VILLAGERS have criticised a government body for wiping information from its website about proposals for 3,000 homes on a former military airfield.

People in Chalgrove claimed they had been given ‘no information’ about why the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) removed the documents associated with its scheme at Chalgrove Airfield.

They were previously available at the chalgroveairfield.gva.co.uk address. It comes after the proposal was announced as one of the ‘preferred’ choices for major developments in South Oxfordshire District Council’s next Local Plan.

The Chalgrove Airfield Action Group, set up last year to oppose the plans, said yesterday: “The Government website states that the HCA is ‘fully committed to the Government’s transparency agenda’. “We are naturally concerned at the sudden and unexpected closure of the HCA website and Facebook page, and how this fits with the transparency agenda that they say they support.”

A statement from the agency on the development’s website says: “Following the January 2017 [enquiry by design], the HCA delivery team headed by Louise Wyman has undertaken a review of the site masterplan and scope of the technical work to inform the Local Plan process, submission of a planning application and implementation stage.

“This webpage has been closed and the Facebook page will not be updated at this time whilst the HCA examines all of the available technical information and feedback.

“The HCA will seek to re-engage with the community in due course.”