The Clanfield/Bampton area is facing considerable upheaval with the large expansion of RAF Brize Norton and Carterton.

RAF Brize Norton is undergoing substantial reorganisation with the absorption of RAF Lyneham which will finally close in September 2011.  This, and other measures to centralise all Transport Command at Brize Norton, will make it the RAF’s largest airport.  The fleet will increase from 29 aircraft to a peak of 72 and then reduce to 67.  To this needs to be added the considerable number of civilian ‘charter’ aircraft for movement of passengers and freight.

The airport itself is also undergoing substantial reconstruction with new hangers, living accommodation, offices, training areas. It will handle the transportation of many thousands of troops and their equipment, and receive back the ‘fallen’ from war zones.  An indication of the overall growth is the increase in ‘hard standing’ from 68,000 m² to 182,000 m².  Manpower will increase from around 3,000 to around 6,600.

The impact on the local area, its facilities and its roads will be heavy.

To this should be added the proposed further expansion of Carterton from approximately 15,000 people to their target of 20,000.  The Shilton Park Estate has brought 1400 additional houses and outline planning has been approved for extensions to the north, plus further general infill throughout the area.  WODC are now considering the location of a further estate of 1,000+ houses close to Carterton. This would place an even greater strain on the already overloaded and inadequate infrastructure of the area.

Many householders have noticed the considerable increase in traffic.  The latest information comes from Clanfield who carried out a traffic check on the A4095 five years ago and another recently.  This shows an increased traffic flow through the village of 57%.

It would be totally unreasonable to ask this area to accept the additional burden that gravel extraction would bring.