Yesterday evening I attended a Civic Briefing at RAF Croughton at
Brackley, Northamptonshire on my first official engagement as
Vice-Chairman of Oxfordshire County Council. This was so that I could
hear first hand the plans that the USAF have for rationalising their
sites in the UK. The base is situated just across the border from Oxfordshire, and certainly impacts on the highway network across north Oxfordshire. There was much discussion about future access to the site for construction traffic and a new main gate.
We were told that due to cuts in the US
defence budget, there are plans to consolidate all
telecommunications and operational activities at Croughton, which means
that RAF Alconbury and RAF Molesworth will now close. This is due to
take place around 2021/2022, but the operation to build brand new
facilities at Croughton is on the horizon and needs a great deal of co-ordination. There were several local
residents at the briefing, as the US take their relationship with the
local community very seriously. We were also taken on a tour of the
base so that we could see what there is currently, and where plans are to build
the new facilities, which will include schools and more housing for
families as well as the operational buildings.
