BICESTER HERITAGE RECEIVES UNANIMOUS PLANNING APPROVAL FOR 344-ROOM-ON-SITE HOTEL

The next stage in the vision for Bicester Heritage to become the world’s leading automotive destination will be the addition of a 344-room hotel.

Following unanimous planning approval, this critical milestone is a huge step forward in an overarching strategic vision for the unique destination for motoring past, present and future. This is a vital step in ensuring a sustainable future for the UK’s best preserved WW2 RAF Bomber Station.

Development Plans

The hotel features an expansive four-storey atrium, restaurant and bar, courtyard, gym, swimming pool and spa. Furthermore, it will encourage a wide range of visitors to Oxfordshire across the business and leisure sectors.  Estimations anticipate that this will bring in a projected 250,000 visitors per annum and create 180 full time jobs. The hotel and conference centre has also been highlighted as a key player in the Oxford-Cambridge ‘growth corridor’. Through this development, Bicester Heritage aim to provide the required business accommodation and high-tech conferencing facilities necessary for this development.

It is planned that the hotel will be situated within the 425-acre Bicester Heritage site. Located 1.5 hours from half of the UK population, the Hotel is also within easy reach of major tourist attractions. These include Bicester Village, Blenheim Palace, Stowe House, Silverstone Circuit and the City of Oxford. Furthermore, the hotel will act as a gateway to the Cotswolds and has been validated by CBRE hotel specialists for this purpose.

In addition, the development is part of an integrated growth strategy for the region and the construction of this landmark hotel. The Hotel will be amongst the top 15 largest UK hotels outside London, answers the question of under-supply in the regional hotel sector.

Bicester Heritage is a national exemplar for constructive conservation by Historic England. This conservation-led development will utilise materials inspired by the existing pre-war RAF buildings. The overall design language is in tune with the surrounding buildings. The structure mimics the shapes of the existing hangars and built on the same footprint as the 1936 C-Type hangars.  It follows the form, orientation and scale of one of the two planned, but un-built, hangars from the pre-war era.

Dan Geoghegan, Managing Director of Bicester Heritage, commented:

“The unanimous approval by the Planning Authority demonstrates the strength of local government support for our vision”.

“The hotel will be at the vanguard of a new lifestyle-driven masterplan to provide a motoring experience worthy of the modern era”.

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