About 200 US Base buildings face potential demolition -- although some will be spared if a use is found for them.

A further 40 odd buildings are to be "mothballed'' or put to immediate use.

The possible fate of the properties was revealed last week by Management and Technology Minister the Hon. Grant Gibbons.

"I should point out it is extremely unlikely the 200 buildings will be demolished,'' he said, adding uses were expected to be found.

He spoke out following fears bulldozers were preparing to move in to demolish every US Naval Air Station house.

They were raised this week by Ms Sheelagh Cooper, co-chairperson of the Coalition for the Protection of Children.

She said she had been told by a good source that 150 two-bedroom apartments, 50 two to three-bedroom homes, and several barracks faced demolition.

"I am extremely concerned,'' she said.

Ms Cooper believed the buildings could be used for low cost housing to assist hard-up families once the US military pulled out next year.

Children in poor and overcrowded living conditions were at much greater risk of abuse, she said.

She added: "I want to make it sure I am not hitting out at Government or accusing them of anything.

"It is important to me that the kind of consultation that was promised about the use of the space takes place before anything irreparable is done.'' But Dr. Gibbons emphasised: "The point I would like to make is that there are no plans for bulldozers to suddenly start demolishing the properties.'' He said Government was drawing up a master plan for the Base buildings.

And about 200 of them had been placed in the category of "inactive to demolition.'' "There are a number of residential units which clearly should not be maintained.

"They are built very flimsily and need to be evacuated in high winds. The cost of maintaining them would be very expensive.

"These multi-family units are of wooden construction. I don't know off hand how many there are of them, but there are quite a few.'' He added a Post Office at the site was one of the properties slated for demolition.

Dr. Gibbons said some 40 properties were to be kept in an "active'' or "mothballed'' state.

He pointed out costs were a major factor in deciding what to do with the 268 Base buildings.

An original Government plan for the buildings -- under which far fewer would have been left to deteriorate -- had been too costly.

A Canadian consultant had found it would cost $15 million a year to maintain the Base infrastructure Government initially wanted to keep.

Another $10 million would have to be spent on repairs.

In contrast, the contract to operate the Airport itself was priced at just over $4 million a year.

The Hon. Grant Gibbons