IN what Amesbury Mayor Richard Crook described as a strident example of 'democracy in action', people crowded into Antrobus House, Amesbury, for a meeting on Boscombe Down's bid to house the RAFs new tanker fleet.

But the talk was of the 'silent majority' and whether or not they supported a project that would underpin the future of the ailing base while at the same time resulting in increased aircraft noise.

An impromptu show of hands, at the request of a member of the public, revealed an approximate 50-50 split in the opinion of those present.

Air Commodore Nigel Wood, director of air operations at the base, said: "I would appeal to the silent majority out there: if you feel that this is something that may be acceptable, be vociferous in your comments."

Salisbury MP Robert Key, who organised and chaired the meeting, spoke of the "tremendous potential" offered by the site for non-military development.

"It has been suggested to me that there would be far more jobs provided by such development than could be provided by continuing military use," he said.

Bob Lunn, site director at Boscombe Down, spoke candidly of the need to attract new projects to maintain the financial viability of the base.

Mr Lunn appeared sanguine about Dera's prospects of winning the tanker project. But he emphasised that should the bid fail, it would not result in the automatic closure of Boscombe Down.