Demolition of RAF base begins

Work has officially begun on demolishing RAF Locking - and is expected to finish in early 2004.

The former RAF training base near Weston-super-Mare was bought for £10m in 2002 as a joint venture between English Partnerships and the South West Regional Development Agency.

A total of 40 workers from Controlled Demolition have now begun pulling down most of the buildings on the 81 hectare site

They say that most of the material will be recycled, including concrete, masonry, steel, timber and glass

Although the exact use of the site post-demolition has not been decided, it is likely to be business-led.

It will also fit into Weston Visioning - a 20-year local partnership scheme to improve the town.