Plans for 9,000 homes on former RAF base submitted

How the development might look including a large park around the 1.8 mile (3km) runway

Plans for up to 9,000 homes at a former air base that was used by the US Air Force during the Cold War, have been submitted.

Developer Dorchester Living wants to build the new town, which could become one of Oxfordshire's largest, at what used to be RAF Upper Heyford near Bicester.

The company said its submission to Cherwell District Council was "just the start of the long-term vision for a vibrant, inclusive and active community" that could be home to more than 25,000 people.

But campaigners said the proposals were "over ambitious" and unwanted.

Under the proposals around 30% of the 9000 homes would be affordable as part of a "self-sufficient, sustainable settlement", Dorchester Living said.

The development would also see 900 assisted living units, 180 homes for key workers and include new schools, community facilities, employment space and extensive green infrastructure.

Dorchester Living said it would create a "vibrant, inclusive and active community"

There are also plans for an upgrade to Heyford Train Station, improvements to the Cherwell Valley Line between Banbury and Didcot and an ambition in the future to reopen Ardley Station, which closed in the 1960s.

Paul Silver, CEO of Dorchester Living, said their goal was to deliver a place that "not only provides homes and jobs but supports a way of life that is healthier, greener and genuinely future proof".

RAF Upper Heyford was used by the US Air Force during the Cold War, with about 18,000 American airmen based there at its peak

Campaigner Martin Lipson, who is chair of the Mid Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum, said local people did not want such a development built in the countryside.

More than 1,200 homes have already been constructed at nearby Heyford Park, alongside a school, a supermarket, a pharmacy, and a hotel.

"A small-ish development at Heyford Park has been acceptable for years" he said, but the scale of ambition here is just really over the top".

"Of course we need new homes, especially affordable ones, but this isn't the right place for such a large development."

Calum Miller, MP for Bicester and Woodstock, said he was concerned about the potential volume of development in the area.

French theme park company Puy du Fou wants to build a £600m history-based attraction by Bucknell. There is also a rail freight interchange planned for Ardley and new warehousing at Baynards Green.

Mr Miller said: "I am pressing all the developers and the government to make sure that no development happens without first putting in place the roads, public transport, water and energy connections, schools and health services our communities need," he added.

If approved by Cherwell District Council, work on the new proposals could begin in 2026.