ALCONBURY WEALD, CAMBRIDGESHIRE: LANDSCAPE, LEGACY AND THE MAKING OF A PLACE

A recent Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) walking tour of Alconbury Weald offered a valuable opportunity to experience, first-hand, the ongoing transformation of a former military airfield into a new mixed-use settlement. What makes this site particularly compelling is not just the scale of development, but the way its historic infrastructure continues to shape its emerging identity.

Alconbury Weald occupies the site of RAF Alconbury, a location with over 70 years of strategic military history. During the Second World War, the airfield was used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) for bomber operations across Europe, including missions associated with D-Day. In the decades that followed, its role evolved significantly, becoming a key Cold War reconnaissance base. The presence of the TR-1 (U-2) aircraft—capable of operating at extreme altitudes—positioned the site at the forefront of intelligence-gathering operations during a period of global tension.

This layered history is not treated as a constraint, but as a structuring element of the masterplan. The most prominent example is the former runway, a substantial engineered feature—up to approximately 2 metres deep in places—which is being reinterpreted as a linear green space known as Runway Park. Rather than complete removal, sections of the runway are retained, while others are broken up, crushed, and reused within the development. This approach not only reduces material waste, but also embeds the physical memory of the site into the landscape framework.

Elsewhere, historic buildings have been adaptively reused to support early activation of the development. A centrally located WWII structure has been converted into a café, providing both a social focal point and a tangible link to the site’s past. Similarly, the Avionics Building—constructed in 1989 and designed to withstand nuclear, biological, and chemical threats—remains as a listed structure, reinforcing the significance of the Cold War legacy and offering potential for future integration as part of the site’s heritage strategy.

From a landscape architecture perspective, the integration of green infrastructure is a defining feature of the scheme. Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) are embedded within the public realm, with the central cricket pitch designed to function as a detention basin. This dual-purpose approach demonstrates how water management infrastructure can be combined with recreational space to create landscapes that are both functional and socially valuable.

The planning history reflects the long-term ambition of the project: submitted in 2012, with outline consent granted in 2014, and first occupation in 2016. Since then, the site has continued to evolve, including the delivery of the new Cambridgeshire Shire Hall, which establishes a strong civic and employment presence at the heart of the development.

One aspect that will be particularly interesting to observe as the development matures is the character of the residential streets. In some areas, the relatively consistent setback of dwellings creates a strong sense of order and uniformity. While this provides clarity and legibility, it may limit opportunities for more varied spatial experiences and informal character. By comparison, layouts influenced by garden city principles use variation in building lines and orientation to possibly create a richer hierarchy of spaces. It serves as a reminder that relatively subtle shifts in layout can have a meaningful impact on how places are perceived and experienced over time.

What emerges at Alconbury Weald is an example of how large-scale brownfield sites can be transformed through a landscape-led approach—one that acknowledges history, embraces material reuse, and prioritises multi-functional infrastructure. It is, however, still a place in transition. As planting matures and communities establish, the long-term success of the landscape framework will become more apparent.

For now, it stands as a valuable case study in the complexity of placemaking—where legacy, infrastructure, and design ambition intersect to shape the identity of a new settlement.