Bicester Motion advances Oxfordshire £1bn masterplan

Bicester Motion has submitted the first outline planning applications for a £1 billion expansion of its Oxfordshire estate, beginning a ten-year programme that could create around 1.44 million sq ft of commercial space.

Three applications have been submitted to Cherwell District Council covering new employment, commercial and residential development at the 444-acre former RAF Bicester site. A fourth application for a major research and development district is expected to follow.

Together, the proposals represent the first planning phase of Bicester Motion's wider masterplan to establish a major mobility, engineering and technology cluster within the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor. The largest of the applications already submitted covers The Rushes, where approximately 475,275 sq ft of commercial, demonstration, hospitality and customer engagement space is proposed.

The development would expand on an existing consent for 240,000 sq ft and create a more public-facing part of the campus where automotive, mobility and technology companies could demonstrate products and technologies.

A second application covers around 167,000 sq ft of flexible employment accommodation at Command Works Phase 2, located between YASA's new headquarters at The Ranges and the existing Bicester Heritage development.

The third proposes approximately 200 apartments, including affordable housing, within a new neighbourhood called Motion Living. The residential element is intended to support companies on the estate by providing homes close to employment and helping businesses attract and retain skilled workers.

Bicester Motion is also finalising an outline application for The New Technical Site, which would provide approximately 506,140 sq ft of research, development and scale-up accommodation for mobility, engineering and technology companies.

Daniel Geoghegan, chief executive officer of Bicester Motion, said: “Over the past decade we have carefully restored Bicester’s remarkable former RAF base while creating a thriving community of innovators, engineers and pioneering businesses.

“These applications represent the next step in realising that vision, providing the framework for businesses to establish, scale and remain in Oxfordshire, while continuing to respect and enhance the heritage and landscape that make Bicester Motion unique and creating and boosting local skills and jobs.”

The proposals demonstrate the growing role of specialist employment space as an anchor for large-scale mixed-use development. Rather than housing acting as the principal driver of the masterplan, Bicester Motion is proposing a cluster centred on workplaces, R&D, engineering and technology, supported by residential accommodation, hospitality and other amenities.

The estate is already home to more than 50 mobility businesses employing over 500 people and has received around £100 million of investment during the past decade. Located within Motorsport Valley and the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor, its expansion is intended to provide companies with space to move from innovation and R&D through to scaling operations while remaining within the same wider campus.

Liz Sparrow, partner and lead architect at Ridge, said: “This integrated approach brings together workplaces and accommodation with places to invent, build, test and showcase automotive and aviation technologies.”

Bicester Motion estimates that the wider masterplan could support approximately 5,600 construction jobs and 7,600 operational jobs, while generating £1.19 billion of annual gross value added for the UK economy.

The applications are currently in outline, establishing the principles and scale of development rather than detailed building designs. Reserved matters applications would follow if planning consent is secured. Cherwell District Council will now consider the three submitted applications as part of the statutory planning process.