THE Ministry of Defence has provisionally sold a former RAF base near Tadcaster for an undisclosed sum.

Commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton said an offer had been accepted for the RAF Church Fenton site, with completion expected by the end of the year.

A spokeswoman said it was too early in the process to give any indication as to who had bought the site, what they intended to do with it and for how much it was sold.

"We will have to wait until all legal matters are concluded before we can release any further details," she said.

Defence chiefs decided to close the base as part of a range of cost-cutting measures.

Armed Forces Minister Andrew Robathan confirmed its fate last year in a written statement to Parliament about the Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review.

He said Church Fenton was no longer required because of “reductions in the flying training pipeline" and units based there, including the Yorkshire University Air Squadron, would relocate to other bases.

Church Fenton housed the first RAF Eagle Squadron of American volunteers in 1940 and provided protection for industrial heartlands in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Humberside during the Second World War. It had opened three years previously and some of the squadrons based there flew the famed de Havilland Mosquito fighter.

It retained its status as a fighter base after the war, but by the 1960s it was primarily used for training purposes. Much of the base has become derelict and been fenced off over the last 20 years, although its operational airfield, runway, hangars and administrative and air traffic control buildings remain for training purposes.

In April 2012, a planning application for up to 65 homes and a commercial development at the base was turned down by Selby District Council.

But developers unveiled fresh plans in August last year to build 65 new homes, saying they would transform the site into a sustainable, vibrant and distinctive residential community.

The proposals were later approved by council planners, who said rejection could leave the site derelict for many years.