Massive leisure resort planned for Chesterton village, nr Bicester
12th December 2019
With a footprint of 1.5 times that of Bicester Village this development is on a huge scale and contravenes National Planning Policies and Cherwell District Council policies on greenspace and transport.
Cherwell District Local Plan 2031 states proposed developments which will already double the population of Bicester to around 60,000. Opportunistic developers continue to ignore the Plan and submit applications. One of these is a massive new Great Lakes UK leisure resort with an indoor water park and hotel. Great Lakes UK operates as Great Wolf Lodge in the United States: Stop the Wolf UK are a community action group campaigning against the Chesterton resort.
The development would remove half of a popular golf facility, displace a public footpath and have a significant impact on open countryside. It would incorporate a waterpark, family entertainment centre, hotel, conferencing facilities and restaurants with associated access, parking and landscaping.
The building design has been criticised as reminiscent of the old Bicester workhouse, standing 84 feet high and offering 498 rooms on 4 floors.
The number of visitors expected to travel to the resort will have a detrimental impact on Chesteron village and Bicester. The resort will offer 900 car parking spaces, local country lanes and roads are already at full capacity, so traffic chaos is to be expected.
Cherwell is an area of water stress. The hotel will use a massive quantity of clean water for the laundry, 498 bathrooms and swimming pools. Despite water-saving measures 155,000 cubic metres a year will be needed.
Have your say:
Planning application ref 19/02550/F
Deadline for comments to Cherwell District Council is 29th December 2019
Read CPRE Oxfordshire’s objection letter below.