A proposal to build more than 400 homes and a community centre at the former RAF Brampton has been submitted to the district council.

The outline planning application, for 437 homes, allotments, open space and light employment, includes the retention of a former coach house and stables, officer’s mess and lodge, which are all listed buildings.

There is also an application for permission to demolish existing buildings, build a new community building and create access roads.

Two former draft proposals, which set out plans to build 650 and 850 homes, were met with condemnation by villagers.

Brampton Parish Council vice-chairman Mike Shellens told The Hunts Post the previous proposals were “obviously ridiculous”. He said he still had some concerns about the current plan, but felt “relatively happy”.

“We do have concerns about the number of homes and we certainly wouldn’t want the number to creep up any further, so we will be watching very carefully to see what happens.”

The parish council is also discussing the area of open space and other elements of the plan with developers Campbell Buchanan and the Football Association.

“We are currently in talks with the FA to see whether we can use the open space for football pitches, but this is posing significant difficulties and we are not sure if it will happen,” said Cllr Shellens.

“We are also very interested to see what this development can offer in terms of local jobs and what the developers propose for the old Officers’ Mess.”

Eileen Collier, chairman of Brampton Arts Centre Ltd, said she was confident the plan would provide facilities for the Brampton Park Theatre Group, which was housed on the former airbase.

“We have been in discussions with the developer and although we haven’t seen the final plans they have given us £50,000 up front to pay for a proper stage and other facilities which will make the space suitable for theatre and film.”

The MOD announced in 2006 that the base was surplus to requirements and in April 2013, it was downgraded and finally closed at the end of 2013. In December 2014, the land came under the ownership of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) which sold it to developers.

St Ives-based developer Campbell Buchanan, which is handling the scheme on behalf of property investment company JCAM Commercial Real Estate Property VII Ltd, said a full planning application for the site would be submitted to the council in the next three to four months.

“This application will contain the detail about what will be done with the listed buildings on the site and there may, at that point, be a small change in the total number of houses,” said Campbell Buchanan’s land and development manager Andy Girvan.

“Demolition and remedial work is likely to begin later this year and we should be ready to start building homes early to middle of next year.

“We are very excited to be part of this development and our discussions with the parish council have been very successful. We are guests in this community and we want to get it right.”