BICESTER’S new £70m town centre redevelopment is a “turning point” for the town.

But maintaining the right level of infrastructure is key for the future as the population grows, say town leaders.

A fortnight ago the new Sainsbury’s supermarket, car park and Vue cinema opened their respective doors, and more units will follow in the coming months.

Named retailers include restaurants Nando’s, Dean’s Diner and Prezzo, as well as stores Sports Direct and Peacocks.

The development is the biggest Bicester has seen for years in the town centre and has been welcomed across the board.

The new facilities mean Bicester is finally catching up with other areas and it is hoped more investment will follow.

Norman Bolster, Cherwell District Council’s lead member for economy and estates, said: “It has doubled the size of the town centre and with the growing population in town, Bicester needed it.

“It will bring more footfall into the town centre and benefit the whole area with all the links to Sheep Street. It also brings employment.”

Businesses have reported an increase in customers.

Lisa Clarkson, owner of Cafe Brunch, in Evans Yard, said: “It’s fantastic. Business was always good when it was a car park as we were in quite a good position. But when the building work started we were in a dead-end alley for 18 months and it was dire. The other Wednesday it was like someone switched the light on. Our trade is 80 to 90 per cent repeat, but last Saturday I didn’t know anyone.”

Paul Baxter, owner of Bicester Shoe Repairs, also in Evans Yard, said: “I’m sure it will do us good. We have been at the bottom of a dead end and it has been absolutely dire.

“Now it’s all opened up and it’s lovely.”

On the first week, Vince Brimble, Sainsbury’s store manager said: “We were delighted with how it went and the feedback we received was very positive.

“It’s been wonderful to see so many people visiting the town centre and enjoying our new store and Vue cinema.

“There has been a big increase in the number of people using the town centre, especially in the evening when many people finish work.”

But improvements to Bicester are set to continue.

Plans for a new civic centre, including a library and more retail units, will be the next town centre project.

Cherwell District Council say it will soon submit plans for the £5m building, which will be built on Claremont car park and will complete the town centre’s rejuvenation.

Building work is expected to be completed by early 2015. Mr Bolster said: “The library will pull people to that end of the development, and when shops open there will be a full run through.”

He hopes the development will create a second night-time economy with the cinema and new restaurants opening in the coming months.

Ben Jackson, president of Bicester and District Chamber of Commerce, said the development was a great opportunity for Bicester, but warns it is “fit for today’s population” and will have to adapt as the town continues to grow.

Thousands of homes are planned to be built in and around Bicester over the next 20 years and the population is set to expand from 30,000 to 50,000.

Mr Jackson said: “The completion of the town centre development opens a new era for Bicester and ends a drought of infrastructure development.

“It delivers a town centre fit for today’s Bicester.

“We need start on the development of a coherent plan for the town’s traditional centre to be maintained as a destination for residents when we have a population of 50,000 plus.

“In short, celebrate what we have, maximise the opportunity the changes will bring, but start planning for what we will need in 2030 and beyond.”

Independent county councillor for Bicester West Les Sibley urged businesses to make opportunities of the development in Bicester.

He said: “This development is an opportunity we have been waiting for. We need to have the vision to turn opportunities into reality."

He described the development as a “turning point” for the town taking it from a small market town to a main player in the county Mr Sibley said: “Bicester is bucking the trend. It’s a high employment area and this will act as a catalyst to attract the retailers we have been craving.

“It’s going to attract a lot of investment.”

OTHER PROJECTS

  • Elsewhere in Bicester a string of major projects have begun or are due to start within the next few years.
  • Work to improve the rail link between Bicester and Oxford and London Marylebone is expected to start this year, followed by the reopening of the East West rail link between Reading via Oxford, Bicester town, Milton Keynes and Cambridge.
  • Building work on Bicester’s replacement community hospital is under way.
  • Tesco has planning approval to build a new store at land off Oxford Road, while Bicester Village will expand into the supermarket’s current site in Pingle Drive. Tesco could open next year. It is hoped the development will kickstart a business park next to the new Tesco store. In total 3,500 jobs could be created.
  • About £11m in road improvements will take place on the A41, Oxford Road and Pingle Drive in a move to cut the chronic congestion around the area at peak times.
  • A further £7.5m improvements are set to be made to the junction 9 of the M40.
  • Junction 10 of the motorway is also set to be improved. The Government will spend almost £1.3m in a bid to resolve queues at the Ardley services junction 10 between Bicester and Banbury. Work is expected to start in 2014.