North Yorkshire Council’s Conservative leader Carl Les also confirmed he had written to both Skaith and Coles asking for an “urgent meeting” to discuss the concerns of Linton-on-Ouse residents.
In a statement, Les said the authority had “retained legal counsel to advise on options as we progress”.
“On behalf of all those raising concerns here, we will press government to reconsider this decision, engage meaningfully with us, with the aim that the Home Office come up with a more suitable solution,” Les said.
He added that North Yorkshire councillors and officers were meeting with Home Office officials who had said a decision on the future of the site would be made by the end of the year.
“We will seek to influence that consideration. It should be noted at this point that if they decide to proceed, we understand their plan will require planning permission, but it is unlikely this will be for North Yorkshire Council to determine,” Les explained.
A similar Home Office plan for the Linton-on-Ouse site was scrapped in 2022 after public protest and the threat of legal action.
At the time, then Conservative Defence Secretary Ben Wallace “withdrew” an offer to the Home Office for the site to be used.
The Home Office has been contacted for a response to Skaith’s and Coles’ comments about the plans for the former RAF Linton-on-Ouse site.
