It's the beginning of the end for the Top Gear test track

The last episode of the latest BBC Top Gear season was just shown in the UK last weekend. If that makes you sad, there's another reason to feel wistful: as has been reported for over a decade now, the Dunsfold Aerodrome runway and Top Gear test track will eventually be replaced by housing. We last reported on the matter a year ago, and last week the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government officially greenlit the project.

In place of the legendary airfield will be 1,800 new homes, and the development will create over 1,000 new jobs according to The Sun. However, the Top Gear team is unlikely to apply for any of those jobs, as BBC sources have said the construction "will not affect filming for the foreseeable future." If they have to find a new track, there are certainly locations in the UK that are suitable for televised car testing, as The Grand Tour's crew was able to come up with a new track after the host trio's Top Gear careers ended. Of course, the well-established Dunsfold track has been used to set countless lap times by now, and it's always tough to start something like that from scratch.

A firm date for the site's repurposing has not been announced yet. When the bulldozers come in, it would at least make for a grand gesture to time their laps on the airfield track.