Aviation safety concerns over proposed development

An airport has warned that plans to build wind turbines at a proposed housing development pose risks to aviation safety.

Former RAF Upper Heyford, near Bicester, is the proposed site of 9,000 new homes.

London Oxford Airport, which is located about 10 miles (16km) from the site, has objected to plans to build three wind turbines at the site, that it says would have the potential to "interfere with radar and instrument flight procedures".

Developer Dorchester Living says it is "carrying out the additional work requested by the airport in relation to radar and instrument flight procedures to help address the concerns raised".

The proposals, which were submitted to Cherwell District Council last September, include new schools, community facilities and business premises, as well as three 900kW wind turbines.

The site was previously earmarked for a New Town by the government, however it was removed from the list in March.

London Oxford Airport believes that the proposed wind turbines would "adversely impact on the safe operations of the airport".

In its letter of objection, Oxford Aviation Services - the owner and operator of London Oxford Airport - said: "Any threat to [the airport's] ability to maintain its current offer would be critical to the airport, but also detrimental to the UK's overall position, particularly in the professional pilot training system and its offering to the world's airlines, with many students trained coming from overseas."

It states that while it objects to the proposed wind turbines, it "wishes to be clear that it does not object to the principle of the development".

The airport is not the first to raise these concerns.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) also objected to the erection of the three wind turbines, claiming they would "form a significant obstacle to the movements of air systems" close to RAF Weston-on-the-Green, which is within nearly three miles (4.5km) of the site.

The MoD said this would result in "unacceptable degradation of aviation safety".

A planning document states that the site at Heyford Park has the opportunity to become a "net carbon positive settlement", achieved through "careful planning adoption of net zero technologies" including wind turbines.