PLANS to build another 900 homes for Bicester’s eco-town have been submitted for the next phase of the project.

Developer A2 Dominion South has made an application to build the houses, as well as shops and schools, between Bicester Road and Howes Lane.

The application to Cherwell District Council said the site will have social and community facilities, a centre to provide the village’s energy and land to accommodate a primary school and a secondary school.

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Cherwell district councillor for Bicester West Les Sibley praised the plans.

He said: “They really want to get on with it, this has been in the pot for some time.

“The secondary school would be most welcome. Most residents will welcome that with open arms.”

But he added that there could be problems with infrastructure: Mr Sibley said “The real concern will be about access to the site and how it will be accessed.

“They need to put the infrastructure in first, rather than just building houses and leaving us holding the baby, so to speak.”

Overall the eco town will be built over 1,000 acres, and will create about 6,000 homes and 4,500 jobs.

Currently farmland, eventually 40 per cent of the site will be open space including a nature reserve, country park and woodland areas.

The site was chosen by the Government in 2009 to create the UK's first zero carbon town.

Work on phase one, the Exemplar — made up of 393 homes, a primary school, shops, energy centre, a pub and business centre — started in March.

The construction is taking place off Banbury Road, further north than the site of the new application, which was submitted on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the consortium behind the eco town, P3Eco, is seeking public opinion on another section of the site.

Called Himley Village, the 230-acre development would form a large section of the southern half of the wider North West Bicester development north of Middleton Stoney Road.

 

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