Parish councils are looking to protect a historic airfield amid plans to build a 5,000-home town.

A formal request has been made to see Throckmorton Airfield made a scheduled monument.

This comes after the area was included in the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP).

Chair of Bishampton and Throckmorton parish council Graham Boocock said: “We have engaged with the SWDP process over the past four years and the importance of the archaeology on the site has repeatedly been disregarded.

“Current use of the site for storage and light industry does not harm the archaeology, but major development would destroy a nationally important site.”

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The parish councils hope that by scheduling the site as a monument, it would protect the land and ensure it is preserved for research and future generations.

They add that the historical importance of the site has been formally acknowledged on multiple occasions.

In 2003, former county councillor Liz Tucker and former MP Peter Luff called for the site to be protected by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The DCMS responded, noting that Iron Age and Roman archaeology in the area was of “national importance” and suggested the site should be scheduled as an ancient monument in due course.

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Vic Allison, chief executive of Wychavon District Council, explained that the area would undergo an archaeological evaluation before any potential development.

He said: “The SWDP already acknowledges the important archaeological richness of Throckmorton Airfield and the protection afforded to heritage assets.

“Wychavon’s archaeologist has worked with planning policy officers to further our understanding of the archaeology within the site and should the land be confirmed as suitable for development, archaeological evaluation and mitigation measures will be needed before development starts.

“This will either involve preserving anything of archaeological importance in-situ or preserving by record for future reference.

“It is a matter for Historic England whether the site is scheduled.

“The SWDP will go for independent examination later this year and it will be for a Planning Inspector to decide if the proposed allocations in the Plan are suitable. I urge people to engage with that process.”

County councillor Dan Boatright, a trained archaeologist, is in support of the parish councils' calls and has suggested other ways Throckmorton Airfield could be used.

He said: “I completely understand why planners have prioritised brownfield sites for development, but the current use of Throckmorton preserves thousands of years of history.

“Whilst it could safely be used for storage, or perhaps as an energy park for green energy, building the foundations of thousands of buildings will rip out our treasured history. 

“One of the officers at Wychavon recently called the site ‘The most archaeologically sensitive area within this part of the county’ and I wholly agree with him.

“I hope our MP Nigel Huddleston will follow his predecessor and support our campaign to protect Throckmorton and we have written to him to ask for such support.”

Mr Huddleston responded, saying: "We all know we need more housing to address local affordability, but any development must be in the most appropriate locations.

"I am confident that all appropriate processes and procedures will be followed by Wychavon District Council in any planning application.”