THOUSANDS of sports fans could descend on the district in 2012 under new proposals to transform North Weald Airfield into a giant Olympic Games campsite linked by shuttle buses to Epping.

Epping Forest District Council will meet next week to discuss the plans, which would see a minimum of 2,000 tent and caravan pitches installed at the site for up to 34,000 visitors unable to find accommodation in London during the games.

The scheme is the brainchild of national organisation The Caravan Club, which has struggled to find suitable campsites in the capital and believes North Weald to be an “ideal location”.

The proposals have been greeted with a cautious welcome by staff and airfield enthusiasts.

Vice-president of the North Weald Airfield Museum Arthur Moreton said he hoped the temporary campsite would be possible without too much disruption to the area.

He said: “As long as it's not detrimental to the airfield and that it is to the advantage of local people then there will be no problem.

"But it is early days and I think we would like to see the details of it.

“However when we had the scouts camping at the airfield for their centenary everything was controlled very well.”

Under the plans, the airfield would be taken over for 12 weeks from July 2 until the end of September 2012.

The Caravan Club would provide buses between the airfield and Epping, so that campers can travel to the games in Stratford, east London, on the Central underground line.

It says the move would bring an extra £1million to the local economy, along with around £122,000 in rent for the council.

The group hopes the campsite would occupy only part of the site, allowing the airfield's market and some flights to operate as normal during the games.

According to council documents: “The four locations it [The Caravan Club] has within the M25 are considered to be inadequate to meet the likely demand.

“The club believe that demand will be extremely high from caravanners and campers from all over Europe, and their research amongst their members supports this view.”

It comes after Newham Council expressed an interest in using the 800-capacity Debden House campsite in Loughton as a possible site for camping during the games.