Decision due on hundreds of new military homes

A decision on plans to build 265 homes for military personnel is due to be made.

On Monday, West Oxfordshire District Council's planning committee will decide whether to greenlight the development in Carterton near RAF Brize Norton, on an empty green space between Upavon Way and Northwood Crescent.

Developer Taylor Wimpey said that would provide "essential affordable housing" for military personnel who live and work away from their families.

Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & Berkshire West Integrated Care Board has objected to the plans, unless the developers contribute £240,140 towards a new GP in Carterton or another primary care project.

The development would include a mix of three and four bedroom homes, two-bedroom apartments and four-bedroom bungalows.

New access roads are planned from Upavon Way, along with 457 car parking spaces and one electric vehicle charging point per home.

The existing underpass on Upavon Way would be replaced with a signalised crossing, providing vehicles access from Northwood Crescent, as well as a community green space in the centre of the development.

There used to be homes on the same site which were used as "married quarters" for RAF Brize Norton, but they were demolished in 2008.

Taylor Wimpey and engineering company Galtec proposed the development on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

"Service personnel who work at RAF Brize Norton are housed in a variety of locations within a 20-mile radius of the base," a spokesperson for the developer said.

"At present there are 229 service personnel who are based at [RAF Brize Norton] who work and live away from their families."

They added that building the homes "will significantly reduce this number."

But the care board said in response to the application that the existing GP practices would not be able to accommodate more patients, and that there needed to be a new practice to cope with added demand.

Council planning officers have recommended the plans should be approved, subject to the developers making financial contributions and that clarifications to the road safety audit, flooding and infiltration had been made.

This includes the money requested for GP services, as well as £372,690 for expanding early years provision and £1,435,266 for expanding secondary schools.

The site was closed to the public on 5 January for clearance works in preparation for the new development.

Last year the government promised to build the homes on the site using the money it would save after the Ministry of Defence bought back more than 36,000 military houses from the private sector.

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