Expanded facilities at the MOD's RAF Little Rissington, which was an active base in WWII and the former home of the Red Arrows, look set to finally begin after bomb experts probed the site.

South East Reserve Forces and Cadet's Association (SERFCA) want to build a new 32-sleeper accommodation block, along with better kitchen facilities at the base. Following the 2016 sale of their previous facilities at Hullavington airfield, in Wiltshire, to Dyson, SERFCA told planners that pilots needed separate sleeping facilities with shared ensuite bathrooms as existing dormitory accommodation was substandard.

Cotswold planners approved the MOD's 2019 bid for the work, but the start date has been subject to an in-deep physical and archive survey by bomb experts 6 Alpha Associates.

6 Alpha Associates told planners: "It is important to establish the specific ground conditions in order to determine the maximum German UXB [unexploded bomb] penetration depth as well as the potential for other types of munitions to be buried.

They added: "During WWII, the Luftwaffe undertook bombing campaigns all over the UK. The most common type of UXO discovered today is the aerially delivered high explosive (HE) bomb, which are comparatively thick-skinned and were dropped from Luftwaffe aircraft. 

"If the bomb did not detonate when it was dropped, the force of impact enabled the UXO to penetrate the ground, often leaving behind it a UXB entry hole. These entry holes were not always apparent, and some went unreported, leaving the bomb buried and unrecorded. More rarely, additional forms of German UXO are occasionally discovered including inter alia V1 and V2 rockets, Incendiary Bombs (IBs), and Anti-personnel (AP) bomblets."

Historical maps from the Home Office and Luftwaffe records (which showed Germany's identification of the site as a target) were used in the research, while the survey also took into account the likelihood of buried ordnance at the base

"Thousands of tonnes of these [buried] munitions were used for the Allied Forces weapon testing and military training alone," the report said.

The applicant added: "Following the sale of their previous base at Hullavington airfield to Dyson in 2016, 621 VGS have been lodging with 637 VGS at Little Rissington. In order to make the arrangement work on a permanent basis some additional infrastructure is required, especially in respect of sleeping accommodation where the current requirement is that operatives must have 'uninterrupted sleep' in advance of a day of 'flying operations'. This cannot be provided by the current sleeping accommodation which is based around dormitories. The new sleeping accommodation will therefore be designed around single occupancy rooms albeit with shared en-suites to maximise area efficiency and keep costs down."

The reports concluded an ALARP rating for the site – meaning risk is determined as being "as low as reasonably practicable."

● A date for the work is to be confirmed, but Robert Weaver, chief executive of Cotswold District Council has indicated that the project will not require the submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment.