Dismay as RAF Lyneham gets its marching orders (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Dismay as RAF Lyneham gets its marching orders

9:50am Thursday 7th May 2009 in Search By Alana Lewis

After six years of uncertainty and campaigns to save RAF Lyneham it has been announced that the air base will close permanently in 2012.

An internal MoD letter passed to North Wiltshire MP James Gray said plans drawn up under Project Belvedere, a review of re-housing helicopters from the three armed forces, has fallen through.

The base is now expected to close on December 31, 2012, with operations and personnel being moved to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire the previous year.

Mr Gray, who has been campaigning since 2003 to secure the future of the base, said he was devastated.

“The fact that ministers did not have the courage to make this announcement to Parliament speaks for itself,” he said.

The news would come as a great blow to the RAF personnel, the 750 civilians employed at the base and many hundreds of others in his constituency who owe their livelihoods in one way or another to the base, he said.

Mr Gray has pledged to reverse the closure or to find an alternative use, probably agricultural or leisure, for the 1,164 acres.

“I will be leaving no stone unturned but whether or not I will be successful I do not know,” he said.

“It would be quite wrong if I turned around and said it could be saved, but I will try to find an alternative use.

“We must try to take what is a tragedy for the area and turn it into something positive.”

RAF Lyneham was one of the front runners to house helicopters and personnel under Joint Helicopter Command.

But the aging accommodation and service buildings needed £2 million to keep them up to standard just in case the site was chosen.

Residents have called for a quick decision on the future to avoid the closure having a devastating impact. Parish councillor Tim Webb, 40, said: “We do not want years of not knowing what’s happening.”

His wife Maria, 38, said: “Out of the 27 children in my son’s class, the families of 22 work at the base.”

Nearly 17,000 people signed a Gazette petition to save the base, which Wiltshire Council estimates contributes £25 million a year to the economy.

District councillor Allison Bucknell, who took part in the campaign, said: “Many people round here gave their life and soul to the RAF. In the short term there will be a lot of uncertainty.”

Civil contractor and web designer of Lyneham Village online Andy Humm said: “This will have a terrible impact – it is worrying for all of us. It is still not clear that Brize Norton will be able to support everyone.

“I do not think this has been thought through."

In a written statement to Parliament, defence minister Adam Ingram said the closure will result in a reduction of around 1,780 service and 360 MoD civilian posts.

Comments from local people

Alam Zakaria, owner of Lyneham Tandoori.

We will be affected very, very heavily by the closure. About 80 per cent of our business is from the base. It is not just us who will be affected but all the other businesses too.

Rifat Ozkaya, owner of Lyneham Pizza.

I expect the base will be used for some other purpose and I do not think it will be closed forever. The RAF will move out but someone else will move in. This could be good for us or it could be bad for us, but we are optimistic.

Charles Taylor, decorator.

It will be an initial shock but there is a good community here and we will bounce back. I was born here and my father helped to build the base. I think new people moving in might be more business.

Service wife Annette Quilter

I thought the helicopter idea was a good one and hoped that would go ahead. We will be moved to Brize but I do not think there is enough housing there for everyone so some people will have to commute.

Jenny Eggl, 23, of Slessor Road.

I have lived in this house with my husband who works on the base. When it closes we hope to be moved to Brize but we would like to be here until the end. It is sad news because we have a home here with our two children.