A MILITARY technical centre will occupy RAF Lyneham as soon as the current base closes, it has been announced – allaying fears that Lyneham could become a ghost village.

Businesses and councillors had worried that there could be a gap of up to two years when local firms would suffer and services would be affected.

However, the Ministry of Defence revealed on Thursday night that some personnel will move in straight away in 2013 once the RAF officially leaves in December 2012.

Captain John Sunderland, chief of staff for the defence technical training change programme team in London, revealed the news at a meeting of the Lyneham Steering Group, at the base.

Group chairman Toby Sturgis, Wiltshire Council’s cabinet member for waste, property and development control services, said: “It’s all good news that once the RAF move out at the end of 2012, there will still be people there and it won’t be closed down and empty.

“There had always been a worry that from the time the RAF moved out to the time when this project started, there could be a two-year gap – and the answer we have been given is people will move in straight away.

“It will not be fully occupied, I fully accept that, but some occupation is far better than having an empty base. An empty base doesn’t help the economy, it doesn’t give a good impression of the area, and it impacts on schools and all the services.”

At present, colleges and training centres across the country teach personnel from all three military services.

The move will mean thousands of personnel from the services will be located at the base to learn all the technical skills they need, including vehicle maintenance, engineering and IT. Training is often provided by civilians, who would move into the area. The centre will use some of the existing buildings and new ones will also be built.

Coun Sturgis said: “Once it’s all up and running and it’s fully occupied, it will bring far more into the economy of the area than the RAF did with the Hercules, because basically the training will be there the whole time, whereas the personnel based at Lyneham were often out of the country.

“There will be far more personnel there as well. There will be all the training staff and the maintenance staff and everything, as well as the trainees. Once it’s up and running, 20,000 trainees will go through it in a year.”

The news has also been welcomed by Jennifer Shah, the wife of tycoon Eddy Shah, who always wanted a continued military presence at the base, but also drew up back-up plans to build an eco-village at the site, including up to 1,000 homes and a theme park.

Jennifer, who is also the co-owner of The Wiltshire hotel and leisure club, near Lyneham, said business had reduced due to the relocation of staff at Lyneham.

She said: “It’s the best news we could have.”