An air base that will be phased out in coming years is set to be transformed into a new community containing 1,000 homes.

The RAF Halton base north of Wendover in the Aylesbury Vale currently serves as one of the largest Royal Air Force stations in the UK, with a history stretching back to WW1 when fighter pilots trained there. 

After WW1, the land was acquired by the government as a dedicated base to train pilots, with it being used during WW2 and for flight training ever since. 

But the site will cease to be a military base in 2027, clearing the way for a new community of hundreds of homes to be created there.

Now Buckinghamshire Council is moving ahead with planning for a future development on the land, which was discussed at a recent council meeting. 

Councillor Peter Strachan (Conservative, Wendover, Halton & Stoke Mandeville), the council's cabinet member for planning & regeneration, said: "The closure of RAF Halton offers an excellent opportunity for the development of a high-quality residential neighbourhood with associated infrastructure, services and facilities including a new local centre, a primary school, and enhanced green spaces.

“With at least 1,000 dwellings on the site (with a minimum of 250 of these being affordable housing), this will make a much-needed contribution to meeting the housing needs of Buckinghamshire residents via predominantly brownfield redevelopment whilst protecting other areas of Buckinghamshire from development."

RAF Halton was identified as a site for growth in the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan 2011-2031 (VALP) adopted in 2021.

Buckinghamshire Council has worked with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (part of the Ministry of Defence) on a set of objectives laying out the principles of the development site as it is transformed from military to residential use.

These are set out in a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which expands on the objectives previously set out in the VALP.

Cllr Strachan explained: “Our detailed SPD outlines the expectations and prerequisites for this project, ensuring that the new neighbourhood aligns with the desires and needs of both incoming residents and existing locals.”

He added that the SPD has the 'full support' of Halton Parish Council. 

The governing cabinet of Buckinghamshire Council, made up entirely of Conservatives, approved the SPD at a meeting on Tuesday, July 16. 

The approval of the document and planning strategy is subject to a member call-in period of three working days, which will be reached on Monday 22 July.