The 48-acre Bicester Arc site near Oxford presents an exciting opportunity for investment due to its size, location, connectivity, sustainable credentials – and its own on-site power supply.
This dedicated electricity supply is the feather in the cap of the prime site, which is nestled within a huge growth area popular with organisations and businesses in innovation, advanced engineering, deep tech and new technologies.
Bicester Arc has outline planning permission for 645,852 square feet of business uses. And it is just 11 miles from the University of Oxford, which topped The Times Higher Education World University Rankings as the best university in the world.
Rachel Wood, managing director of Sladen Estates, explains why its Bicester Arc development is an enticing proposition for investors and businesses looking to power their growth in a region attracting significant investment.
The site was bought in June 2020 and since then we’ve been working on addressing planning and infrastructure issues. We secured outline planning permission early on and have been dealing securing an electricity supply to provide investors with a deliverable site.
Sladen Estates is in a joint venture with Peveril Securities Ltd, the property development division of Bowmer & Kirkland Limited, which is one of the largest privately owned construction groups in the UK. With cash reserves of £500 million and a turnover of £1.2 billion, this provides the financial strength to any investor or occupier regarding our ability to deliver.
Without doubt, the biggest undertaking has been securing our own electricity supply. We have built our own primary substation, a major project that we started at the beginning of this year. The process, which has cost millions of pounds, will be completed by April 2025, giving the site a 13.7 MVA electricity supply.
Normally when a primary substation is built, it is owned by electricity network operators who are free to use the electricity at their will, even if it has been built on your land. Having a dedicated substation on site is a unique situation in the development sphere – only we can access the electricity that we draw down from the network. That has given the site a strong competitive advantage.
The current electricity situation in the UK is dire due to a lack of investment over many years. Addressing this issue isn’t something that can be done overnight – major primary substations to serve new communities can take up to 10 years to build.
Developers are finding similar situations throughout England with a greater issue in the south. It’s a major problem as electricity is key to any business, especially when factoring in requirements such as a move away from gas and the push for electrical vehicle charging.
The majority of developments are just not feasible if developers are required to fund primary substations and find the land for them. It’s a major concern in the face of the government wanting to grow the economy and massively increase residential developments to ease the housing crisis.
It is hugely important. Developers can have a best-in-class building with planning permission but no investor will commit without an electricity supply.
Bicester Arc’s outline planning permission is for offices and an element of research and development – our electricity capacity is twice the usual power supply for a site of this nature. That means we can accommodate more high-tech companies that might have a greater electricity demand.
One of the first questions an occupier will ask is whether an electricity supply has been secured, so this gives us a huge amount of flexibility.
There is so much investment taking place in the Oxfordshire region in a wide range of businesses from life sciences to future technologies and much more.
Several international companies are choosing to come here because of the wealth of benefits the area offers. Bicester has great infrastructure links to London, 40 minutes by train, and Oxford is just 14 minutes from Bicester Village station.
Businesses looking to expand need to ensure their employees have access to good quality and affordable housing as well as excellent amenities such as schools. A minimum of 10,000 new homes will be built in Bicester by 2031.
Bicester Arc occupiers will have access to a highly-intelligent and skilled workforce as a result of being on Oxford’s doorstep. Oxfordshire ranks among the highest in the country for educational attainment.
The site also benefits from being a neighbour to Bicester Village, known around the world as a top shopping destination.
We are particularly proud of the 15-acre eco park that is solely for the use of park occupiers . It’s an existing natural habitat that will be enhanced to protect the existing eco system and allow occupiers to walk on a trail through the natural environment. Additional areas will provide break-out spaces which can be used for events, exercise classes or for relaxing in. It will be a completely private and safe place for them.
Bicester Arc offers a unique opportunity for businesses to create their own HQ campus or develop a specialist facility in a prestigious location. With a blank canvas to work with, an occupier can design a space tailored to their needs.
We are excited about Bicester Arc’s potential and are fully prepared for business. Our site provides a prime environment for companies to thrive in, offering employees an exceptional workplace. The location is a springboard for future growth, thanks to our robust electricity supply, outstanding infrastructure, and strategic links to Oxford and beyond.
