PLANS for a "communications hub" at an RAF base in the region are on hold - after the money was spent revamping a runway in Scotland instead.

About 650 personnel were expected to start moving to RAF Leeming, in North Yorkshire, within weeks as part of making it the headquarters of 90 Signals Unit.

The announcement, last year, was a shot in the arm for the base, near Northallerton, which was threatened by the 2005 decision not to deploy the Joint Combat Aircraft (JCA) there.

However, the Ministry of Defence has now admitted Leeming's accommodation will not be ready for the new staff for at least another year.

Instead of being spent on new homes for the communications experts, the money was allocated to refurbishing the runway at RAF Leuchars, in Scotland.

Anne McIntosh, Conservative MP for Vale of York, said she was "disappointed and concerned" by the announcement, which was made in a parliamentary statement to MPs.

She said: "RAF Leeming is extremely important in terms of jobs and its contribution to the local economy. It even has its own school.

"I will be very disappointed and concerned if there is any change to the RAF's plans and it is something I will be keeping a very close watch on."

However, an MoD spokeswoman said the move to Leeming would start a year late, in the summer of 2008, and would be completed the following summer.

She added: "There is no threat to the creation of the communications hub at RAF Leeming. It has just slipped by one year."

The statement, by Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram, said about 90 communications staff at RAF High Wycombe were still on schedule to move to Leeming this year.

But he added: "There will now be a phased relocation of personnel from RAF Brize Norton, beginning in summer 2008, as technical and domestic accommodation becomes available."

Leeming's role will to maintain communications for RAF operations abroad, although it will also work with the other military services, government departments and US Air Force.

The unit was to have been based at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, until it was found the cost of redeveloping that station was too high.

Using buildings vacated by a disbanded Tornado squadron, it has about 150 personnel on the base, with that number expected to rise to 850. Until recently, 1,700 military and civilian staff worked at the 1940-built base.