Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 25. Mars 1997 / Time Line March 25, 1997
Version 3.503/25/1997
GREENHAM COMMON AIRBASE PURCHASED FOR £7 MILLION
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=16026
Tuesday 25 March 1997
Today (Tuesday) is the end of an era in Newbury, when the Greenham
Common Trust become the new owners of the former Greenham Common
airbase.
The signing of the contract to complete the transfer of ownership
to Greenham Common Trust was conducted in a special ceremony at the
airbase today, between representatives of the Ministry of Defence,
Greenham Common Trust and Newbury District Council.
The over 840 acres of land and one million square feet of buildings
in New Greenham Business Park, in which more than 500 people are
currently employed, now become the property of the Newbury-based
Greenham Common Trust. The Trust was founded by its chairman Sir
Peter Michael CBE in 1994, with the principal objective of managing
the open land and business park for the benefit of the local
community.
The Greenham Common Trust is a unique partnership between the
private and public sector. The £7 million purchase price has
been funded largely by a loan from Barclays Bank and enables the
Common land and open areas to be returned immediately to the
Newbury District Council for a nominal sum. It is the intention,
once restoration and safety measures have taken place, that part of
the perimeter fence will be taken down to provide open access to
areas of the Common land. The Special Sites of Scientific Interest
and conservation areas will be retained and managed for future
generations to enjoy.
The restoration costs and improved infrastructure plans, including
the provision of six new buses into the Newbury transport system,
will be assisted by revenue from the Trust's business park rentals
and land sales. Surplus funds will be distributed to charities
selected by a panel of Trustees, who include Lord Porchester.
Greenham Common Trust's chairman, Sir Peter Michael explained how
the purchase came about. "The airbase closed in September 1992 and
it then took over three years of hard work by a group of business
people and representatives of Newbury District Council, to
negotiate the purchase from the Minsitry of Defence. We are
delighted that this unique partnership between the private and
public sector enables us to move forward into an era of prosperity
for this large area, which has considerable commercial,
recreational and environmental potential. By creating a special
Trust structure we have ensured the areas remain as one and are
managed for the good of the Newbury community," he said.
The Greenham Common Trust is a charity and neither the board nor
the shareholders are paid, nor is there an opportunity for any
individual to profit. The Trust itself is made up of four trustees,
who include Lord Porchester and Lady Knill and six board members,
who include Sir Peter Michael, Sir Gerald Whent, Vodaphone Group
plc and Mr John Webb of Bayer UK. The management group comprises
eight Newbury business and professional people.
There are already 100 businesses operating from New Greenham Park
in a variety of buildings, from single offices to giant hangars,
remaining from its former use as an airbase. The Trust has also
announced that it is anticipated that an Enterprise centre will be
built in New Greenham Park to assist businesses in their initial
stages of growth. This project has already won £750,000 of
European KONVER funding which is awarded to areas previously with a
large sector of defence related employment.
Two recent surveys of possible radioactive contamination gave the
site a clean bill of health last month and the successful result
was a condition of the final purchase. Work to remove the runway is
now taking place and the concrete extracted is being recycled for
use in local construction work, such as the Newbury by-pass
project.
Mr Stuart Tagg, head of Legal Services at Newbury District Council
commented: "The Greenham Trust project is now poised to become an
exciting and innovative model for business in the next millennium
and will be able to be repeated in a wide range of different
situations. It harnesses the best that the private, public and
voluntary sectors have to offer and turns their joint efforts to
the good of the community. Over the next few years, we will see the
restoration and ecological improvement of the open areas before
they are returned to community use."
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