BICESTER GATEWAY

UPDATE: 2nd October 2015 - Cherwell District Council Planning Committee has refused planning permission for this application.  Details can be found here.

Bicester Gateway is a recently (February 2015) proposed development by CPG (Consolidated Property Group) and WCEC in Bicester, Oxfordshire.  To give you an overview of the planning proposals, BicesterTAG has extracted some images and information from the 'Design and Access Statement' the developers have published.  You can download the original document from the bottom of this page.

The site is positioned between Brewers Fayre/Premier Travel Inn and Bicester Services.  The slightly out of date photograph below illustrates the size and positioning.  Since this photograph was taken the Kingsmere development has grown up substantially and will eventually surround it.

The site will offer 7 units comprising 10,376 m2 (111,691 ft2) of retail space.  The space will be split between 3 larger multilevel stores and 4 smaller ones.  The image below illustrates the individual layouts.

The developers have been keen to suggest that two of the larger sites will be occupied by Marks and Spencer and Next.  The planning application includes a letter from Next in which the retailer states that they are actively seeking a new location of precisely this type/size in the Bicester area.  Unfortunately, the letter is just that, an expression of intent.  CPG and Next have no contractual arrangements or agreements in place at this time.  The Next letter also dates from prior to the announcement of Tesco Metro in Sheep Street closing.  Unfortunately we are unable to show you a copy of Next's letter because it has been removed from the planning application on Cherwell District Council's website.

As the development is within the Kingsmere area, it should have to comply with the architectural style consistent throughout the rest of the development.  However it seems to abandon that style completely.  If you are wondering what the architectural design influences were, apparently they are 'juxtaposed furniture pieces'.  To translate, that is architect's speak for 'bits of contrasting (e.g. odd) furniture in a pile'. 

THE DEVELOPER IS ACTUALLY SERIOUSLY PROPOSING THAT THE CUSTOMERS USE WHITELANDS WAY ON KINGSMERE AS A PRIMARY ACCESS ROUTE TO BY-PASS BICESTER VILLAGE'S CONGESTION.  Whitelands Ways is not a primary route and is only suitable for residents vehicles, not as a main through-fare.

In short, BicesterTAG says;

"great development, wrong location".

The people of Bicester have been calling for a wider range of shops for many years.  This was clearly demonstrated by our own survey on shopping habits in Bicester Town Centre.  Currently we have to travel to another town.  In the case of Next, our nearest stores are either 11 miles to Oxford City Centre or 12 miles to Cowley Retail park.  The only problem we have identified with this proposal is the location.  Originally this site was anticipated to provide local stores for Kingsmere residents with similar facilities to Bure Park's Barberry Place with a mini-supermarket, pharmacist and located close to the Kingsmere school's.

The issues we foresee are the well known problems Bicester Village congestion causes and the re-location of Tesco supermarket.   The 'Bicester Gateway' site will be inaccessible at weekends for the residents of Bicester and the surrounding villages.  The Gateway development is well and truly in the Bicester Village Congestion Zone!  We have witnessed on numerous occasions, particularly in late 2014, residents actively avoided Tesco's Pingle Drive store because of traffic congestion around Bicester Village.

Oxfordshire County Council have committed to redesigning the A41 roundabout converting it into a 'hamburger' style feature, please see the video below for a visualisation.  However as the majority traffic flow is not to/from Aylesbury but to/from Bicester it will not be as effective as other locations they have been installed (Headington and Heyford Hill roundabouts in Oxford).