Oxfordshire Local Entreprise Partnership - Bicester
Located 12 miles from Oxford and 24 miles from Milton Keynes, Bicester is one of the fastest growing areas in Oxfordshire with excellent transport links by rail and road to the cities of London, Oxford and Birmingham. The town is a historic market centre, but has shown major ambitions for growth through the development of the internationally recognised Bicester Village Shopping Centre, the town centre redevelopment and the proposed Bicester Eco-town. Some facts about Bicester:
• Just under 30,000 people live in Bicester
• The population of Bicester Town is expected to grow by 28% between 2006 and 2016
• Overall deprivation is low, while unemployment is relatively low compared to Oxford and Banbury
• Major employers include the Ministry of Defence, BGP (Printing), Fresh Direct and Paragon Fleet Solutions.
Bicester is where we will use the significant potential for further growth, including the eco-town proposal, to act as the focus for delivering improved economic and commercial activities and creating an international exemplar of sustainable development.
Oxfordshire County Council has summarised much of the key data available for the Bicester area in a report: About the Bicester area - context and challenges (pdf format, 5.8Mb).