Bicester's Emmanuel Church has raised £250,000 towards its £1.75m fundraising project to build its own church building.

Members of the church, which meets at Bure Park Primary School in Lucerne Avenue, have been fundraising and Cherwell District Council has granted permission for the new building, at the shopping precinct in Bure Park.

Emmanuel Church priest Chris Boyce said: "We obviously need a building which will enable us to continue to grow as a church, but we also desire that the new building will be an excellent resource for the local community."