Property consultant and north Oxfordshire ambassador Chris White has joined the team promoting the 48-acre Bicester Arc site near Oxford – the exciting opportunity for investment that nestles in a huge growth area. Chris explains why Bicester – and the wider region – is ripe for investment and how the site is a real ‘jewel in the crown’ of the region
The developers of Bicester Arc are on track to deliver ground-breaking infrastructure that will power state-of-the-art, bespoke facilities, providing unprecedented opportunities for occupiers.
The site’s dedicated power supply gives it a significant edge in a market bustling with leading organisations in innovation, advanced engineering, deep tech, and new technologies.
The strategic positioning of Bicester Arc, near the world-famous Bicester Village retail park, offers exceptional connectivity, with Oxford just 14 minutes away by train, London Marylebone reachable in 46 minutes, and Junction 9 of the M40 only a two-minute drive, ensuring seamless links to London, Birmingham, and beyond.
White Commercial Property Consultants – led by managing director Chris White – is excited to see the incredible growth of companies moving to the ‘M40 corridor’ where he has been practising since 1985. He tells us why…
We set up our Banbury office just as the M40 opened, so I’ve been practising and dealing in the expansion of this part of the world, the M40 London to Birmingham corridor, for 40 years. It was originally identified as a corridor for expansion and economic growth and that has certainly been the case.
And thanks to the relationship between Oxford, Silverstone and Cambridge continuing to grow at pace, the next five or 10 years will see this corridor area developing even further – these are very exciting times.
We’ve seen huge population growth, a surge in companies moving to the area and a big expansion of Oxford – and that flows out to places like Bicester, the M40 area and on to London and Birmingham.
And of course, at the centre of all this development is ‘Motorsport Valley’ which has a significant number of F1 teams choosing to be based here – we work for five of them. Automotive skills and businesses are a crucial part of the local economic ‘ecosystem’.
We have seen so many changes from the days when companies tended to look at Oxford and South Oxfordshire, where there are some constraints in terms of an available labour force, housing costs and road access.
As a result, we’re seeing more companies starting to now look towards Bicester, which is considered to be cheaper and more cost-effective. Housing, staffing and transportation costs are less and there’s much easier access – straight on to the M40 at Junction 9 and then the national motorway network, easy access to the M1 and of course to London and Birmingham.
Bicester also has incredible rail connectivity – Oxford is 14 minutes away while you can reach London Marylebone in 46 minutes. There is also the development of the East West Rail project which will connect communities between Oxford and Cambridge and upgrade an existing section of railway between Oxford and Bicester.
Bicester Arc is also close to a park and ride service and there are efficient bus services, particularly as the designer outlet shopping centre Bicester Village is nearby.
Our company has developed significantly since our days of dealing mostly with industrial accommodation – now technology businesses are really at the forefront of the changing face of this region.
We work on acquisitions for F1 teams that need a combination of offices, production and industrial space and warehousing accommodation. These clusters of technology-driven companies are attracting even more high-tech businesses, including pharma and biotech communities – these types of firms like to be in close proximity to each other.
Among new investors in the region are Andretti Global, which recently opened a new F1 facility at Silverstone Park, and Siemens Healthineers, which is building a new £250m headquarters in North Oxfordshire to design and manufacture superconducting magnets. And pioneering electric flight motor manufacturer Evolito is creating a new HQ at Catalyst Bicester.
People have fantastic skills in this area as a result of this hi-tech activity, including the movement of electric sports teams here. Companies choosing to come here have a really good, specialist labour force on the doorstep.
More housing is being built too, so we can expect the population to grow to 50,000 or 60,000, including a new eco town that is being built to the north west.
Where Oxford is relatively constrained in terms of its green belt and heritage and therefore the development of residential and employment, north Oxfordshire, including Bicester, is seen as a major area of future growth in the next local plan supported by the local authority.
And not forgetting, north Oxfordshire is a beautiful place to live and work – that’s important for skilled staff who want to live in a good quality environment.
Bicester Arc will have its own eco park, which is an attractive proposition for people – just look at Aston Martin, which has built a new 400,000 square foot headquarters at Silverstone. Part of the planning application was for an eco park as they wanted their staff to go out for a walk on their lunch breaks. A nice environment helps people to think in a different way.
I honestly think Bicester Arc is one of the best sites in Oxfordshire and the South East – it’s in a great location and has so many assets and excellent amenities around it. It also sits in a very positive area for the government to drive positive growth and development.
The area is generally lacking in good quality office space, which is something the site can offer. It also offers the opportunity to create a campus of buildings, perhaps for companies requiring a combination of offices, warehousing and advanced manufacturing facilities.
There is a huge demand in the area for flexible sites such as this. It is simply the jewel in the crown of office sites in terms of Oxfordshire and other shire counties such as Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
To find out more about this exciting development, please get in touch here.
