ENGLISH Heritage has submitted its long-awaited response to plans for 470 new homes at Old Sarum Airfield.

Historic England, the new branch of English Heritage that looks after the nation’s historic environment, says the development will damage the character and appearance of the conservation area.

It responded to the controversial planning application on the final day of the public consultation (July 31).

The report quotes Wiltshire Council’s Core Strategy which says any development of the airfield should be a high quality improvement to the landscape.

But Historic England said such a large area of “intensive” housing to the west of the runway would undoubtedly have a “harmful negative impact” on views from Old Sarum hill fort and damage the significance of this “nationally-important, designated heritage asset”.

And it said the plans would damage the setting of the “dominating and powerful presence in the landscape”.

Historic England inspector Caroline Power said plans for new commercial hangars could “undermine the essential characteristics of the airfield” and said there was a “lack of any robust financial commitment for the essential repairs needed” to the airfield’s Grade II* listed hangars.

She said a smaller area of development, not necessarily housing, might be preferable under the Core Strategy.

And she said the airfield’s “long-term viability” could be at risk, given the number of proposed houses, and questioned whether this was compatible with a working airfield.

Director of Old Sarum Airfield Ltd Grenville Hodge said he disagreed with individual points raised by Historic England, adding: “They have nothing new”.

He said planning inspectors had already dismissed the same issues twice during public inquiries into the Core Strategy.

He said: “English Heritage don’t want to see anything change.

“But something will change, what we want to do is make sure the airfield stays open.”

The report concluded: “Historic England objects to this scheme, in its current form, as we are unconvinced that this proposal will allow for a sympathetic and compatible new development on the airfield’s perimeter that can deliver a sustainable future for the listed hangars, and will not cause major damage to the setting of the nearby scheduled hill fort of Old Sarum, together with harming the character and appearance of the Old Sarum Airfield Conservation Area.”