THE 3,500 personnel at RAF Lyneham are still waiting for a clear picture of exactly how and when they are to move when the Wiltshire base closes in 2012.

A complex plan of how the base would wind down is being produced by a Ministry of Defence team and was expected by February.

But Station Commander, Group Captain Paul Oborn, who took over at the base in January said: "There is no news at the moment, the team putting together the timetable has not completed the plan for the move.

"It is a complicated process and the team are looking at all the issues surrounding the closure. I think a lot of people don't realise how important it is to get things right otherwise they may all fall over."

The closure was announced by the Government in July last year, ending almost 18 months of uncertainty surrounding a strategic defence review that examined RAF Lyneham, RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall.

Last week, North Wiltshire MP James Gray unveiled a paper outlining a vision for the site of RAF Lyneham, which he and the Lyneham Task Group feel is the way forward after 2012.

The paper says the MoD must not allow Lyneham to lie idle, and that surplus parts of the site should be released when no longer in use.

It says any future use of the base must be carefully planned and subject to full and rigorous consultation with the local population, business and authorities.

The closure of the base is expected to be a hammer blow and could cost the area about £75 million.

"I will be interested to know what local people think this is an issue which concerns us all and it is vital that we get the views of the general public who will be most affected by the way in which Lyneham is used in the future," said Mr Gray.

"I will be very interested to hear from anyone who wishes to bring their own views on the paper to my attention," he added.

Group Captain Oborn said he welcomed the interest of the local community saying: "The Lyneham task group have come up with some very interesting ideas and I welcome the involvement of the local community which is extremely important."

The paper also welcomes the use of the airfield for employment development but only on those areas currently developed it is hoped the rest of base, which is largely open countryside, could revert to farmland.

The use of the base for future commercial aviation has not been ruled out although limits would be placed on the size of aircraft, and the number of flights to and from the airfield.

Anthony Osborne