Green light for next phase of Catalyst Bicester

Planning permission granted for latest expansion, job creation and investment at Albion Land’s Oxfordshire technology park
Catalyst Bicester, Albion Land’s technology park at the gateway to the Oxfordshire town, is set to grow with the green light given by Cherwell District Council for the next phase of development – a further 128,000 sq ft of high-quality employment space in three distinctive and highly sustainable buildings fronting the A41.
Permission was given at a meeting of Cherwell District Council’s Planning Committee (Thursday 16 January).
The three new buildings represent Phase 4 of the masterplan for Catalyst where 8 buildings are already complete and let to advanced manufacturing, R&D and design companies including Evolito, Tesla and Yasa. Catalyst also benefits from having Holiday Inn Express and David Lloyd Leisure within the development and providing attractive amenities for employees.
Simon Parsons, Director of Albion Land said: “This is a great result for Bicester, for Oxfordshire and for all of us focused on growing the high-skills engineering and technology industry in the region. These bespoke new buildings will provide outstanding workspace for companies who want to join the Catalyst Bicester success story and benefit from everything Albion Land is doing to enhance the Bicester technology ecosystem. We’re delighted with the planning permission and keen to get going so that we can bring these buildings forward to meet the strong levels of occupier demand.”
Phase 3 at Catalyst will be developed in 2025 to provide a further 110,000 sq ft in 5 buildings then, Phase 4 will follow on unless occupier requirements require that the programme is accelerated.
Phase 4 represents a further investment at Catalyst of more than £55 million and could generate in the order of a further 500 jobs depending on the ultimate users that occupy the space.
Construction of Catalyst Bicester started in 2021 and Phases 1 and 2 are fully built out and let with Unit 8 (38,710 sq ft), the final building in Phase 2, only completed in the autumn and already leased to an international advanced-engineering and design business.
Demand is, in part, being driven by the growth of Oxfordshire’s innovation and technology sector and equally by the quality of Catalyst Bicester’s location and amenities and its position within Oxfordshire’s tech and engineering ecosystem.
The three buildings that make up Phase 4 will occupy the site fronting the A41 and opposite the Holiday Inn Express. The Phase 4 site is allocated in the Cherwell Local Plan for knowledge-based employment development.
Quod (planning) and Cornish (architects) advised Albion Land on the Phase 4 planning application.
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Site
The Phase 4 site is for land bounded by the A41, Charles Shouler Way and Wendlebury Road. The site is directly opposite the Park & Ride on the other side of the A41.
Images
CGIs and building images are available from Camargue – details below.
About Albion Land
More at: albionland.co.uk
About Catalyst Bicester
More at: www.catalystbicester.com
Media information:
Ben Copithorne / David Segurola at Camargue on 020 7636 7366 / bcopithorne@camargue.uk / dsegurola@camargue.uk