Menwith Hill, on the outskirts of Harrogate, is one of the United States’ largest overseas surveillance bases. It features 37 giant radomes, or ‘golf balls’, which are a distinctive feature of the 500-acre site with much of the secretive activity taking place underground.

A request for EIA Screening Opinion, which comes before a full planning application, has been submitted to North Yorkshire Council to put new structures up at the northern side of the base. No new radomes are planned for the project but it would see the construction of a new administration building as well as another building for technical equipment.

Planning documents says the works would also involve putting in generators, air-cooled chillers, transformers and power distribution modules. Access roads, a refuelling bay, footpaths, a small car park and a secure perimeter fence surrounding the facilities would also be built.

Several new radomes have been built at the site in recent years and in 2022 plans were approved to build a new visitor centre, vehicle canopy and changes to the road junction on Menwith Hill Road.

RAF Menwith Hill was built in the 1950s and leased to the US during the height of the Cold War but it has continued to be used to support American military operations abroad including during the war on terror. The site is also used by UK intelligence agency GCHQ.

Leaked documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden identified Menwith Hill as providing the intelligence for a significant number of operations to “eliminate” targets in the Middle East.

RAF Menwith Hill: Secretive RAF base in Yorkshire with 'golf balls' submits fresh plans to expand