About the Bicester Area Context & Challenges

Contents

1. Closer to Communities 2. Area location and overview 3. People living in the Bicester area 4. Growth and housing development 5. Transport, services and retail provision 6. Educational attainment and deprivation 7. Key discussion points 8. Annex

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1. Closer to Communities

In January 2010 Oxfordshire County Council adopted the Closer to Communities Strategy, which aims to improve services at the local level through cross organisational and joint working with partners. 14 localities, centred on the city and our market towns, were agreed as the basis for developing improved locality working (see Inset 1).

Inset 1: The Oxfordshire County Council localities1

1 See Annex for further sources of information

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However, we recognise that some areas face more significant challenges in terms of development, regeneration and inequalities than others. Therefore Cabinet has agreed to place particular emphasis on six localities – Didcot, Carterton, Banbury, Oxford, Abingdon and Bicester – where there will be significant development and/or a need to address inequalities.

The Bicester locality meeting brings together council service managers and elected members for the area. This is a step in developing the council’s approach to locality working. What we are aiming to achieve is to:  understand the Bicester area and particular challenges it may face;  meet the needs of the different communities within the area, both now and in the future; and  work together more effectively on the key issues affecting the area.

Purpose of this report:

This report is intended to inform council staff and elected members working in the Bicester area; it may also be of interest to partners. Presented under key headings, it offers highlights from the wide range of evidence that is available corporately, in directorates and services, to paint a broader picture 2 of what the area is like now and how it is likely to develop in the future .

The following sections present information about the area, the people living there and key issues facing Bicester and the surrounding area to support improved locality working across services. Section 7 pulls together some of the key challenges facing the Bicester area to help to guide discussions around the themes: growth and housing development; transport, services and retail provision; educational attainment and deprivation.

2 See the annex below for more details and explanation of how to find out more.

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2. Area location and overview

Bicester is the second largest town in Cherwell district, located 12 miles from Oxford, 21 miles from Banbury and 24 miles from Milton Keynes. It has excellent transport links via the A34 and the M40, and has rail links from its two stations to Oxford, London Marylebone, High Wycombe and Birmingham. The town is a historic market centre and has strong links to the military, with Bicester Garrison located in Ambrosden. It is one of the fastest growing areas in Oxfordshire, with large amounts of housing development in and around the town.

Bicester serves a rural hinterland that includes Fringford, Caversfield, Launton and Ambrosden and Chesterton, as well as parts of rural Aylesbury Vale. This significantly rural area is bisected by the railway and M40, and includes some popular commuter villages.

For the purposes of Oxfordshire County Council’s Closer to Communities strategy, the Bicester locality is made up of three electoral divisions in the Cherwell district: Bicester, Bicester South and Ploughley (Inset 2). The wards that relate to each electoral division are listed below (Inset 3).

Inset 2: The Oxfordshire County Inset 3: Electoral divisions Council Bicester locality3 containing wards

Electoral division Ward Bicester East Bicester North Bicester Bicester Town Bicester West Ambrosden and Bicester South Chesterton Bicester South Caversfield Ploughley Fringford Launton

3 See Annex for information about the locality and data used for the report.

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Data is available at ward level, with boundaries shown in Inset 4.

Inset 4: Bicester locality ward boundaries

Bicester is a significant area of focus for partners, as reflected in the local priorities of Cherwell’s “Our District, Our Future” sustainable community strategy.

The Town, District and County Councils and local business representatives form the Bicester Vision Partnership, which aims to engage with the people of Bicester to ensure that it continues to be a great place in which to live, work and play.

There are 22 parishes in the Bicester locality. Launton published a Community Led Plan in 2005 and Chesterton is currently at the consultation stage.

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3. People living in the Bicester locality

The Bicester locality is currently home to around 41,500 people, with 29,900 living in Bicester itself4. The age structure varies between wards (Inset 5), with implications for service needs.  Bicester North (27%) and South (23%) have high proportions of young people aged 0-15, above the Oxfordshire average (18%).  Bicester South (72%) also has a particularly high proportion of people of working age (63% for Oxfordshire).  Bicester Town has the highest proportion of older people (25%), above the Oxfordshire average (19%).

Unlike other large towns and their hinterlands in Oxfordshire, the rural areas around Bicester do not have higher than average proportions of older people.  Launton (21%) has the highest proportion of older people of the rural areas around Bicester (19% across Oxfordshire).  Caversfield (26%) has the highest proportion of young people aged 0-15 of the rural parts of the locality, while Ambrosden and Chesterton (66%) has more people of working age.

Inset 5: Population in 2010 by broad age band (%) Proportion Proportion Proportion Proportion of Area name 2010 total aged 0-15 of working aged 85+ retirement (%) age (%) (%) age (%) Oxfordshire 633,031 18.4 62.5 19.1 2.8 Bicester locality 41,470 20.6 65.0 14.4 1.9 Bicester town 29,875 20.4 65.6 14.0 1.8 Bicester hinterland 11,595 21.0 63.5 15.5 2.1

Bicester East 5,991 20.7 65.2 14.1 1.5 Bicester North 6,385 26.7 65.5 7.8 1.0 Bicester South 5,218 22.6 71.9 5.5 0.2 Bicester Town 4,937 11.9 62.9 25.2 5.1 Bicester West 7,345 18.8 63.3 17.9 1.5 Ambrosden & Chesterton 3,353 21.4 66.2 12.4 1.4 Caversfield 2,819 26.1 61.6 12.2 2.7 Fringford 2,279 23.2 59.9 16.9 2.4 Launton 3,143 14.2 64.9 20.9 2.0 Source: Oxfordshire County Council population forecasts, 2010

4 Unless stated otherwise, figures are based on Oxfordshire County Council ward level population forecasts for 2010

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Population pyramids (Insets 6 and 7) show that Bicester has relatively high proportions of people between the ages of 35 and 49.

Rural areas have a higher proportion of males aged 20-24, likely due to the location Bicester Garrison in Ambrosden. The hinterland also has a particularly high proportion of females aged 0-9.

Inset 6: Age profile for Bicester town, 2010

2010 Bicester town age profile 85+ 80-84 % Male 75-79 70-74 % Female 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4

6543210123456(%)

Inset 7: Age profile for Bicester hinterland, 2010

2010 Bicester hinterland age profile

85+ 80-84 % Male 75-79 70-74 % Female 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5-9 0-4

6543210123456 (% )

Source: Oxfordshire County Council population forecasts, 2010. The data shown is percentages.

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4. Growth and housing development

Population growth and housing developments

New developments are driving population and housing growth in parts of the locality.

It is important to note:

Recent policy changes from government may affect planned housing development and these are not reflected in the available population growth figures

The population of the Bicester locality was 41,310 in 2006, and it is forecast to increase 10.1% by 2016 (Inset 8). This is above the average growth across Oxfordshire of 7.6%.  The population in Bicester Town (28%) and Bicester South (21%) is expected to grow significantly between 2006 and 2016.  The population in Ambrosden and Chesterton (44%) and Caversfield (40%) is also forecast to rise significantly in the ten year period to 2016.

Inset 8: Population forecasts based on planned housing growth Change % Area name 2006 2010 2016 ('06-'16) Change Oxfordshire 616,824 633,031 663,615 46,791 7.6 Bicester locality 41,310 41,470 45,483 4,174 10.1 Bicester town 30,076 29,875 31,666 1,590 5.3 Bicester hinterland 11,234 11,595 13,817 2,584 23.0 Bicester East 6,104 5,991 5,791 -313 -5.1 Bicester North 6,400 6,385 6,177 -223 -3.5 Bicester South 5,220 5,218 6,325 1,105 21.2 Bicester Town 4,902 4,937 6,258 1,356 27.7 Bicester West 7,450 7,345 7,115 -335 -4.5 Ambrosden & Chesterton 3,140 3,353 4,506 1,366 43.5 Caversfield 2,834 2,819 3,967 1,132 39.9 Fringford 2,272 2,279 2,210 -62 -2.7 Launton 2,987 3,143 3,135 148 4.9 Source: Oxfordshire County Council population forecasts, 2010

House prices

Bicester town has relatively low house prices compared to Oxford. In October 2010 the median asking price for a house in Bicester was £220,000, below Oxford at £275,000. House prices in Bicester are also lower than those in Abingdon (£235,000), but higher than in Banbury (£175,000).

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Housing developments

Bicester is a rapidly growing town, with significant developments planned at North West Bicester, South West Bicester and Bicester Town Centre (Inset 9).

In July 2010 the Government named North West Bicester, Cherwell District Council’s proposal for a 5,000-home eco-development at Bicester, as one of the country’s new eco-town locations. The development is being led by P3Eco, an eco development specialist, and a consortium of partners, supported by Bicester Town Council, Cherwell District Council and Oxfordshire County Council. The Bicester Vision Partnership emphasises integrating the new development with the existing town.

The eco town development is set to provide a high standard of sustainable living in 5,000 homes over the next 20 years, as well as new business and employment opportunities. The development needs to meet criteria set by the Government, including up to 30% of the housing designated as affordable; sustainable transport options; green spaces and high levels of recycling.

Development of 1,585 dwellings is underway at South West Bicester. It’s expected these will be completed by 2017/18. This development will bring a new perimeter road, a primary school, a secondary facility, health and sports facilities and employment land.

Inset 9: Housing developments in Bicester

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Employment land at South West Bicester has been identified for the development of Bicester Business Park. A substantial area of 50,250 sq m is allocated for office and business use, with additional land for a hotel. It is estimated that, when fully developed, the Business Park will employ over 2,900 people.

In August 2010 work began on a project to redevelop Bicester Town Centre. Developments include a seven screen digital cinema, a range of new retail and restaurant units, a new bus interchange, improved parking and provision for a landmark civic building.

A further 500 dwellings have also been permitted at Gavray Drive, to the east of Bicester Town Centre. Development is expected to start in 2012/13.

Minerals and waste

An “Energy from Waste” (EfW) facility will be constructed at Ardley. It is expected that planning will be granted early in 2011 and that construction will start in the Spring/Summer. The facility will take approximately 3 years to build, and would therefore be open in summer 2014. The proposed facility would have capacity to treat 300,000 tonnes of residual waste per annum. The facility will generate over 24 MW of energy: enough to power at least 24,000 homes. The facility also offers the opportunity for waste heat to be utilized, for example to service a district heating network.

Some local Parish Councils have expressed concerns about the planning application for the facility. These include concerns about the increased volume of traffic, the visual impact of the site and health and air quality impacts.

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Employment

At the last Census (2001, latest available data) higher proportions of people in Fringford (27%) and Bicester South (25%) worked as managers and senior officials, compared to 17% across Oxfordshire. In Ambrosden and Chesterton, 33% are employed in Associate Professional and Technical Occupations, (15% across Oxfordshire). More people in Bicester East (16%), Bicester Town (15%) and Bicester West (14%) work in elementary occupations (11% across the county).

More recent data (2009) shows the business sectors5 people are working in:  Around 12,300 people work in Bicester, with a further 4,800 people employed in the rural wards outside the town. Most of the people who work in the town, do so in Bicester Town or Bicester East.  Of the people employed in Bicester Town, 38% work in retail, with 11% in business administration and support services.  A high proportion of people employed in Bicester East work in wholesale (27%) and manufacturing (25%).  A relatively high proportion of people in Fringford (21%) work in construction, while 35% in Ambrosden and Chesterton work in retail. In Caversfield 34% work in accommodation and food services.  A high proportion of people employed in Launton work in public administration and defence.

Three of the largest companies (by employment) in the area are Meta Management Services, a consulting firm in Caversfield, the Ministry of Defence, and National Offender Management in Launton. Fresh direct (supplying fresh food produce), Benhamgoodheadprint and Baker and Taylor (distributing books and multimedia) are large employers in Bicester East.

The public sector organisations of Oxfordshire County Council and Oxfordshire PCT employ many people in Bicester Town, with Cherwell District Council and Thames Valley Police predominantly based in Bicester West. Tesco is also a large employer in Bicester Town.

Challenges: Growth and development  How do we set out creating the conditions for businesses to invest in Bicester?

5 These bullet points are based on Business Register and Employment Survey 2009 workplace based data. Data for some wards and sectors is confidential because of small numbers involved, and cannot be published.

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5. Transport, services and retail provision

Access to services is affected by the standard and location of existing services, services for planned new development, and ease of getting about.

Location and standard of existing services

Bicester has one fire station and two police stations. Five GP surgeries are located in the town, as well as Bicester Community Hospital which is managed by Oxfordshire PCT.

The Bicester locality has three children’s centres (Brookside and Glory Farm in Bicester, and one in Ambrosden at Five Acres Primary School), one youth club and one adult learning centre based at Bicester Community College. The area is also served by Bicester library and a registration office.

Some key facilities are shown in inset 10, with education facilities in section 6. Service provision and facilities in this and neighboring areas may change in the future.

Inset 10: Location of key services delivered in the Bicester locality

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Transport

Bicester’s growth has been influenced by its location on the strategic road network close junction 9 of the M40, where the A34 meets the A41. It is also close to junction 10 with the A43, which connects the M40 and the M1.

The town has high levels of out-commuting, with 60% of residents leaving Bicester to work (Census 2001). Travel by car accounts for 64% of all trips in Bicester; of these 49% are made as a car driver, and 15% as a car passenger. Walking accounts for 24% of all trips throughout the day, with cycling accounting for only 3% (Household Surveys, 2007).

The Local Transport Plan for Bicester identifies 3 priority areas for improvement: reducing congestion, increasing the quality and use of public transport and increasing cycling and walking for local journeys and health.

Bicester suffers with a weekday congestion problem. Some of the busiest roads in the area are outside Bicester Village Retail Park (Inset 11), and on the A41 which has an Annual Average Daily Traffic Flow of 33,000 vehicles between Bicester and the M40 (Oxfordshire Traffic Flows 2009). An average day between Junctions 9 and 10 on the M40 can see a traffic flow of over 100,000 vehicles. Parts of the B4030 and Kings End also see heavy traffic. The popularity of Bicester Village as a retail outlet also results in significant traffic congestion at weekends and on Bank Holidays.

Bicester has two railway stations: Bicester North with direct rail links to London and Birmingham, and Bicester Town which provides services to Oxford. Chiltern Railways plans to redevelop Bicester Town station, and increase capacity between Bicester and Oxford, reducing journey times to 14 minutes (compared to 26 minutes at present). If permission is granted for the scheme, work is likely to commence in 2011 with services commencing by 2013.

Inset 11: Key transport locations

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A major project to establish a strategic railway connecting East Anglia with Central, Southern and Western England was conceived in the mid-1990’s. Promoted by the East West Rail Consortium, the scheme would link Ipswich, Norwich and Cambridge with Litchworth, Bedford, Milton Keynes, Bicester and Oxford.

A bus station, located in Bicester town centre, is to be improved as part of the town centre redevelopment. There is a premium bus service between Oxford and Bicester, and various inter-urban services. However, parts of Bicester have poor accessibility to public transport. Development of new or existing routes would make bus travel more of an option from all parts of the town.

Despite the extensive pedestrian network, the town’s layout can be difficult to navigate for visitors. Bicester has a fairly flat terrain, making walking and cycling ideal modes of transport for journeys to schools, work and local services. Cycling infrastructure could be improved, with cycle parking at key destinations in the town centre considered poor.

More detailed transport objectives will be developed for Eco-Bicester, which Oxfordshire County Council will lead on in close liaison with key partners. Examples include easing congestion problems through reduction of car use and/or encouraging the use of low emission vehicles, develop excellent public transport connections and cycling networks between the eco development and Bicester town centre.

Retail offer

Of the residents living in Cherwell, 40% mostly visit Bicester town centre, while others tend to visit Banbury.

Visitors to Bicester tend to exhibit high levels of satisfaction about the town centre or shopping parades (Improving the street scene, July 20106). The top priorities for improvement include; reducing the speed of traffic, more pedestrian crossings, improved seating and street lighting.

Bicester is home to an outlet shopping village which is very popular with visitors from all around the world, receiving approximately 4.2 million visits each year.

Shoppers for convenience goods, such as groceries, travel from beyond the locality (and county) boundary to shop in Bicester. People to the north of the locality also travel out to Brackley and Buckingham for food shopping.

Challenges: Transport, services and retail provision  How do we tackle the challenges of growth in a way that is consistent with the need to do things differently?

6 Improving the Street Scene, Oxfordshire County Council for Oxfordshire Voice, July 2010

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6. Educational attainment and deprivation

The Bicester locality has thirteen primary schools and two secondary schools.

Inset 12: Location of schools in the Bicester locality

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In 2006, GCSE attainment of 5+ A*-C grades (including English and Maths) in Bicester Community College (21%) and The Cooper School (41%) was significantly below the Oxfordshire average (57%).

Since 2006 GCSE attainment has improved in Bicester’s two secondary schools. In 2010 attainment at Bicester Community College (55%) and The Cooper School (57%) was closer to the Oxfordshire average (57%).

Bicester Community College has a sixth form for pupils aged 16-18. In 2010 the average point score per student at A/AS level (or equivalent) was just below the Oxfordshire average.

Inset 13: Secondary school attainment to 2010

60

50

40

30

20

10

% achieving 5 A*-C inc. English andMaths English A*-C inc. 5 achieving % 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Oxfordshire average Bicester Community College The Cooper School

An above average proportion of pupils in Bicester Town (12.2%), Bicester West (10.9%) and Bicester East (10.2%) are eligible for free school meals, compared to the county average (9.3%).

Inset 14: Proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (%), 2010

Free school Area name meal eligibility (%) Oxfordshire 9.3 Bicester East 10.2 Bicester North 6.2 Bicester South 6.4 Bicester Town 12.2 Bicester West 10.9 Ambrosden and Chesterton 2.9 Caversfield 5.9 Fringford 7.5 Launton 7.1 Source: Children Young People and Families, Oxfordshire County Council

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Deprivation

Overall deprivation in the locality is low, but three parts of Bicester are among the 20% most deprived areas nationally in terms of Education Skills and Training. One area in Bicester town ward is particularly deprived in terms of Crime.

In the more rural parts of the locality, in keeping with the picture across Oxfordshire, the more sparsely populated areas of Launton, Fringford, Caversfield and Ambrosden and Chesterton have relatively poor access to housing and services.

Inset 15: Education Skills and Training deprivation in the Bicester area

Source: Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007

In November 2010 around 5.2% of young people aged 16 to18 in the Bicester and Kidlington area were Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET). This is below the 6.1% recorded as being NEET across Oxfordshire. In Bicester itself, approximately 48 young people were Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET) in November 2010.

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Unemployment

Unemployment in Bicester is relatively low compared to Banbury and Oxford, and is below the national and county averages (Inset 16). Unemployment in the Bicester hinterland is considerably below the Oxfordshire average.

 The highest rate of JSA claimants in the locality is in Bicester Town (1.8%), marginally above the Oxfordshire average (1.7%).

 The rate of JSA claimants in the wards around Bicester are all below 1%.

Inset 16: Proportion of Job Seekers Allowance claimants (% of working age)

4.5 4.0 3.5

3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 JSA claiming % 1.0

0.5 0.0

-07 08 08 -08 -08 -09 -09 -09 -10 -10 -10 ov ay Jul-08 ov ar Jul ar-10 Jul ep N Jan- Mar- M Sep-08N Jan-09M May-09 Sep-09Nov Jan-10M May-10 S Nov

England South East Oxfordshire Bicester Hinterland

Source: Department for Work and Pensions

Health

The Bicester locality is one of the few areas in Oxfordshire, outside of Oxford City, that has a relatively low percentage of over 65s, even in the rural parts around Bicester town. As a result, levels of age-related conditions are generally low across the locality.

However Bicester Town and Caversfield have comparatively high rates of mortality from conditions such as stroke, cancer and respiratory problems. As a result, life expectancy in these wards is lower than the rest of the locality. This is largely due to higher number of older people in need of residential care in these areas.

Preventative health in the locality is mixed. Vaccine and screening uptake is generally very good, but levels of smoking are high. Due to the younger age profile of the locality, referrals to adult social care are very low, except in Bicester Town and Caversfield.

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Lifestyle

Lifestyles across the locality vary. The areas around Bicester are comprised predominantly of successful professionals living in isolated rural communities and sought after neighbourhoods.

Inset 17: Lifestyles in Bicester by wards7 Isolated rural communities

Launton Residents of small and mid-sized towns Wealthy people, sought after Fringford neighbourhoods Successful professionals Caversfield Middle income families Ambrosden Couples with young children and Chesterton Young, well-educated city dwellers Bicester West Couples and young singles in small homes Lower income workers in urban Bicester Town terraces Owner occupiers in ex-industrial areas Bicester South Residents in right-to-buy social housing Active elderly people Bicester North Elderly people on state support

Bicester East Young people, high density social housing Families, social housing, benefit 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% need

Source: Experian Mosaic 2009

Within the town there is variation in the lifestyles of those living there (Inset 18). One area in Bicester West has low-rise social housing with high levels of benefit need. Parts of Bicester Town and Bicester East contain areas where more elderly people are reliant on state support. Bicester North and Bicester South are occupied predominantly by couples with young children and young single people, living in modern homes.

7 Lifestyle comes from the Experian Mosaic information that has been purchased by the Oxfordshire Data Observatory. Mosaic uses a wide range of data to provide a classification of lifestyles and is modelled information rather than actual data. It does not mean everyone in a given area falls into a specific category.

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Inset 18: Lifestyle types in Bicester

Source: Experian Mosaic 2009

Challenges: Educational attainment and deprivation  How do we raise aspirations and deliver higher levels of attainment?

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7. Discussion points

Growth and housing development

How do we set out creating the conditions for businesses to invest in Bicester?

Transport, services and retail provision

How do we tackle the challenges of growth in a way that is consistent with the need to do things differently?

Educational attainment and deprivation

How do we raise aspirations and deliver higher level of attainment?

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8. Annex

A note about sources of evidence Oxfordshire Data Observatory: The Oxfordshire Data Observatory website provides information about the county by theme (tinyurl.com/ya9nzam) and locality (tinyurl.com/ydvzctl). Under the themes, you can find the Joint Strategic Needs Analysis information and many specialist datasets (such as Mosaic lifestyle data). Please visit the website for more information and contact details (www.oxfordshireobservatory.info).

Community-led planning: A growing number of communities across Oxfordshire are developing plans, such as parish plans or market town healthchecks, to agree a shared vision, priorities and action plan for their community. For more information see www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/communityplanning, and a new website created by Oxfordshire Rural Community Council and South East Rural Community Councils: www.clp-se.org.uk.

Consultation and Involvement: Information about Oxfordshire County Council’s Consultation and Involvement activities can be found online using our new eConsult Portal at www.oxfordshire.gov/consultation. Here you can register to be included in consultations and find out about activities on topics or areas that interest you.

Links to key organisations and partnerships Local government: Cherwell District Council – see www.cherwell.gov.uk Oxfordshire County Council – see www.oxfordshire.gov.uk Bicester Town Council - www.bicester.gov.uk Parish council websites – see listing on www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/communityplanning

Local partnerships/organisations: Bicester Vision - www.bicestervision.co.uk Neighbourhood Action Groups - www.thamesvalley.police.uk/yournh/ Cherwell Local Strategic Partnership – www.cherwell.gov.uk/media/pdf/s/t/Sustainable_Community_Strategy.pdf East West Rail - www.eastwestrail.org.uk/

A note about our contributors The County Council’s Policy Unit developed this report. We would like to thank all our colleagues who contributed vital information, in particular:

 Partnerships & Communities Team, Chief Executive’s Office  Strategy & Transformation, Social & Community Services  Strategy & Performance, Children Young People & Families  Planning Implementation Group, Environment & Economy  Transport Policy and Strategy, Environment & Economy Minerals & Waste Planning Policy Team, Environment & Economy

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