A NEW era of opportunity has dawned for Dunsfold Park, Waverley's largest brownfield site and the long-mooted "saviour of Farnham's countryside", following last week's public announcement of an investment partnership deal with Trinity College Cambridge worth more than £50m.

But Jim McAllister, chief executive of airfield owner the Rutland Group, which took out a 999-year lease on the airfield in 2002, was keen to emphasise that the current Dunsfold Park team he heads is still in the driving seat and plans for future development will continue along the same track.

The main options to maximise the 612-acre site are either building a major housing development or increasing the aviation use. Building an "exemplar housing development" remains the Dunsfold Park team's favoured option but, because the site was ruled out as "unsustainable" in Waverley's draft Local Plan, Dunsfold Park is now pursuing its legal bid to boost its airfield use by getting unrestricted aviation and has successfully lodged a further appeal.

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.