had requisitioned, MoD was trying to sell land which it had paid for, wouldn't they or their successors be rather miffed? First disposals, assuming everything else is equal, should surely be back to the original landowners?

But here we'll just see the MoD trying to flog off the family silver yet again.......

[ 01 December 2001: Message edited by: BEagle ]

[Flatus Veteranus]

I think the relevant precedent was the notorious Crichel Down case back in the '50s, when the War office (Air Ministry?) tried to flog off some land without offering it back to the original owners. A minister had to resign. But then there was a concept of "honour" then.

[Grimweasel]

Firstly lets think about the situation of the land LYN sits on. As said before, it sits on a hill which is rather exposed from the west and north. This makes for a very windy, damp and always foggy housing estate or develpoment. The main roads into the area are not substantial enough for a major civil airport without some serious upgrading. Wootton Bassett would require a bypass for a start as anyone driving through the high street knows! Not a lot of cash has been spent on the base of late, as the Med. centre issue reports. The Family Quaters have not had many of the new kitchens promised either, and funds are always strapped. The terminal may as well apply for listed building status, as its that old and decrepid! Money not being spent here is surely an indication of the MoD's intent to keep the site. BZN however has had shed loads of cash spent on it, on numerous projects. Branson has reportedly purchased a lot of local land.(Would be nice if someone could substantiate these claims?!)

All said and done, LYN would make a perfect 16 Air Assult Bde. base, as it would be close to BZN and also has the airfield from which to mount excersises and ops. This would also go someway to relieving the chronic lack of accomodation in Colchester.
The Army after all does have a reputation for moving into RAF bases.(Swanton Morley, Wattisham,Hullavington etc.)
At least that way the MoD may appease Gray (MP) as his loss of local money argument would be a solid as a wet KitKat if the Green lot were to move in. I'm sure window security grill orders will be flooding in from the W.Basset/Calne areas!! :mad:

[scroggs]

After 18 years at Rompers, I'd be seriously sad to see it go. However, it has little or no potential for expansion, and there seems to be little government or military notice taken of its proximity to its main customers. Since Wroughton closed, it hasn't had much of a USP. The much-vaunted North/South runway isn't a huge advantage - I never heard of Brize being closed while Lyneham remained open, but there have been several occasions when the opposite was the case when snow has closed LYN.
As for Richard buying Brize by stealth - what for? Does anyone really think that Virgin would decamp from Heathrow in favour of Carterton Intl? Not a chance, people, dream on! Virgin has an engineering hangar under construction at Heathrow (not that Brize's facilities could accomodate any of our aircraft anyway), and we do so little training in aircraft that an aifield would be of little use.

[Albert on Tour]

I'll get myself banned at this rate

[ZH875]

What about Keevil Airfield. No mention of this has been made when Lyneham closes.

Maybe it would be better to close Keevil, and move a grunt unit to Lyneham, but keep the Lyneham Airfield site active to take over the role of Keevil.

(maybe even keep a detachment of C130K based at Lyneham to cut down on fuel costs for training Para drops.)

Perhaps, the idea of President Blair is to keep sticking his nose up George Dubyas business, and keep getting involved in his disputes all over the globe, that way, we keep lots of aircraft away from the UK so we will not need as many airfields to operate from.

Just as long as we keep a runway open somewhere for Blair Force One.

[Neil Porter]

I think it is a great shame - too many bases are closing down, you can never tell whats round the corner & i hate to say it but the Goverment would be the first to moan if the UK had to defend itself - oh lets use Lyneham, oops sorry closed, try again.

Seems odd too when Salisbury Plain training area is down the road from Lyneham as a short 'hop' & your there.

Plus Keevil - again aint far for para dropping etc - i know being involved with aspects of Abingdon airfield that the Herks sometimes use Abingdon for para training if Keevil is out of use for some reason - does this mean Abingdon would become a prime site for Herk exercises when the 'J' models are based at Brize???

[Neil Porter]

Something else too - if Brize had a runway emergency and rendered it unuseable for a while, NO transport aircraft would be able to take off or land, whereas at Lyneham, at least it boasts 2 runways so if one runway becomes unuseable, at least they could use the other runway!!

[adrian mole]

Scroggs,

On average Brize has closed at least 6 times every year due to fog primarily and the aircraft divert to Lyneham. Lye Movs staff are quite proficient with mickey mouse equipment to handle Tristars, VC10s and C17s. Also know that Brize do reciprocate now and then but difference is the Hercs return to Lye still full of freight!

[BEagle]

scroggs - I can recall several occasions in one year alone when I've had to request approval to use Lynehams' N/S runway in case of diversion with the cross-wind at Brize close to the VC10 wet limit....

I've also diverted there several times - at least twice for wind at Brize and once for low cloud spring to mind and probably more if I research my log book.

Personally I find the lack of military runway redundancy which will result from Lyneham's closure rather a risky concept....

[sprucemoose]

BEags:
Wouldn't you be able to divert to Fairford once Lyneham's out of the picture?

[BEagle]

sprucemoose - are you sure you're not an MoD policy maker with such a profound statement;) ? There's all of 15 degree difference between runway headings at Fairyford and Brize - so if it's close to the limit at BZN, it probably will be at FFD as well!
Plus if you were to arrive suddenly at FFD, you'd probably get some steroid-chewing idiot sticking an M-16 in your ear....

I guess RW15/33 at Berrmigoom will become pretty familiar in strong cross-wind conditions at BZN.............. 150 rooms in the Holiday Inn, please!

[ZH875]

There is no problem putting all our AT/AAR fleet at one base. The evidence to support this is:

1. All PR fleet at one base
2. All Kipper Fleet at one base
3. All EW Assets at one base
4. All main storage at one base
5. All electronic repair at one base
6. All majors at one base
7. All cockups from one PM

It all seems to work, doesn,t it. Just think of the money we have saved, by moving all these assets and building new buildings and homes etc. Give someone another Knighthood.

[Last Shark]

I'm sure Branson could put a good case for running what goes on at LYE from another location, for a fraction of the cost, with far more far more flexibility and the ability to deliver his passengers in a fit state to do their job.

Cat - Pigeons, over.:rolleyes:

[sprucemoose]

Cheers BEags; that shows why you're the flyer and I'm the journo! Any profound statements on my part are purely accidental!

[orionsbelt]

:ok: Great place for Londons 4th Airport if you ask me.
Add another 6000ft to 24/06 and 7000ft 18/36, throw in a moterway and railway link and all the Nimbys in kent and Essex will be well chuffed.
Whats the problen Open FIR!!!! Yer lets go for it

[1.3VStall]

Lyneham would be a cracking place for a Services Gliding Centre. It could be just what the numpties that profess to run the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association need. After all, they have been vacillating for 20 years over where to relocate the Gliding Centre from Bicester, where the MOD wants to sell the lovely grass airfield for housing (where have we heard that before?).

Despite numerous RAF station closures over that period they still haven't managed to find a workable solution. So, come to think of it, Lyneham won't occur to them either! Mind you, by 2012 will there be any RAF people left, or will it all be purple and civilian?

[TornadoGirl]

At this rate of airfield closure, it makes you wonder whether Blair intends to run our due batch of typhoons from heathrow??:sad:

[Wee Weasley Welshman]

1.3 - why haven't they just lumped it all together with CGS at Syreston?

Cheers

WWW

[1.3VStall]

WWW,

Unfortunately the Space Cadet organisation has been trying to get rid of the RAFGSA club at Syerston for years, so there's no way they would entertain moving in the Centre from Bicester. Of course there used to be a lovely grass airfield just down the road called RAF Newton, but that's now inhabited by asylum seekers - another blow for British aviation.

[Heeed]

I was at CGS a couple of weeks ago and the Wng. Com mentioned something about them wanting to move as the airfield is falling in on itself. Don't know how far he'll get... to the gate probably!