Plans submitted for new military housing

Plans to build 265 new homes in an Oxfordshire town which would be used as military housing have been submitted.

The homes would be built on an empty stretch of land between Upavon Way and Northwood Crescent in Carterton, which was once used as housing for RAF Brize Norton.

These homes, which were ‘married quarters’, were built in the 1960s and demolished in 2008.

The plans also include replacing the existing underpass on Upavon Way with a signalised crossing, providing vehicular access from Northwood Crescent, as well as a community green space in the centre of the development.

New access roads will also be built from Upavon Way, along with 457 car parking spaces and one EV charging point per home.

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

The applicant Taylor Wimpey said in their planning statement that the development would provide “essential affordable housing” for military personnel.

They added: “Service personnel who work at RAF Brize Norton are housed in a variety of locations within a 20-mile radius of the base.

“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.”

The plans were submitted to West Oxfordshire District Council, and comments can be submitted on the council’s planning portal under the reference number 25/02878/FUL.

In January, the Government promised to build the homes using the money it would save after the Ministry of Defence bought back more than 36,000 military houses from the private sector.