THE Grade II-listed officers mess at RAF Brampton could become an hotel after the base closes in the next few years. Intensive work can already be seen at RAF Wyton, where tower cranes are in use to prepare the site for the transfer of operations to the

THE Grade II-listed officers' mess at RAF Brampton could become an hotel after the base closes in the next few years.

Intensive work can already be seen at RAF Wyton, where tower cranes are in use to prepare the site for the transfer of operations to the other side of Huntingdon.

Much of the Wyton activity - it was the headquarters of the MOD's defence logistics organisation - has already been transferred to Bristol and elsewhere in the south-west.

Marshall Aerospace has also ruled out the Huntingdonshire base as a possible replacement for its Cambridge Airport site, on which planners want thousands of homes built.

But Brampton has been declared surplus to MOD needs and, while the final closure date of 2011/12 could slip a bit, the Government will be anxious to dispose of the site to developers as soon as possible as contribution to reducing the Treasury's deficit.

Although there are no details yet, the mixed-use future of the site was all but sealed last year when Government planning inspectors endorsed Huntingdonshire District Councils core planning strategy.

That envisages additional housing at the site of the RAF's former Strike Command headquarters, along with employment uses, including a possible hotel in the officers' mess, planners believe.

A Defence Estates spokesman told The Hunts Post: "The disposal date is currently expected to be December 2013. Defence Estates representatives recently met representatives from Huntingdonshire District Council to discuss plans for the site. We will continue to work with the council to develop the plans.