Chalgrove Airfield
Airport in Chalgrove, Oxfordshire / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Chalgrove Airfield (ICAO: EGLJ) is a former Second World War airfield in Oxfordshire, England. It is approximately 3 mi (4.8 km) north-northeast of Benson in the heart of South Oxfordshire between Henley and Oxford; about 42 mi (68 km) north-northwest of London.
Chalgrove Airfield (RAF Chalgrove) (USAAF Station AAF-465) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Airport type | Private | ||||||||||||||||||
Owner | Leased from Homes England | ||||||||||||||||||
Operator | Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Ltd | ||||||||||||||||||
Serves | Oxford | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Chalgrove, Oxfordshire | ||||||||||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 240 ft / 73 m | ||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 51°40′28″N 001°05′07″W | ||||||||||||||||||
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Runways | |||||||||||||||||||
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Opened in 1943, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the war, it was used primarily as a combat reconnaissance airfield. It was closed in late 1946.
Today, the airfield is primarily used by the Martin-Baker company for testing ejection seats.
It was announced on 6 September 2016 that Chalgrove Airfield had been the subject of a ministerial transfer from the MoD to the Homes and Communities Agency (now called Homes England), with a view to building a housing-led mixed-use development on part of the airfield as part of the South Oxfordshire District Council's Local Plan 2034.[2] This is subject to review and consultation, with the examination-in-public starting in July 2020.
Homes England submitted an outline planning application[3] on 19 June 2020 for 3,000 homes, a secondary and two primary schools, a new town centre and 40,000 square metres of employment space, along with community and leisure uses which will be determined by South Oxfordshire District Council.