Government-backed group buys airfield for homes

The new partnership pledged to invest £115m into infrastructure at the 3,500-home development

Long-awaited plans to build 3,500 homes at a former World War Two airfield have moved forward after a government-backed group purchased the site.

The development at Bourn Airfield, on the edge of Cambourne, Cambridgeshire, was given the go-ahead last July after years of delays.

A new partnership of Homes England, Greycoat Real Estate and asset management company Oaktree has announced the purchase.

It comes amid wider plans for a growth corridor between Cambridge and Oxford, which Chancellor Rachel Reeves hoped would add £78bn to the UK economy.

About 40% of the homes at the airfield would be classed as "affordable".

The partnership said it would deliver £115m of investment towards infrastructure for the development, with the proposed Cambourne to Cambridge busway being "key".

RAF Bourn once housed heavy bombers for combat

RAF Bourn was used as a base by heavy bombers during World War Two, but in more recent times it has been a target for housing as the new town of Cambourne expands.

Plans to build homes on the site were first mentioned in South Cambridgeshire District Council's Local Plan in 2018.