Villagers in Down Ampney, located near RAF Fairford, have expressed serious concerns regarding plans to build a new garden village comprising approximately 1,600 homes beneath the flight path of US military bombers.
Cotswold District planners have identified Down Ampney as one of ten strategic locations suitable for sustainable housing development, with an allocation of 1,658 homes scheduled to be constructed over the next twenty years. This forms part of the council’s broader blueprint for development extending to 2043, aiming to provide land for 18,900 new homes across the district.
However, local residents, who currently endure significant noise and vibration disturbance due to frequent flights of American long-range bombers from the nearby airbase, have questioned the site’s suitability on both safety and wellbeing grounds.
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David Eglise, Chairman of the Down Ampney Parish Council, addressed these issues during a council meeting on August 3. He emphasised that the proposed development lies directly beneath the operational flight path of RAF Fairford, a strategic US military airbase that serves aircraft such as the B1B and B52 bombers.
“Existing residents already experience intense aircraft noise and vibration disturbances, yet we are being asked to approve this site without having key concerns addressed,” Mr Eglise stated.
He highlighted evidence from the World Health Organisation linking aircraft noise to sleep disturbances and adverse health effects, questioning whether there is sufficient evidence that future residents would enjoy a healthy and acceptable living environment at this location.
Safety concerns were raised regarding the increased risk associated with placing homes beneath an active flight path. He noted that government policy typically restricts development around runway approaches due to the heightened accident risk during take-off and landing.
Mr Eglise queried whether an independent risk assessment has been conducted to evaluate the implications of situating thousands of residents under RAF Fairford’s flight paths. He also pointed out an inconsistency: although RAF Fairford’s operations influence land and drainage design to mitigate risks such as bird strikes, these considerations do not appear to influence decisions on whether new development should be permitted at all.
“Additionally,” he said, “a settlement of this scale will fundamentally alter Down Ampney’s character and exert substantial pressure on local infrastructure, including roads, schools, healthcare, and other essential services.”
He questioned if the council possesses evidence demonstrating that placing over 1,600 homes beneath the operational flight path qualifies as sustainable development, and whether any independent assessments will be conducted and published.
Adam Crawford, fellow parish councillor, also spoke at the meeting, noting that RAF Fairford lacks an official military airfield noise map. He emphasised that this airfield is unique in the UK as it does not have such a map despite hosting high-intensity operations involving loud aircraft such as the United States Air Force B-52H Stratofortress and the supersonic B1B Lancer heavy bombers.
Mr Crawford mentioned that on July 30, local MP Roz Savidge wrote to the Defence Secretary urging the urgent creation of a military airfield noise map to reflect the severe operational noise. He called on the council to suspend progression of the Down Ampney housing allocation until the Ministry of Defence completes and publishes this crucial environmental safety data, allowing it to be fully assessed.
In response, Andrew Maxted, interim head of planning policy and infrastructure for Cotswold District Council, confirmed that ongoing consultations with the Ministry of Defence have not resulted in any objections to the Down Ampney site.
He explained that developments exceeding 1,500 homes are considered garden villages, which typically include provisions for schools and local centres. Such a development, he stated, would be more sustainable than a series of smaller, dispersed housing developments.
The debate over the proposed 1,600-home garden village at Down Ampney continues, with community safety, environmental impact, and quality of life concerns at the forefront of local discussion.