First impressions of eco project

2:10pm Friday 17th August 2012 in Bicester

The vision The vision

THIS is an image of what the first houses in Bicester’s 5,000 home eco town could look like.

Developer A2Dominion has released pictures ahead of the start of building work on phase one.

A total of 393 homes, an eco business centre, shops, a pub and school will be built in the first phase, off Banbury Road, and work is expected to start this autumn.

The first residents are expected to move into North West Bicester by the end of next year.

All homes will energy efficient and will include solar panels, triple glazing, rainwater harvesting and heat provided from underground pipes.

The images also show open streets and communal areas, which will include barbecue areas, herb boxes, allotments and seating.

A2 Dominion’s project director Steve Hornblow said: “Achieving environmental integrity has in the past often meant compromising on style, but we want NW Bicester to fully integrate into the landscape.”

But Colin Cockshaw, of action group Bicester Against Eco Con (BaECON), said: “It looks to me like a fairly urban-style community, but being built in the countryside — lots of hard surfaces, use of decorative evergreen trees rather than indigenous countryside species.”

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Comments (8)

3:19pm Fri 17 Aug 12

Andrew:Oxford says...

Where are contractors, Ocado/Waitrose/Sains
bury, visitors and disabled friends & family supposed to park their vans and cars?

Not sure if I'm keen on the public decking - can imagine that would be treacherous when wet.

Aren't the trees a little close to the houses? I'm sure my insurers ask me if there are any trees closer to the house than their height or a specific distance.

Definitely not impressed by the shared central (roofline) gutter for the houses either - where is the responsibility there if one neighbour is an owner occupier and the other is a remote landlord?
Where are contractors, Ocado/Waitrose/Sains bury, visitors and disabled friends & family supposed to park their vans and cars? Not sure if I'm keen on the public decking - can imagine that would be treacherous when wet. Aren't the trees a little close to the houses? I'm sure my insurers ask me if there are any trees closer to the house than their height or a specific distance. Definitely not impressed by the shared central (roofline) gutter for the houses either - where is the responsibility there if one neighbour is an owner occupier and the other is a remote landlord? Andrew:Oxford

5:19pm Fri 17 Aug 12

snert says...

I'm so waiting to sit back and say "I told you so..."
I'm so waiting to sit back and say "I told you so..." snert

5:51pm Fri 17 Aug 12

mytaxes says...

Not my idea of heaven that's for sure.
Not my idea of heaven that's for sure. mytaxes

9:49pm Fri 17 Aug 12

adster says...

mytaxes wrote:
Not my idea of heaven that's for sure.
Nobody is asking you to live there......
[quote][p][bold]mytaxes[/bold] wrote: Not my idea of heaven that's for sure.[/p][/quote]Nobody is asking you to live there...... adster

10:02pm Fri 17 Aug 12

Thinkingoutloud says...

This is not what it will look like. It is a shoddy excuse for a housing estate solely devised to line the pockets of the developers. There is nothing 'ECO' about it just lots of houses lived in by people who need a car(s)to get to work.
This is not what it will look like. It is a shoddy excuse for a housing estate solely devised to line the pockets of the developers. There is nothing 'ECO' about it just lots of houses lived in by people who need a car(s)to get to work. Thinkingoutloud

8:06am Sat 18 Aug 12

Lord Palmerstone says...

I know your newspaper loves saying "eco" "eco" "eco" about building on fields in Bicester, to wind up your readers, but it's not particularly funny any more. To get a NEW laugh, why not replace the artist's impression with an actual picture of the area round the public lavatory in Speedwell Street at 3pm yesterday? Or , at least, to add some verisimilitude, replace two of the slim people in the illustration with the actual morbidly obese who will inhabit the place?
I know your newspaper loves saying "eco" "eco" "eco" about building on fields in Bicester, to wind up your readers, but it's not particularly funny any more. To get a NEW laugh, why not replace the artist's impression with an actual picture of the area round the public lavatory in Speedwell Street at 3pm yesterday? Or , at least, to add some verisimilitude, replace two of the slim people in the illustration with the actual morbidly obese who will inhabit the place? Lord Palmerstone

9:05am Sat 18 Aug 12

steve1955 says...

Not my taste but if someone wants that fair enough one question how much for a house compared with a so called non eco down the road people wont pay too much more im sure?.
i still think this project will only get a small way to its target umless more subsidies are handed out lets wait for next installment of public money for eco town cherwell council must be saving for the day
Not my taste but if someone wants that fair enough one question how much for a house compared with a so called non eco down the road people wont pay too much more im sure?. i still think this project will only get a small way to its target umless more subsidies are handed out lets wait for next installment of public money for eco town cherwell council must be saving for the day steve1955

6:28am Sun 19 Aug 12

to ny w says...

A code 5 sustainability house will cost at least £50k more than current building regs. However they, A2Dominion, are getting the land at lower than normal values,(so the farmers lose out) and Cherwell are paying for the infrastructure costs. Cost however is different than selling price. A2 haven't released those yet.
Estate agents tell me its a joke. Nobody will buy the. As BaECON keping saying, it is an ECO CON.
A code 5 sustainability house will cost at least £50k more than current building regs. However they, A2Dominion, are getting the land at lower than normal values,(so the farmers lose out) and Cherwell are paying for the infrastructure costs. Cost however is different than selling price. A2 haven't released those yet. Estate agents tell me its a joke. Nobody will buy the. As BaECON keping saying, it is an ECO CON. to ny w

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