RESIDENTS living next to a former Formula 1 headquarters have claimed plans to turn it into a holiday park will revitalise the area.
Developers are bidding to construct a luxury holiday park at the deserted Leafield Technical Centre in Langley, Oxfordshire.
The former headquarters of the Caterham Formula 1 team – which raced from 2012 to 2014 – has now been targeted by developers.
Its eerie halls have been abandoned since the Caterham team went into administration nine years ago.
Some 51 holiday homes and eight barn-style cabins will be built on the site.
And two loft houses will be converted from an existing building.
There’ll also be an indoor swimming pool, spa, outdoor hot tubs, a bar, restaurants and studio space, according to developer Cabu.
But the application has had a mixed response, drawing 19 objection comments and 11 in support.
Concerned locals are worried about increased traffic because of the lack of public transport.
One neighbour said: “If this were a greenfield site, no one would believe that a sustainable development of it was possible, given its lack of sustainable connectivity.
“There is no reason to believe the development would be sustainable just because it is on a brownfield site.”
But the holiday park will be “highly attractive” and could generate millions in revenue, according to agent Clerkenwell Estates (Cotswolds) Ltd.
It added that the park would “result in a significant betterment compared to the existing industrial built form”.
And it’ll create 116 jobs on site once it’s open.
“It will generate at least £2million for the local economy directly through visitor, staff and resident expenditure,” the statement added.
If the development is given the go-ahead site preparation work could start as early as September 2023.
It’ll take around 24 months to build and the park is expected to open from September 2025.
The area was originally built as a radio transmission station.
But it was redeveloped in the late 1980s and then used by British Telecom as a residential training centre for 15 years.
From 1993 the renamed Leafield Technical Centre was expanded into an iconic specialist motorsport facility.
Before that the site also provided the base for the also defunct Arrow and Super Aguri Formula 1 teams.
It comes as another set of residents are furious at plans to build 100 new homes on their doorstep, saying: “It will be just horrible.”
Fed-up locals fear they will be bombarded with deafening noise, and insisted they cannot take on anymore people.
Meanwhile, Wales could become home to a £250m holiday resort featuring forest lodges, zip wires, and canyoning experiences.
Work is underway to build a lavish holiday park in the Afan Valley in Wales.
