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Fresh hope for RAF Cosford?
Thursday 3rd June 2010, 11:30AM BST.
There was fresh hope today for campaigners fighting to keep Shropshire’s RAF Cosford alive as a military base, writes London Reporter Sunita Patel.
David Cameron has announced that the award of a huge defence training project to another air force station in South Wales was under “review”.
The Prime Minister said an “incredibly strong case” had been made for the construction of a defence super-centre at RAF St Athan.
However, he stopped short of guaranteeing the £13bn project would get the green light from the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition.
Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard urged campaigners to seize the opportunity and write to Defence Secretary Liam Fox to make the case for RAF Cosford.
The future of the Shropshire airbase was put in doubt last year after the contract to become the principal training centre for all three armed forces – and with it, the creation of at least 2,500 jobs – was awarded to RAF St Athan.
Work is already under way at the Welsh site – with plans drawn up to move the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering (DCAE), currently at the Cosford airbase near Shifnal and providing training for aircraft engineers and tradesmen across the British armed forces to Wales from 2014.
However, a final decision by the Government on whether to go ahead with the academy was put back until after the General Election. The Conservatives promised a review of the transfer if it won power.
Pressed about the issue during Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday, Mr Cameron confirmed the project would form part of the coalition’s strategic defence review, which is expected to be driven by the need to scale back spending.
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