12 - 3 - 93 Air By DAVE WILSON The air force will close ram air base by December Most of Wigram's function: about half of its personnel w relocated to Woodbourne other bases, and the air may have to introduce a re dancy scheme for the remai The decision, expected to $20 million a year from Canterbury economy, was a pated after a base rationalis study conducted since last cember, and met a muted sponse from the 700 base pe nel when they were yesterday. The base commander, G Captain Gordon Wood, force to everyone fe Wig- of Wigram. 1995. "But we is and economic re rill be The decis and has been dri force cutting and sad about the en have to face the ealities of life." sion to close Wigram iven by Deience cost followed a cost study edun- that indicated it would cost twice inder. as much to relocate wood- • take bourne's facilities as it would to • the move Wigram's. intici- The air force said it would cost sation $34.5 million to relocate Wig- • De- ram's resources, compared with d re- $82 million to relocate Wooderson- bourne. told Annual savings from closing Wigram would be $10 million sroup compared with $7.5 million if said Woodbourne was closed. close Wi The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal John Hosie, said closing Wigram, the birthplace of military flying in New Zealand and the spiritual home of the air force, was a major wrench. "Wigram is where we started but the situation we face in the 1990s could not have been foreseen when Sir Henry Wigram set up the company that eventually would become the Royal New Zealand Air Force." Almost 550 permanent staff at Wigram will be affected by the closing. Of them, 268 will be posted to either Woodbourne, Auckland, or Ohakea, while 40 will remain to service the RNZAF Museum, the 3 Squadron gram by helicopter detachment, air force recruting, the Cadet forces, and Operation Deep Freeze. However, for 235 personnel at Wigram, there are no specific vacancies available. "A redundancy scheme for military personnel may be necessary." said an air force spokesman. About 50 civilian workers at Wigram will be surplus with the base's closing, according to the PSA's Christchurch regional secretary, Mr Paul Cochrane. He said it was hoped to keep as many people as possible in jobs, either by redeployment or retraining. "But it is inevitable a number of staff will be redundant." Open market sale of land u By DAVE WILSON Almost all of the 247ha of the air force base at Wigram will be disposed of when the base officially closes in late 1995. Apart from the Air Force Museum and adjacent hangars, which will be retained, all other facilities will be returned to the Commissioner of Crown Lands for disposal. However, the air force was unable to say last night whether the land and buildings would become availabie for purchase on the open market. • Accommodation blocks, surplus hangars, and all RNZAF housing both on the base and in nearby streets would be put up for Although Sir Henry Wigram made substantial personal donations to help the Government establish a military air base 1923. the land is legally owned by the Crown. The disposal process for it is laid down in the Public Works Act and includes determining ncertain whether there is any other public use for the land, or the offer of the land back to previous owners or their successors at the current market value. The Quigley Defence Review of 1988 estimated Wigram's market value at that time at $25 million. An air force spokesman said yesterday that any relevant Maori land claims might also have to be resolved in the disposai process. The spokesman said any future uses of Wigram would be determined by commercial interests in Canterbury, in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council. Under present zoning, Wigram is designated for air force use. with an underlying rural zoning When the RNZAF leaves Wigram, there is no automatic continuation of the existing aviation use. The spokesman said proceeds from the sale of housing and facilities would be returned to Defence, "for reinvestment in the Defence Force 1995 Wigram's Flying Training Wing will move to Ohakea by July. Wigram's two ground training schools and the Command Training School will move to Woodbourne, starting late next year. New accommodation and facilities at Woodbourne and Ohakea are expected to cost $32.5 million. The 3 Squadron Detachment of Iroquois helicopters will remain at Wigram in the meantime, although two of the four helicopters and some personnel return to Auckland this year. The Air Force Museum is likely to acquire adjacent hangars for expansion and restoration facilities. Mayor hopes for some air force use THE MAYOR of Christchurch, 1 Ms Vicki Buck, has resolved not to give up hope of retaining at least some air force functions at Wigram. Ms Buck said closing Wigram would cost more in the long term in both human and monetary terms than other options considered by the RNZAF. After studying the RNZAF report which recommended the closing of Wigram, she said there was a case for consolidating ground training in Canterbury, even if other functions were shifted to Woodbourne. The report, which considered four options, concluded that the closing of Wigram was the most favourable in the short and long term. Ms Buck said the option she favoured retained both the Wigram and Woodbourne bases, with flying training going to Ohakea. "I take some heart from the fact that there is now a ciear, identifiable alternative to the proposal that they (the air force) are putting forward." While her preferred option cost $16.618m to implement compared with $1.133m for the air force's choice, it would result in annual savings of $4.925m, compared with $2.438m if Wigram closed. Most savings would come from a reduction in staff numbers, with 130 posts abolished under Ms Buck's preferred option, compared with a total loss of 64 posts under the air force's choice. Net operating cost savings after 10 years would be $12.5m under the air force's choice, compared with $13.2m if ground training stayed at wigram. Ms Buck said the air force had admitted in the report that it had not considered the human cost of sing wigiam. They haven't taken into a at the impaci on any of th if of a move io Blenheim." By SUSAN COOK MS BUCK The member of Parliament for Yaldhurst, Mrs Margaret Austin, said Wigram seemed to have been singled out for closing because it would fetch more on the real estate market. The Wigram Airfield Development Group this week launched a petition asking that the runway remain. A spokesman for a consortium of aviation training and business interests, Mr Bob Davidson, said interest in retaining Wigram as a facility with an emphasis on advanced flight and ground training had come from Europe. Ms Buck said she would ask the city council's policy and resources committee to form a working party to consider future options for Wigram. She said the air force's decision to close Wigram was probably final. "I hate offering any faise hope to people."