The October newsletter from the HCA about its ambitions to deliver a new community on part of the Chalgrove Airfield site.

1. Update from the Homes
and Communities Agency
A new future for
Chalgrove Airfield
Since our last newsletter in September,
a number of people have asked us
about what infrastructure support will
be provided for the new community at
the Chalgrove Airfield site.
Our role in delivering new communities across
England means that we understand the vital role
that infrastructure provision will play in providing
better roads, transport and utilities needed to
support growth.
We are working to identify what would be needed at
the site and the wider area, and the funding required
to provide this. Although detailed proposals are still
to be formed, local people have already provided us
with important information which is being used to help
shape these.
We have heard how the housing developments already
planned for local villages close to Chalgrove will be
built without matching investment in infrastructure,
and the traffic problems this will cause.
The HCA is looking at an area-wide package of
investment of more than £100m in road improvements
and public transport in South Oxfordshire to serve
the proposed new community at Chalgrove. This
‘infrastructure first’ approach will also help tackle the traffic
problems which local people tell us are set to happen given
housing development about to be built in neighbouring villages.
HCA’s infrastructure first approach will also play a major role in
connecting Chalgrove to, and supporting planned employment
growth at, places like the Oxford Business and Science Parks,
and Culham Science Centre. Around 3,600 new jobs are
planned in these areas over the next 10-15 years.
Any infrastructure would be designed in a way which
recognises and preserves the rural character of this part of
South Oxfordshire.
HCA’s package of infrastructure improvements could include:
• Investment in a new bus rapid transit route from Chalgrove
to serve the major employment growth areas to the south
of Oxford, including a route to Culham Science Centre.
• Investment to enable delivery of the Clifton Hampden
bypass to support major job growth at Culham.
• A package of road improvements and new provision at
Watlington, Benson, Stadhampton and Little Milton. This will
also play an important role in tackling heavy goods vehicle
traffic that already causes major problems in these villages.
David Warburton, HCA head of area,
said: “We know investment will be
required to ensure that the new
community at Chalgrove is well
connected. We will make the resources
available to deliver this, as we have
done on similar developments.
“Local people will play a key role in
helping us identify what infrastructure is needed and we are
committed to working with them to achieve this.”
Find out more about how you can get involved on page 3.
Email: chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk | Facebook www.facebook.com/chalgroveairfield | Project website: www.chalgroveairfield.gva.co.uk
Inside:
Creating a connected community
Find out more at our ‘drop in’ session
Your questions answered
October 2016
green belt
employment growth points
existing towns and villages
highway improvement and
traffic mitigation
new Bus Rapid Transit
Regional road investment strategy
5 miles0
Chalgrove
Oxford Business
Park
Oxford
Science Park
Culham Science
Centre
Proposed infrastructure investment corridors

2. Email: chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk | Facebook www.facebook.com/chalgroveairfield | Project website: www.chalgroveairfield.gva.co.uk
Our vision for Chalgrove Airfield
The HCA’s vision for Chalgrove Airfield site includes:
• 3,500 new and affordable homes as part of a thriving mixed development;
• Employment space for business to invest and grow;
• Community and leisure facilities, schools and medical centres;
• Improved open green spaces; and
• Better infrastructure, improved public transport and cycle routes
Creating a connected community
The location of the Chalgrove Airfield site makes it extremely
well placed to support the employment growth planned for
the south of Oxford and wider South Oxfordshire.
As this image shows, the Chalgrove Airfield site is around
6.5 miles by road from the major employment growth areas
located south of Oxford. People who live in the north of the
City, in places like Summertown, already travel similar distances
to reach the two main employment growth areas, at the
southern edge of Oxford. We have given a great deal of thought
to how the new community at the Chalgrove Airfield site will
connect with and support places where future employment
growth is planned.
Our infrastructure investment package detailed on page 1 sets
out some of the measures we are looking at.
We know that very significant up-front investment in transport
and infrastructure is needed and we are committed to providing
the right support to enable this to happen.
We will continue to work with local people and other
government bodies to ensure that the new community at the
Chalgrove Airfield site is well designed, well connected and
sustainable.
Farringdon
Wantage
Didcot
Abingdon Chalgrove
Watlington
Wallingford
Thame
Oxford Business Park
Oxford Science Park
Culham Science Centre
Oxford
green belt
housing sites
• strategic housing
• existing allocations
• SODC core strategy
Chalgrove Airfield
employment growth points
5 miles0
5
0
Future growth - to the South and South-East Oxford
• Oxford can grow within its urban boundaries.
• It can also grow beyond the green belt in places like Chalgrove.
Areas of housing and employment growth

3. Find out more at our ‘drop in’ session
Local people have an important role in helping to shape
proposals for the new community at the Chalgrove Airfield site.
We hope you can join us at our ‘drop-in’ session on 1st
November at Chalgrove Village Hall, between 4pm and 8pm.
Members of the project team will be available to share, listen
and discuss the key aspects of the proposed development as
we work towards the Enquiry by Design event in January 2017.
Don’t worry if you can’t make the ‘drop-in’ event. We will keep
you informed via our monthly Newsletter; the project website
www.chalgroveairfield.gva.co.uk and on our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/chalgroveairfield. And you can send
your comments and questions to our dedicated email
address chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk.
An important way to ensure your voice is heard is to take part
in the Enquiry by Design briefing in December, and the main
event in January. Enquiry by Design is a design and planning
workshop that is open to all. Both these events will also be held
in Chalgrove Village Hall, with all interests represented to ensure
views are heard, debated, understood and the outcomes drawn
and tested. The dates are below.
Enquiry by Design Briefing
5 December 2016
Enquiry by Design Event
19-23 January 2017
Email: chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk | Facebook www.facebook.com/chalgroveairfield | Project website: www.chalgroveairfield.gva.co.uk
A new future for
Chalgrove Airfield

4. Your questions answered
Here are answers to some questions you have asked since
our last newsletter was distributed. If you have others drop
us an email at chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk
Q: What are you planning to do at Chalgrove Airfield?
A: Having taken ownership from the Ministry of Defence,
the HCA wants local people to help shape its plans for the
site. HCA’s vision is to create a new community with homes,
jobs, schools, local facilities and high quality open space
in a way that would open up the land to the public for the
first time in more than 70 years. We will continue to provide
opportunities for people to get involved. More details can
be found in this Newsletter and on our dedicated Facebook
page www.facebook.com/chalgroveairfield
Q: Why are you proposing to do this here?
A: Part of the HCA’s role is to support the delivery of
new homes on publicly owned sites which are surplus to
requirements. South Oxfordshire needs many more homes
than are currently being built in the District.
Q: What will you do about the traffic impact?
A: We will work with local people and other government
bodies to ensure that the new community at Chalgrove will
be well designed, well connected and sustainable. As a
major landowning government body, we have considerable
experience in developments of this nature and regularly
work with partners to ensure that the right infrastructure
is provided first. These proposals will be discussed with
local people through the public engagement events we are
holding over the next few months.
Q: When are these events?
A: We are organising a drop-in session for the public on
1st November, between 4pm and 8pm (see page 3 for
more details). We will also be contacting people who have
expressed an interest in our Enquiry by Design events, both
the briefing on the 5 December, and the main event which
will be held over five days from 19 to 23 January 2017.
Q: Who can I contact for more information?
A: We have a dedicated email address that people can use
at chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk. We aim to respond to queries
within a week, although detailed questions may take longer
to answer.
Keep in touch:
Lead responsibility for the Chalgrove Airfield sites rests with David Warburton,
Head of Area at the Homes and Communities Agency.
For further information:
Email: chalgrove@hca.gsi.gov.uk
Project website: www.chalgroveairfield.gva.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/chalgroveairfield
The Site