Residents of a historic Oxfordshire village, known as the repatriation point for UK servicemen and women killed overseas, fear their community will be 'swallowed up' by a massive housing expansion. Brize Norton, home to the largest RAF base in the UK, faces plans for 2,700 new homes, with additional proposals for over 3,000 more dwellings.
Village identity at risk
Kate Grant, 66, who has lived in Brize Norton since age three, is horrified by the proposals. 'This for me is home, and the idea of being surrounded by all the new houses is appalling,' she said. 'My biggest worry is the infrastructure. We won't be a village anymore.'
Residents claim that previous developments have not delivered promised amenities, and local businesses have shut. Healthcare services are also under strain, with no new facilities built despite 700 new homes already constructed.
Developer plans
Developer KSW is proposing New Astrop, a 280-hectare development between Brize Norton and the A40, including a 120-bed care home, a country park, 12 hectares of employment land, and a relief road. A separate proposal for 2,500 homes off Burford Road is also in the works.
Already approved are the 350-home Kilkenny Farm development and a 265-home military housing project. Paul Hughes of Carterton accused developers of 'fast forwarding' major projects, saying, 'Brize Norton will effectively disappear as a standalone historic village.'
Infrastructure concerns
Rob Phair, 46, an aircraft engineer, said the village has become 'just a housing estate.' He highlighted flooding and sewage issues following the Brize Meadows development of nearly 800 homes. Alice Green, 83, noted that heavy rain prevents residents from using washing machines due to drainage problems.
Mother Jodie Hughes, 37, is worried about the impact on local wildlife and her children's school, which faces relocation and expansion. 'All the fields have been built up on,' she said.
West Oxfordshire District Council is reviewing a scoping report from KSW. Public comments can be submitted online using reference 26/01289/SCOPE.
