Government plans to build homes on airfield land

Thousands of homes could be built on a Cambridgeshire airfield as part of government plans to use Ministry of Defence (MoD) land.

The government announced it intended to deliver the new homes at Wyton, near Huntingdon, as part of a new partnership between the MoD and Homes England.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: "For too long, surplus government-owned sites have gone underused, but they are a huge untapped resource that could create opportunities for the next generation of homeowners."

There are further plans to build several thousand homes on sites in north Yorkshire and Nottingham in the coming years.

Wyton has been considered for housing in previous years.

In 2016, a scoping report was submitted to Huntingdonshire District Council, which suggested thousands of homes could be built at the airfield, alongside a care home and schools.

A withdrawn planning application in 2019 also wanted to build 700 new homes, some shops and a community hub.

Most recently, the airfield was put forward as a suggested development site to be included in the district council's new local plan, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The submission made during the authority's call for sites said about 4,500 homes could be built, alongside other facilities.

In the government's plans, some of the homes are expected to be for troops, their families and veterans.

Defence Secretary John Healey said: "This heralds a new, trailblazer approach to the use of public land which will not be a fire sale of public assets, but a truly cross-government effort to remove blockers, deliver homes and boost growth."

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