Councillors have voted to officially enter the race to secure RAF Scampton, saying their plans for a centre of tourism, aviation and defence would transform Lincolnshire.
West Lindsey District Council says the former airbase near Lincoln could become a nationally important site for aircraft and drone testing once more, while also celebrating its RAF heritage.
Expressions of interest need to be submitted to the Home Office by Friday, 6 March, after which the government will ask for business plans and bids.
Councillors unanimously agreed to put the submission forward at a meeting on Monday, with some saying it was the “easiest decision” they had ever made.
If chosen by the government, the council would immediately sell the airbase to their development partner, Scampton Holdings, to begin work, potentially creating thousands of jobs.
Sally Grindrod-Smith, the council’s director of planning, regeneration and community, said: “There are huge possibilities for the site, specifically in the defence sector.
“A number of investors want to make Scampton their home and we would love to facilitate that. There would be significant career opportunities in defence, aviation, drone technology, science and engineering.”
Council leader Jackie Brockway said: “It’s hugely exciting to be getting closer and closer to an excellent outcome for West Lindsey.”
This is the second time the council has made an attempt to buy the site, with the first being derailed by the government’s asylum seeker housing plans in 2023.
The council took the government to the High Court to challenge this, and the plans were eventually abandoned by Labour 18 months ago.
Former Scampton resident Councillor Tom Smith said: “It’s been quite a ride, from the highs of nearly signing to the lows of the judicial review, and now to here.
“If we are successful, this will transform Lincolnshire, and its economy and wage bracket.
“This is one of the easiest decisions I’ve been asked to make as a councillor.”
Work on the plans has been underway since the government first announced its intention to close RAF Scampton back in 2019.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Leslie Rollings said she was disappointed by the delays but was optimistic about the future.
“It is one of the few places in the UK where satellites can be launched and aircraft can be built and tested due to its extra-long runway,” she said.
“It’s very disappointing that the Home Office wasted millions renting portacabins to put on the site, but this will transform West Lindsey and Lincoln over the coming decades.”
It’s hoped that the sale of the site will be completed by November 2026.
