2 October 2018
A new village of 3,500 houses looks likely to be built on Bourn Airfield following the South Cambridgeshire and Cambridge City Local Plan being approved by government inspectors.
Another 16,000 houses are also in the Local Plan, spread around various sites in Cambridgeshire.
Developer Countryside has submitted a planning application to develop the 210 hectare Bourn Airfield site, located west of Cambridge and adjacent to the A14 dual carriageway.
Bourn is a former WWII airfield, and now has a mixture of farming, commercial uses and flying club, the Rural Flying Corps, operating what’s left of the airfield.
Bourn Airfield as it is now and…
… this is how developers expect it to look with 3,500 houses
There’s a nod to Bourn’s WWII past in the shape of Runway Park, an
open spaces in Countryside’s masterplan. Runway Park is a formally designed, linear park which will reflect the shape of one of the existing runways.
“There is a massive need for more housing in Cambridgeshire,” said Andrew Taylor, director at Countryside. “By building at scale, we can also provide the infrastructure such as schools and transport that are needed to support new communities and which benefit the whole area.”
Not everyone agrees with the development however, saying it will “destroy the countryside”. StopBAD is the local campaign group.
Caldecote residents reporting that archaeological dig at #BournAirfield started in Aug for @CountrysideProp involved digging trenches and then filling them in again with no investigation done. Does anyone know what happened? Pls RT
— StopBAD (@StopBAD) September 20, 2018
6 comments
I think it is a disgrace that airfields are used for housing as there is much other suitable space for housing. Thanks airfield once gone can never be replaced and the prospect is that the future will be more aviated related with the introduction of flying cars etc. etc. Houses can be built on land that is neither suitable for agriculture nor aviation. Disgraceful and disrespectful to all those that used it during the war.
Well said, I can’t agree with you any more.
It seems common to have ‘archaeological digs’ on airfields to stop them being used. They used the same excuse to dig up Panshanger. Shame as Bourn was a great airfield and developers already have Cambourne next door to develop…
I agree with all the above comments.
Despite all the talk, seems we’re pissing into wind, guys.
What you’ve got to understand is that logical argument from aviation people just goes straight over their heads. They have no connection, relationship or historical interest in such sites. Just more money for the developers and more rateable income for the councils is their aim.
Who gives a monkey’s f*ck about countryside or historical prominence. It’s a “Brown field” site, courtesy of that twit, John Prescott, and whether it’s more “green” than a pig farm next door is purely academic. If historically it had been a Roman site, all the excreta from “next door” would hit the fan !
What’s wrong with all the countless fields just a across the road to the north. Its the same location but doesn’t wreck a historical site.
, and something we use.
What would it take to stop this development?