Alconbury airfield scheme to build 5,000 homes approved

The Alconbury Weald development stretches over a 1,400-acre site in Cambridgeshire

A scheme to build up to 5,000 homes at Alconbury airfield in Cambridgeshire has been approved by councillors.

Developer Urban&Civic has put forward the plans for the 1,400-acre (570 hectares) site which will include parks, schools and business facilities.

Huntingdonshire District Council's development panel approved the outline plans on Monday night.

The developer said it would be submitting detailed plans for the development early in 2014.

Robin Butler, managing director for Urban&Civic, the owners and developers of Alconbury Weald, said that with the committee's backing they "will now move forward with the timing and phasing of housing, schools, transport infrastructure, green space and community buildings for the site as a whole".

Officers said in a report to the council the employment and housing benefits offered by the development outweighed the loss of agricultural land.

The report added that a number of local parish councils had expressed concerns about the plans, with Alconbury Weston Parish Council recommending refusal.

The site was established as a military airfield in 1938 and was used by both the RAF and the USAAF. Flying ceased at the airfield in 1995.