Lyneham about to take off... (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Lyneham about to take off...

9:00pm Thursday 2nd February 2012 in Chippenham By Emma Dunn

Up to 25,000 students a year could be housed at the defence technical training centre planned for the former RAF Lyneham base.

Fears that Lyneham could become a ghost town when the RAF leaves in December were allayed last year when the Ministry of Defence revealed its plans for the training centre.

More detailed plans for the site were heard at a public meeting on Wednesday, where about 100 residents were told that the centre would be fully established by 2020, with nearly 2,000 students and staff at the site by 2015.

Captain John Sunderland, chief of staff, defence technical change programme, said there is expected to be an annual turnover of 25,000 students.

“Some of those are there for a week and some of them are there for a year but a lot for a number of months,” he said.

At present, colleges and training centres across the country teach personnel from all three military services.

The move will mean thousands of personnel from the services will be located at the base to learn all the technical skills they need, including vehicle maintenance, engineering and IT. The centre will use some existing buildings and new ones will also be built.

The current population of RAF Lyneham stands at about 1,000 but they will leave by the end of the year.

It is expected that 1,950 students and staff will be at the training centre by 2015, rising to 4,300 when training is fully established.

It is thought that 46 per cent of the centre will be Army, 31 per cent RAF and 23 per cent Royal Navy but the meeting heard that plans are still at the concept stage.

Military civilian integration programme manager, Ian Camb-rook, said: “This will be a major boost for the area.”

The meeting heard that the future of the community centre, youth club and the parent and toddler groups are yet to be decided.

Alison Bucknell, (Con, Lyne-ham), said residents concerned about the plans should contact the steering group.

“We set up the Lyneham Steering Group originally because lots of people were asking the same questions of officers. Channel questions through the Lyneham Steering Group or contact your local member,” she said.

A planning application will be submitted next year.

Visit www.lynehamvillage.com or wiltshire.gov.uk/mci.