RAF Scampton redevelopment bid rejected

The company behind a plan to redevelop a former RAF base near Lincoln says its bid to buy the site has been rejected.

Scampton Holdings Ltd submitted a joint bid with West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) to buy RAF Scampton from the Home Office.

Company chairman Peter Hewitt said they received notification "about a week ago" and is "very disappointed and concerned about the future of the site".

It is understood the Home Office has chosen to sell the site to a company in the defence sector, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The BBC has contacted the Home Office for a comment.

WLDC said its joint plans for the site would have generated £2bn for the local economy over the next 15 years.

It proposed a huge regeneration of the site with plans to use the 800-acre location for aviation, heritage, tourism, education and research.

Hewitt said he had met with government officials at the site last Tuesday.

"We explained all the plans and what we were going to do and then on the Friday we got an email saying we had not been successful, which is completely bizarre," he said.

Hewitt said there had been "no explanation" for the decision and that he "has no idea who the successful bidder is".

RAF Scampton, which officially closed in 2023, was home to 617 Squadron, famously known as the Dambusters, during World War Two, and later the Red Arrows aerobatics display team.

It had been earmarked by the previous Conservative government to accommodate migrants, but those plans were scrapped by the Labour administration.

Sarah Carter, from the Save Our Scampton group, formed to protest against the migrant accommodation plans, said she is "angry, frustrated and upset".

"The Scampton Holdings bid is the only one I would have been happy with and if another company coming in isn't going to treat the base with the respect it deserves then we don't want it there," she said.

A spokesperson for West Lindsey district Council said: "We remain firmly committed to securing an ambitious and sustainable future for the former RAF Scampton."

They added its ambition for the site has always been "to protect its unique heritage, unlock its full potential and secure lasting benefits for the area".

The authority said those priorities remain unchanged, and it would work with any future stakeholders.

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