§ Baroness Byfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 26 June (WA 141–42), whether the sale of the disused military airfield at RAF Bentwater was in the public domain when the Countryside Commission reported in 1998; and, if not, why not. [HL5464]
§ Lord WhittyThe sale of the disused military airfield at RAF Bentwater took place on 15 May 1997, as an open market sale. The then Countryside Commission was aware that the land was being sold and when it was sold. The commission was concerned about proposals for major new developments such as reuse of the site as an airport, on the part of the site within the AONB. It made its view widely known and they were taken into account in developing the planning brief for the site and the local plan for the area.