Bicester Road, Kidlington

This is an allocated site which totals 32.12ha located to the south-east of Kidlington, with the Barwood interest providing 27.75 ha and Hill Residential Ltd providing 4.37ha.

A joint promotion of this site with Hill Residential Ltd achieved a partial removal of the site from the green belt with an allocation for 230 dwellings in the draft Cherwell Local Plan (Partial Review to meet Oxford’s unmet housing need). Following strong representations to the Local Plan Inquiry, Barwood achieved an increase in this allocation to 430 dwellings and the Cherwell Local Plan was adopted following a Judicial Review in July 2021.

The Local Plan allocation required any application to be supported by a comprehensive development brief for the whole site and Barwood assisted Cherwell District Council in the preparation of the development brief which was formally adopted in June 2022.

Outline planning permission was granted in October 2023, subject to completion of the S106.

Barwood submitted an outline planning application for its land interest, showing development of up to 370 homes (50% affordable), public open space (including play areas and woodland planting), sports pitches and pavilion, drainage and engineering works, with all matters reserved (appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) except for vehicular and emergency accesses to Bicester Road.  In October 2023 the application was granted outline planning permission subject to the completion of the S106 and we are in negotiations with the Council to secure this at the earliest opportunity.