Sir – Five years ago, Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council jointly commissioned the Bicester Masterplan, which was agreed by all councils.

This was to guide all planning decisions coming from the proposed growth. More recently, the Cherwell Local Plan has been agreed, meaning the masterplan needs to be refreshed.

There were two very important parts. The first was the protection and preservation of the green space close to the town centre, from Pingle Field to the Oxford Road Sports Ground, so the town could have green lungs for future generations. The second was to maximise central Bicester for retail and allied purposes, to create a centre to meet the needs of the enlarged town with the strong possibility of using council-owned land to achieve this.

Let’s trust that the refreshed Bicester Masterplan will continue to include these two very important provisions and that our town’s growth is not left wholly in the hands of the developers, who sadly have no lasting interest in our town.

Michael Waine, Les Sibley and Lawrie Stratford
County councillors