RAF Scampton to be sold off

[Plinth]

RAF Scampton is to close:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lincolnshire...

I heard a rumour about this a few weeks ago – and the possibility of the Red Arrows going to Wittering.

[saaby93]

Another housing estate with Bader Way Hurricane Close

10,000ft?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_airports_in_...

[Eric Mc]

I hope the restoration of the famous mess is part of any stipulations put on developers.

[anonymous-user]

Linton on Ouse closing too - much speculated locally for years, now seemingly a done deal

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/16373624.raf-linto...

[Eric Mc]

They need to put all those new houses somewhere. Airfields have always been high on the list of possible sites.

Prescott's eco-towns were nearly all in the south (Conservative areas). These ones seem to be mainly in the North (Labour areas). I wonder why that might be?

[anonymous-user]

Eric Mc said:

They need to put all those new houses somewhere. Airfields have always been high on the list of possible sites.

Prescott's eco-towns were nearly all in the south (Conservative areas). These ones seem to be mainly in the North (Labour areas). I wonder why that might be?

Linton on Ouse is not in a Labour area by any stretch of the imagination

The MP is Kevin Hollinrake (Con), with a majority of 19,001, winning 60% of the votes cast!

Moreover, every neighbouring constituency is also represented by a Conservative MP!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies...

[Eric Mc]

JPJPJP said:

Linton on Ouse is not in a Labour area by any stretch of the imagination

The MP is Kevin Hollinrake (Con), with a majority of 19,001, winning 60% of the votes cast!

Moreover, every neighbouring constituency is also represented by a Conservative MP!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies...

You mean the cliché isn't true?

Well I never.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

The fact that Linton is in a Tory ward was the direct reason why it stayed open and Finningley closed as a flying station back in 1995.

[Penguinracer]

It's a global phenomenon - Airbases becoming housing estates - it's just demographic & economic change.

So many bases, not just in the UK, sprang out of the aftermath of WW1 when the population was small, the golden age of aviation was in full flow and land was plentiful.

The future is a couple of drones marked with roundels operating out of a Sainsbury's car park with some kids at home overseeing them from their bedrooms after school between homework & dinner time!

[Eric Mc]

The main reasons they are "popular" is because they are counted as "brown field sites" - which is a bit rich as they are often a haven for wildlife. But they are much cheaper to prepare for housing construction than a disused factory or steel works.

Secondly, they are government owned - so they can be sold off to bump up government coffers.

[Tony1963]

I'd say calling an airfield a haven for wildlife is stretching it a bit. Here at Wattisham, there are a few hares, kestrels, rabbits, skylarks and pied wagtails. Considering the size of the place, it really isn't a lot. Ok, there'll be a few specials I haven't seen, but there's more variety in the average village around here.

[aeropilot]

Eric Mc said:

The main reasons they are "popular" is because they are counted as "brown field sites" - which is a bit rich as they are often a haven for wildlife. But they are much cheaper to prepare for housing construction than a disused factory or steel works.

Not the case for Scampton though, if the rumour of the bomb dump 'still glowing' is true (and one of the reasons cited for the base not being sold off back in the late 90's)
Also rumour that there's still an agreement in place for the cost of the road to be straightened back to its original alignment should the RAF vacate the site....(although I'm sure that one would get quietly deleted/forgotten?)

Hangers and OM etc are listed so the whole site couldn't be cleared and built on.

[Eric Mc]

aeropilot said:

Not the case for Scampton though, if the rumour of the bomb dump 'still glowing' is true (and one of the reasons cited for the base not being sold off back in the late 90's)
Also rumour that there's still an agreement in place for the cost of the road to be straightened back to its original alignment should the RAF vacate the site....(although I'm sure that one would get quietly deleted/forgotten?)

Hangers and OM etc are listed so the whole site couldn't be cleared and built on.

Hangers turned into warehouses.

Mess turned into nice little hotel or flats.

Base accommodation turned into housing - plus thousands of new houses of course.

Bomb dump turned into kiddies playground.

Job jobbed - as they say.

[aeropilot]

Penguinracer said:

So many bases, not just in the UK, sprang out of the aftermath of WW1 when the population was small, the golden age of aviation was in full flow and land was plentiful.

I think you'll find it was the expansion programme in the 1930's and of course the aftermath of the massive airfield building programme during WW2, rather than aftermath of WW1.

[ecsrobin]

It’s been on the cards for years. Last time I visited was about 10years who and the place was falling down with no money for repair of listed buildings.

[aeropilot]

ecsrobin said:

It’s been on the cards for years. Last time I visited was about 10years who and the place was falling down with no money for repair of listed buildings.

NCNM.

No Care and No Maintenance programme.


It's not the normal MOD way though, usually they spunk billions on new infrastructure, new runway etc.,etc then they announce the base will close shortly afterwards.

[BOBTEE]

Any further details on the glowing bomb dump, sounds fun

[Eric Mc]

aeropilot said:

Penguinracer said:

So many bases, not just in the UK, sprang out of the aftermath of WW1 when the population was small, the golden age of aviation was in full flow and land was plentiful.

I think you'll find it was the expansion programme in the 1930's and of course the aftermath of the massive airfield building programme during WW2, rather than aftermath of WW1.

Absolutely. WW1 airfields were just that, fields. After WW1 most of the WW1 airfields reverted back to being just fields.

The expansion of the RAF in the 1930s and then the arrival of the Americans starting in 1942 is what generated the massive number of airfield construction that we still see evidence of today.

[neilf]

Builders love airfields.

Big. Flat. Land.

Simples.

[Evanivitch]

Eric Mc said:

The main reasons they are "popular" is because they are counted as "brown field sites" - which is a bit rich as they are often a haven for wildlife. But they are much cheaper to prepare for housing construction than a disused factory or steel works.

Not sure I'd consider short grass, a need to keep down flocks of birds and a lack of water sources to be particularly wildlife friendly...