Scampton, breaking news!

I’m sorry but I don’t understand your viewpoint – that’s why I asked!!

Off the top of my head, the plans are:

• An active airfield (poss with the Red’s using the airspace above for practice – subject to CAA rules of course).
• Two hotels to support visitors to the site, the nearby historic city of Lincoln, and the nearby Lincolnshire Show Ground.
• A number of R+D units connected to the aerospace sector.
• A number of small business start-up units.
• The four hangers to be used for, museum displays, aircraft operating and maintenance as well as restoration.
• University level education facilities.
• Etc etc…

That is where the £300m is going to be spent. The plans are all cleared and key stakeholders have already shown an interest in being associated with those plans.

For me I would like to see an Armed Forces Veterans Breakfast Club facility, some accommodation provided for RAF Veterans – similar to the Chelsea Pensioners facility in London. As well as Vulcan ‘558 establish its self-there and the HHA Hunters come back from Leeming.  

There we go an established strategy (which you didn’t seem to know about) and a few extra ideas from me. I don’t have any connection with the local authority or SHL. But I consider that I have the right to have a view, as well as being positive about the way forward.

Things can move ahead, hopefully at pace, once WLDC and SHL get the keys to the front gate.

H

So here we are. If the best we can do is, “what would you do?”, we have no hope. If better people than me can’t think of anything then I’d suggest we’re out of ammo. If I were an imaginative developer then maybe I’d have an idea.

But since I’m not, asking me is petulant and pointless.

Soooo Sabrejet,

It is a matter of record I have been an advocate for the use of the Scampton site as per something like SHL’s proposal for over 9 months before the Red Arrows moved out – they left 25 months ago.

I’m proud to say that my home county, of Lincolnshire, is often referred to as the home of the RAF. SHL’s proposal is a very fitting tribute to that end. In fact, 300 million tributes.

The various Lincolnshire local authorities are intertwined with the RAF. The viewing enclosure at RAF Waddington is owned by the council, the provision of the volunteer BBMF hangar visitor staff are also provided by the council. These are but two examples. WLDC and SHL’s proposal, for Scampton, is part of a bigger picture. After all the RAF Bases across the county, as a combined workforce, is the biggest employer. So, some payback can be seen, within the local economy.

I have looked back throu’ the various posts about Scampton’s use. I can’t find anything positive from yourself. “It won’t work” seems to be a common theme! All in all, not very positive.

So, what would you like to see the site used for? Not forgetting the historic listed buildings must be maintained – IAW the law. I would be genuinely interested in your views on the matter. Especially, if you could inject some positivity in said.

So over to you…….

H

But who is that group and how will they safeguard its future? Unless it gets turned into an industrial estate, I can’t see how it has a sustainable future in anything like its current state. It takes a great deal of money to develop and there are only so many Duxfords and Bicesters that the country can support.

I dearly hope someone can come up with an inventive idea that will work, but so far all I see and hear is “someone needs to do something”, which isn’t much of an idea.

Someone needs to get off their duff and get this handed over the the group that can and will look after it  The longer it is abandoned, the faster the place will get ruined.

Soooo……???

Indeed it is owned by the Home Office. Technically speaking they are responsible for the sites care and maintenance. Not the departments core area of business, it has to be said. I believe WLDC are concerned that care and maintenance is not being carried out. As a result the listed buildings are further falling into dis-repair. It is these buildings that add value to the site, both now and in the future.

H

Surely to be the ‘rightful owner’ the Council has first to own it? At the moment I understand the owner of the airfield is the Home Office. 

I’m afraid you are missing the point. The government is no longer interested in the site. The previous government “stole” it from under the feet of WLDC and SHL.

All the present government has to do is sign it over to its rightful owner. Then the development can get started. One piece of paper a comedy pen and five seconds of their time – is all that is required.

H

Sadly in a world that is going to hell in a hand-cart, the new government probably has more pressing challenges than preserving historic airfields. 

It’s a shame but sometimes perspective is required. It’s difficult to see a sustainable future for sites such as this, even in the private sector.  

Despite the new government informing the World, a little while ago, that the Scampton site was not required for asylum seeker accommodation – little else has occurred.

WLDC have not been able to regain control of the site. The porta-cabins are believed still there. Further, nobody is maintaining the historic and listed buildings on site.

H

Hopefully now they can go back to the original plan of creating that magnificent heritage  and aerospace training centre that they envisioned!

Driving past Lyneham a few weeks ago I was saddened to see so many empty married quarters. I’d find it hard to think of a better location for housing folks of similar cultures; maybe suitable for placement of asylum seekers? Since it’s pretty obviously never going to return to flying use, it seems a sensible idea.

Though I did laugh when someone said they might be unsuitable for human habitation: they were OK for us way back when they still had steel-framed windows!

Yes just heard. As a long-term advocate of the Scampton Holdings plan for the site. I hope that can now move forward at pace. It is two years, this month, since the Reds left.

Great news indeed.

H