Campaigners call for Heyford Park primary school plans to be paused over contamination concerns
The group is worried about the impact of PFAS contamination linked to the former RAF Upper Heyford airbase
A community group is calling for plans for a new primary school at Heyford Park to be put on hold until the extent of potential contamination around the former airbase is better understood.
The Gallos Brook Community Group says it wants development paused while further investigations are carried out into PFAS - or 'forever chemicals' - in the area.
PFAS are a group of man-made chemicals which have been used in a wide range of products and industrial processes, including firefighting foams historically used at airfields and military sites.
Cherwell District Council says PFAS have been identified in local watercourses near Heyford Park and that firefighting foams were previously used at the former RAF Upper Heyford airbase.
Charlie, from the Gallos Brook Community Group, believes more investigation into the impact of this should take place before further development, particularly on sites intended for children.
“We’re really worried and we’re really shocked and concerned that Dorchester Living have put in a plan to build a primary school which is 390 metres away from the fire pit and we strongly believe that there's contamination risk likely there,” she said.
She said the group has commissioned its own water testing after becoming concerned about PFAS in local waterways, claiming one sample returned an " astronomically high" concentration of around 42,000 nanograms per litre.
Charlie said campaigners are especially concerned about children because of the greater risk to their health.
"They experience higher rates of pollution because they breathe more air, they eat more food and they drink more water per kilogram of body weight compared to adults," she said.
Charlie also highlighted the way young children engage with their surroundings makes them more vulnerable.
“Children are playing in the soil, they’re close to the ground, they’re interacting with trees, materials, dust andplaygrounds in a way that we’re not,” she said.
"Also the hand-to-mouth behaviour that children have. They don’t often wash their hands, they’re crawling, they’re playing with dust and soil and then they’reconsuming it that way.”
Charlie said that the group ultimately wants development paused while the extent of any contamination is established.
What has Dorchester Living said?
Dorchester Living says it is aware of the potential risk of PFAS contamination resulting from the site’s historic use as an airfield and has identified the issue in its planning application.
The developer says independent testing of the current development area, carried out as part of its environmental due diligence, found no PFAS compounds above current UK guideline levels.
It says further PFAS testing is proposed as part of its planning application for up to 9,000 homes, while the proposed primary school site will be specifically tested before any work is carried out.
Dorchester Living says that if remediation is required, a strategy will be agreed with Cherwell District Council, as the planning authority, and Oxfordshire County Council, as the education authority, before development goes ahead.
The proposed school would have capacity for up to 315 pupils from Reception to Year 6, alongside a nursery for up to 75 children.
Its opening date has not been agreed but Dorchester Living says it would be no earlier than September 2028.
Paul Silver, CEO of Dorchester Living, said: “Sites such as Heyford Park carry a legacy from decades of use as an airbase, which is why these matters must be properly investigated through the planning process.
“We have identified the potential PFAS risk, are working closely with the relevant authorities and have proposed further testing.
“The primary school site will be tested before any works begin and, if required, an appropriate remediation strategy will be agreed before development proceeds.”
What does the council say?
Cherwell District Council says PFAS have been detected at varying concentrations in local watercourses near Heyford Park.
The council says there is currently “no evidence to suggest an immediate risk to the health of residents”.
It says Thames Water has advised that the drinking water supply serving the Heyford area complies with Drinking Water Inspectorate PFAS guidelines and that the risk of contamination to drinking water supplies from the nearby airfield is considered low.
For new developments at Heyford Park, the council says appropriate land contamination investigations will be required where relevant, with testing, remediation and verification carried out in line with national guidance.
Representatives from the council, Environment Agency, UK Health Security Agency, Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Water and Dorchester Living have also met with MP Callum Miller to discuss PFAS contamination associated with Heyford Park.
Among the priorities agreed were improving understanding of the extent of contamination and its impact on soil and water, as well as potential routes of human exposure.