RAF Fylingdales is set to receive the highest honour that can be bestowed by Whitby Town Council in recognition of its role in Britain’s defence and its links to the town.
Councillors will meet later to consider granting the base on the North York Moors the Honorary Freedom of the Town of Whitby.
Although such honours are often awarded to individuals, they can also be conferred on military establishments in recognition of their collective service.
The council said the award would recognise the station’s “distinguished service” and close association with Whitby over more than six decades.
If approved, the honour would formally recognise a relationship that has seen “generations of service personnel, civilian staff and their families” live and work in Whitby and the surrounding area, a town council report said.
A council spokesperson said the Freedom of the Town was traditionally granted to military units and establishments in recognition of their service and enduring relationship with a community.
“Although individual personnel will change over time, the honour remains with the military unit or establishment to which it has been granted,” they said.
The same honour was recently granted to the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), which held a Freedom Parade through Whitby this summer.
