Legal deal paves way for eco-town's start (From The Oxford Times)
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Legal deal paves way for Bicester eco-town's start
6:00pm Saturday 21st July 2012 in Bicester
FINAL legal agreements over the first phase of Bicester’s 5,000 home eco-town have been signed paving the way for building work to start.
In the first phase, 393 homes, a school and business centre will be built at farmland off Banbury Road starting this autumn.
Plans were approved last August, but legal details on infrastructure, including a school, had to be thrashed out. Cherwell District Council announced yesterday these had been finalised.
Homes will be built to sustainability level five, the top level being six.
Michael Gibbard, Cherwell’s lead member for planning, said: “We’ve made sure the first phase at NW Bicester will set the scene.
Michael Gibbard, Cherwell District Council's lead member for planning
“We’re proud the scheme will include many unique features to reduce impact on the environment."
Steve Hornblow, project director for A2Dominion, which is building the first phase homes, said: “NW Bicester gives a community environment, low running cost and green technology.”
Comments(15)
steve1955
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9:02am Sun 22 Jul 12
Lord Palmerstone
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9:29am Sun 22 Jul 12
In passing "£30,000 Headington benefits fraudster must repay £2,800". If, instead of doing nothing for the last 30 years, this creature had worked and had nicked 30K off her employer she'd have got 3 years but, hey, it's just the taxpayer whose been dumped on, as ever, so give her a couple of months of community service.
steve1955
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9:41am Sun 22 Jul 12
For once i agree with you i wonder how much crazier this country can get
snert
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8:22am Mon 23 Jul 12
steve1955
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9:30am Mon 23 Jul 12
Severian
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9:50am Mon 23 Jul 12
steve1955 wrote:Steve,
Can someone clear up some confusion? in this headline it states 5000 homes yet in one of the earlier articles about this ECO saga the number was reduced to less than 2000 i know its hard for the truth to be told but how many are being built?
To be able to give permission to the "Eco town" Cherwell District Council had to pretend it will be a development of at least 5,000 houses (which we all know it isn't going to be, but that's politicians for you).
In CDC's local plan they have admitted that only 2,000 houses might be built (at best) over the next 20 years, so the Eco-town won't be finished until around 2065 or later.
And given that the new industrial estate is going to be built on part of the site they won't ever build the whole site. And they also don't own the land either, which tends to be a problem when you want to build on it!
All this talk from our Councillors is just a load of hot air, to make them sound important and to hide the truth that they have conned people into agreeing to spend £9.2m of YOUR money helping a property developer to build some houses.
It's just a shame that we will have to wait years to be able to say "we told you so", and write off all that taxpayers money.
to ny w
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9:59am Mon 23 Jul 12
ECO CON has long since been BaECON's (Bicester against ECO CON) description for this crazy plan.
Folks you have been hood winked.
steve1955
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10:01am Mon 23 Jul 12
to ny w
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11:39am Mon 23 Jul 12
Reason why not- It is not viable.
ALBUM ELEPHANTIS
caversfield
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11:07pm Tue 24 Jul 12
to ny w
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10:00am Wed 25 Jul 12
steve1955
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9:02am Mon 6 Aug 12
to ny w
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2:11pm Thu 9 Aug 12
Stephen WJ
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8:21pm Thu 9 Aug 12
Stephen WJ says...
9:33pm Sat 21 Jul 12
The area doesn't need, and cannot sustain, this level of increased housing on top of Kingsmere and Gavray Drive, especially with thousands of houses also going up in Aylesbury, just 15 miles up the road.
It's an 'eco con', or could also be called the Bicester 'ego town' - a vanity project pursued by out of touch councillors.