THE redundant bunker complex at RAF Daws Hill will be demolished before the summer is out, subject to council consent.

The Ministry of Defence has written to Wycombe District Council seeking permission to bulldoze the bunker which includes a warehouse, a building hosting a generator, a tanks building and office facilities.

The complex would be returned to Wycombe Abbey School as grass under the plan, which the MoD hopes to execute over the spring/summer period.

RAF Daws Hill was sold to developer Taylor Wimpey in August but the firm leased back some of the 67 bungalows to the MoD until September this year to give the remaining service personnel time to move out (see links).

The 20 hectare site was used as a base for visiting American forces but had been mainly used for storage purposes in recent years.

The MoD is disposing of land it no longer requires and "this [sale] made good business sense for defence operations and to the taxpayer."

A spokesman for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation added: "We took the decision to sell this land and properties to significantly increase the value of the site.

"Personnel and their families have been consulted. The MoD has kept these personnel at the centre of our planning and they are being offered suitable alternative accommodation and financial assistance to move.

"The MOD has a duty to maximise the receipts from disposal of surplus land and property.

"This is good estate management and these funds help offset the cost of operations, and reduce the burden on the taxpayer.

"Our detailed study of the site led us to conclude that the whole of the base should be disposed of; given that the requirement for service homes there is predicted to reduce in the long term and the retention of the properties would significantly reduce the value of the land due to planning constraints."

The RAF Daws Hill sell off and the demolition of the bunker are two seperate projects, the MoD confirmed.