Cherwell District Council plans to build up to 1,900 homes on a former Ministry of Defence site in Bicester, Oxfordshire.
The ex MoD Graven Hill site will provide a mixture of tenure opportunities, including kit homes and self-build houses. It is planned that the 187-hectare site could also accommodate one million square feet of commercial space and create up to 2,000 new jobs and apprenticeships.
Leader of Cherwell District Council, Barry Wood explained:
“The sale of this site is representative of several years’ work behind the scenes to secure this purchase and completes the first stage of our vision to deliver the UK’s largest self-build community.”
Planning consent has already been granted for the new homes along with a primary school, employment space, a pub or restaurant and a small number of local shops.
The self-build concept will also include community projects where the owner designs the property but employs contractors to build it. The properties will vary in size but are likely to include detached, semi-detached and terraced homes of differing sizes, apartment blocks and bungalows.
Contracts were exchanged between Cherwell District Council and the MoD in March but the deal has only just been completed. However, work will now start to prepare the site for commercial space and homes ahead of building work beginning in 2015.
By David Mote, Editor