Skip to content

Hundreds of homes to be built on historic airfield

Ben Marvell
BBC News, Wiltshire
BBC A grass airfield with low-lying buildings in the background, a windsock and distant treeline. An small aircraft is also visible.BBC
Up to 315 homes can now be built on Old Sarum Airfield

Plans to build more than 300 homes on a World War One airfield in Wiltshire have been approved followed a long-running planning dispute.

Old Sarum Airfield, north of Salisbury, was built in 1917 and is one of the oldest operational airfields in the country.

Wiltshire Council previously refused multiple planning applications to develop the site, most recently due to concerns about the impact on highways and nearby heritage sites, including an iron-age fort.

However, Old Sarum Airfield Ltd appealed and the Planning Inspectorate has now given the go-ahead for up to 315 homes to be built there alongside commercial and visitor buildings.

Colin Warrington/Anthony Dweck An old aircraft hangar is pictured in a dilapidated state. Part of its roof has fallen down and can be seen on the hangar's floor, with a large chunk of sky visible through where it should be. The hangar is old and built of red and white brick. Colin Warrington/Anthony Dweck
The development will see a World War One hangar restored after it was severely damaged by a storm

The airfield lies within the setting of a Scheduled Monument, which means it is recognised as a nationally important archaeological site by the government.

There are three, Grade II listed hangars and two conservation areas within the site. The proposals include the restoration of Hangar 3, a World War One hangar which collapsed during a storm in 2024 .

In its formal decision, the inspectorate said the heritage benefits of the application "outweigh" the potential harm it could cause.

Feilden+Mawson A plan of the proposed development with a runway in the middle and three areas marked A, B and C showing new housing, routes and commercial buildings Feilden+Mawson
The new housing will be built in areas A and C, either side of the runway

The approved development will be split into three areas, two of which will include homes to the north and south of the airstrip. Of all the homes built, 25% will be affordable.

The third area will be home to visitor, heritage and parachute centres as well as a new cafe/restaurant, new hangar buildings, an aviation archive and a new control tower.

The plans also include foot and cycle paths, a children's play area, open space and a wastewater treatment works.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.

More on this story