§ Rear-Admiral Morgan-Gilesasked the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what representations he has received from civilian organisations for the use of the runways and hangars at RAF Andover; and whether he will make a statement;
(2) what future plans he envisages for the use of the runways and hangars at RAF Andover.
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§ Mr. WellbelovedThere have been several requests for casual use of the airfield, which we have allowed where-ever possible. There have also been inquiries about purchasing the airfield and hangars, and a request to use them for gliding, which we have had to refuse while our own future use of the facilities was under review.
I can now confirm that there is no long-term defence requirement for the major part of the airfield, including the runways, which will therefore shortly be passed to the Property Services Agency for disposal. There is, however, a continuing defence requirement for the hangars and they will be transferred to the Army with the rest of the buildings when the RAF vacates the site in the middle of this year.