Infrastructure and homes hand in hand at proposed Oxfordshire new town

Plans have been unveiled to build a 6,000-home new town at a former RAF airfield in Oxfordshire, making it the first development that broadly follows the new Government’s New Towns Code in which emphasis is placed on infrastructure and public services.

Dorchester Living, developer of the proposed Heyford Park community, has submitted a scoping request to Cherwell District Council in advance of preparing a planning application for its new masterplan for the site near Bicester, which is located on the former cold war RAF Upper Heyford airfield.

As well as new homes, schools and a village centre consisting of a hotel, shops, dentist, barbers and pharmacy, the project includes a railway station and building an onshore wind turbine park.

Paul Silver, Chief Executive of Dorchester Living said, “In recent weeks the new Government has made clear that it is committed to enabling a major house building and infrastructure programme to deliver the homes and facilities that the country needs.

“A focus on brownfield-first development and the provision of high-quality, mixed-tenure homes sits at the heart of this, and we at Dorchester Living fully support its ambition and we are ready to play our role in helping to achieve it.

“There can be few better examples of what can be achieved when you combine a large brownfield site with strategic plan making and the close cooperation and engagement of multiple stakeholders and the local community than Heyford Park.

“Oxfordshire has a crippling housing crisis which is only getting worse.

“Heyford Park is perfectly placed to accommodate more growth – being a disused airfield – and our masterplan would not only deliver thousands of new mixed-tenure homes, but also jobs, commercial space and major new sustainable transport infrastructure. Equally important, it would breathe new life into the site, which has a vibrant military past.

“We are looking forward to working with Cherwell District Council as we further develop our masterplan proposals.”