Bicester Motion has submitted its first-phase outline planning applications to Cherwell District Council as part of a proposed £1 billion gross development value, 10-year masterplan for the continued evolution of its 444-acre future mobility estate in Oxfordshire.
The applications have not been determined. They have been submitted in outline to establish the principles of development, with detailed designs to follow through future reserved matters applications.
What has been submitted
Three outline applications, designed by masterplanner and architect Ridge and Partners, have been lodged. The Rushes seeks approximately 475,275 sq ft (44,154 sq m) of commercial, demonstration, hospitality and customer engagement space, evolving a previously consented 240,000 sq ft (22,296 sq m) scheme into a public-facing destination for mobility and technology brands.
Command Works Phase 2 seeks approximately 167,000 sq ft (15,514 sq m) of flexible employment space, located between Mercedes-Benz-owned YASA's new headquarters at The Ranges and the existing Bicester Heritage area. Motion Living seeks approximately 200 low-rise, low-density apartments, including affordable housing, totalling 289,881 sq ft (26,930 sq m).
A fourth outline application is being finalised for The New Technical Site, covering approximately 506,140 sq ft (47,021 sq m) of research, development and scale-up space. Collectively the four applications would comprise approximately 1,440,000 sq ft (133,780 sq m) of new commercial floorspace alongside around 200 new apartments, supporting amenities, enhanced biodiversity and sustainable travel infrastructure.
Economic impact is contingent on consent
Subject to planning approval, the wider masterplan proposals are expected to boost the UK economy by £1.19 billion in gross value added each year and create approximately 5,600 construction jobs and an estimated 7,600 jobs in the operational phases.
Those figures describe a scheme that does not yet have permission. They are the promoter's expectations for the masterplan as proposed, not an outcome of the planning process.
An estate already in operation
Building on the £100 million invested over the past decade to restore the former RAF Bicester Aerodrome, Bicester Motion is today home to more than 50 pioneering mobility businesses employing over 500 people. The estate already benefits from an established planning framework, with the submitted applications building on existing consents.
The site sits in the heart of Motorsport Valley and the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor. The applications follow a public consultation on the wider masterplan, with feedback informing the submissions and, the company says, future phases.
Commentary
Daniel Geoghegan, chief executive officer of Bicester Motion, said: "The submission of these first phase outline planning applications marks an important milestone in the continued evolution of Bicester Motion."
He added: "Over the past decade we have carefully restored Bicester's remarkable former RAF base while creating a thriving community of innovators, engineers and pioneering businesses. These applications represent the next step in realising that vision, providing the framework for businesses to establish, scale and remain in Oxfordshire, while continuing to respect and enhance the heritage and landscape that make Bicester Motion unique and creating and boosting local skills and jobs."
Liz Sparrow, partner and lead architect at Ridge, said the proposed design "works carefully with the former airfield layout and wider landscape" and "creates four distinct and connected areas that work together as a single ecosystem".
The outline applications will now be considered by Cherwell District Council as part of the statutory planning process. For allocators, schemes of this type sit at the intersection of planning risk, long-duration development capital and UK infrastructure exposure — a combination examined across the UKFOS Oxford 2026 programme.
Reported by UKFOS from an announcement by Bicester Motion · UKFOS editorial publication date 15 August 2026