RAF Locking was opened as a training unit in 1937. The Technical Site of RAF Locking, as distinct from the RAF Weston-super-Mare airfield about a mile away was the home of the No. 1 Radio School RAF, until its relocation in 1998 to RAF Cosford.
21st century
The base was bought by the South West of England Regional Development Agency and the agencyEnglish Partnerships from the Ministry of Defence in 2002. The agencies and North Somerset Council intend to attract high-tech companies to the site. In October 2006, Oxford Instruments Plasma Technology became one of the first such companies to announce its move there. Proposals are under consideration for an employment and residential development for the site that could deliver of employment space and up to 1,800 new homes. In July 2011, North Somerset Council gave planning permission for the £50 million LeisureDome, which was to contain a indoor ski slope, a climbing wall, a vertical wind tunnel for indoor skydiving, indoor surfing, a BMX track, a health and fitness club, and a number of shops and restaurants. Construction was planned to finish in early 2013, but in 2015 the future of the project was in doubt because of the need for additional funding, and no mention of the LeisureDome proposals appear on the information provided by St. Modwen Properties, the developers about their plans for Locking Parklands as the site is now known. In 2011, a housing development known as Parklands Village was proposed and eventually went ahead. Monument 2018 The Dedication of the Monument was held at 14.00hrs on Wednesday, 18 July 2018, at Locking Parklands. There were some 70 attendees including: 25 RAFLAA members and wives; the Mayor of Weston-Super-Mare; Chairman of Locking Parish Council; St Modwen Southwest Regional Director; St Modwen Senior Development Manager; Representative from Homes England; Branch Secretary of W-s-M RAFA; Squadron Leader John Clark ex-Flight Commander, RAF Locking. The monument itself is situated across the road from the new community facility, otherwise known as the Radio Wing, also paying homage to the site’s history. The structure was designed by former apprentices Richard Atkinson, Tony Horry and Peter Crowe, and features the apprentice wheel – a brass propeller worn by young RAF recruits.
