Eco-town: Bicester choice 'commonsense victory' (From Oxford Mail)

Eco-town: Bicester choice 'commonsense victory'

10:11am Thursday 16th July 2009

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CHERWELL District Council was delighted today its bid to build an eco-town on the outskirts of Bicester had been given the green light.

The council put in plans to build 5,000 homes on land north-west of the town as an alternative to the controversial Weston Otmoor proposal.

The council claimed Weston Otmoor, which would have been near the village Weston-on-the-Green, would have badly affected Bicester and Kidlington.

Weston Otmoor option today failed to make the Government’s list of four schemes it wants to see progress.

Cherwell councillor Michael Gibbard, portfolio holder for housing and planning, said: “We promoted NW Bicester as an alternative to Weston Otmoor so we could reposition Bicester as a location where new communities are built to high environmental standards.

“We know the town has to expand to accommodate new homes but we also want to give people the opportunity to enjoy more sustainable lifestyles.

“This decision gives us the chance to build an exemplary, eco-friendly development which will attract more investment and jobs to Bicester.

“We expect better-quality growth for Bicester, planned and funded on the scale it requires, with better facilities and infrastructure to support it.”

Mr Gibbard said the Government’s decision was a victory for community and common sense over poor policy.

He added: “The campaign against Weston Otmoor, supported by both Cherwell district and Oxfordshire county councils, clearly demonstrated how much the surrounding community opposed the Weston Otmoor proposals.

“Their commitment, combined with Cherwell’s decision to promote a different site, gave a strong message to the Government.

“The strength of both cases and the positive attitude which Cherwell has shown towards developing a better eco-alternative has been recognised.

“The council will now examine the planning policy statement in detail before conducting local consultation on the form any development will take and how it will be implemented to ensure that Bicester has a bright, green future.”

Cherwell has already had interest in developing north west Bicester from P3Eco, a new company created to fund and facilitate eco-town construction. It wrote to Cherwell in June 2009 setting out its initial views on how an eco-settlement might be developed.

Mr Gibbard said: “I welcome the expression of interest we’ve received from P3Eco and their partners to develop proposals for the site.

“We are impressed by the commitment P3Eco have shown in coming forward with proposals and the quality of the consortium they have assembled.

“They have already demonstrated an ability to produce ideas of real quality and distinction which are sensitive to the site and surrounding areas.

“We now want to discuss with them and others how we can develop detailed plans for the development and develop a long-term plan to create an environmentally-friendly community with 5,000 homes and 5,000 jobs.”

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