Permission has been granted to demolish an existing building and associated units on a Bicester trading estate and replace them with new purpose-built office space for the Bicester Village retail outlet.
Members of Cherwell District Council’s planning committee approved plans to redevelop part of the Mckay Trading Estate off Station Approach in Bicester.
The application proposed the demolition of existing buildings and structures to be replaced with a single office building comprising an identical amount of floor space with parking and new vehicle and pedestrian access.
Cllr Colin Clarke, Cherwell’s lead member for planning, said: “This application is all about making better use of an existing employment site to create more jobs within the same area. The existing buildings and units comprise a combination of warehouse, office and leisure uses, most of which have already made arrangements to relocate elsewhere. By providing purpose-built office space in place of the current buildings this is likely to provide a higher rate of employment per square metre than the existing business uses and lead to the provision of new jobs.
“Aside from the economic developments, the proposal provides the opportunity to demolish functional but unattractive industrial units and replace them with a higher quality, energy efficient structure which will boost the quality and appearance of the area. Furthermore, the location of the site lends itself well to sustainable travel options as it is opposite the Bicester Village railway station and close to the town centre which is well served by buses.”
The application site relates to 0.485 hectares of land consisting of a building that is vertically divided into five individual units. The new structure will comprise a single office building of 2,120 sqm of internal office space as well as associated parking provision.
Vehicular access to the development is proposed in a similar location to the existing access to the current business units and it is expected that any noise or disturbance arising from the use of the new building will be potentially lower than at present.
Under the conditions for approval the applicant, Bicester Nominees Limited and Bicester II Nominees Limited cannot commence work on the site until a follow up ‘reserved matters’ application is submitted outlining further details for the development of the site. A condition was also imposed preventing access to and from Bicester Village through the site.
