Future of RAF Cosford in doubt?

I think the decision stinks. Welsh Assembly elections coming up and a Labour heartland???
As regards the future. With all the furore of expanding Halfpenny Green (known as Wolverhampton Business Airport) for commercial routes by the Yokels, I think Cosford would be an excellent alternative. Close Rail/Motorway links (not single track roads like halfpenny!!) and far more room to expand commercial flight infrastructure. Now I know I watched some big bloody birds land there for the museum in the past, but would the runway be long enough for things like 737’s and the smaller Airbuses to take off? Only problem would be the family missing the flight to Malaga while I’m engrossed in the museum!!!! 😉

Satellite Image of St Athan

The resolution of the ‘satellite’ imagery of St Athan on Google-Maps is excellent.

Not sure how up to date these images are (but you can clearly see a VC10 being scrapped).

Type ‘St Athan, UK’ into the search field on the Google-Maps site and click the ‘satellite’ tab:

http://maps.google.com/maps

(The imagery of RAF Cosford is awful but that of Duxford is excellent by the way.)

WA$.

Which is exactly what I just said. So if the RAF no longer want the airfield, then it will go to the Army or someone else who wants a ready made airfield with all its attendant facilities.

Regards,

kev35

The airfield will not be used for building

Don’t think it’s all doom and gloom. I can see great potential now for Cosford, only time will tell. If the RAF Station closes, remember the airfield is adjacent to the Museum, and I’m sure they wouldn’t have built the melted B&Q if the Museum was to close, and therefore almost integrated into the Museum site (Hangar 1) and then the Hangars adjacent to Hangar 1 could provide a home for any number of things. The Domestic Sites would be the prime target for developers although I am not sure whether the Fulton barracks is already listed. The site on the opposite side of the A41 would be ideal for redevelopment as would the married quarters.

I think there might just be exciting times ahead for Cosford.

Regards,

kev35

Send the Army to wales then, they seem to like playing on the welsh hillsides

Cosford being a super prime location for future development for the ever growing Birmingham. great road and rail network even a second airport if need be. i can see the new super hanger making a nice shopping mall.and the chance of housing on all the land would i guess be making many a developer
be rubbing is hands with glee. 2020 welcome to Cosford town.

The winning bidder Metrix (and remember the winning bidder doesn’t always get to deliver the contract – lots of talking still to do!) does indeed include wonderful EDS as BigVern1966 states. Whilst Cosford is currently our HQ site, our Lincolnshire-based bit won’t move to Cosford now but to St Athan, probably about 2011 (by which time I will have retired from the mob!:diablo: ). Politics aside, St Athan was once one of the biggest, if not the biggest in terms of acreage, RAF station in the UK. I have never had the pleasure of serving there but it does have a long military aviation training pedigree (but of course so does Cosford!). I am informed that the Army have a great deal of interest in any real-estate that we might have going so I’m sure there will be a military presence of some size at Cosford after 2013ish, when the new super-site at St Athan is complete. I won’t comment further as my Boss is probably reading this!

This stinks of dirty politics seems to me the goverment is buying welsh votes & nothing else

An awful decision, based on Labour politics only. Cosford is one of the best places for training being right in the middle of the country and with good communication links north west east and south by both road and rail (a station in the middle of the camp) and one of the contractors is EDS, the idiots who have produced the most inefficient admin system the Armed forces have ever had (the number of RAF personnel who have had their pay c@cked up since the JPA system came on line is huge)

http://www.metrixuk.com/

Binbrook,

Having just looked on the Metrix webpage

Googled Metrix Consortium and found their homepage but can not seem to find the info you said. Could you or someone be a gent and post a link to the site pleeeeeeeeeese! Bit of a duffer when comes to these things!!! 😮

Afternoon all,

Having just looked on the Metrix webpage and seen that they are using the ex DARA Superhanger as the central core of the new site, the webpage also mentions they will have….Military Museums….

They only recently moved the surviving GI and some BDRF airframes to Cosford. I presume all the Jags have now gone to Bentwaters.

I assume that in these H & S driven days. It wins as it has a longer runway than Cosford.

Tim

I saw a local BBC news report a couple of months ago about the SoTT’s possible move to St Athan, and they sounded certain that RAF Cosford would close if the school was moved.