Positive impact
You can hear the views of some of our local business partners on this video. From education to heritage to tourism, Puy du Fou’s significant plans and local investment will ripple out across Cherwell, Oxfordshire and the wider region and will be a significant boost to the local area and regional economy.
Our proposals
Puy du Fou UK will be open from April to October each year.
Our proposals include four period villages and 13 world-class live shows (six outdoor shows and seven indoor shows).
There will be three onsite hotels, each themed to different periods of British history, and a state-of-the-art conference centre which will be open on demand all year round.
The main entrances will be from two new roundabouts on the B4100, where the car parks will be located.
Transport
Opening times and show finishing times have been planned to avoid weekday morning and evening peak periods on public transport and the local road network. Busier visitor days will inevitably tend to be more concentrated during school holidays and weekends, when road and rail usage is generally lower.
Our aim is for 50% of daytime visitors to use public transport. To achieve this, we have worked closely with Chiltern Railways and East West Rail, and have agreed a package of measures to improve Bicester North and Bicester Village train stations. There will also be a free shuttle bus service between the park and both stations, enhanced local bus services, investment in walking and cycling routes, and onsite parking for up to 155 coaches.
Landscaping
We want to be a good neighbour. So in preparing our masterplan we have focused great attention on how our park will relate to nearby villages.
The entire park will be set back a considerable distance from the nearest homes, and the outdoor shows will be set back even further. The shows will also be oriented to direct any potential noise away from our neighbours. Considerable bunding, some up to 7m tall, will be landscaped around the park and around each individual show, with trees planted on top to help screen views, light and noise.
Sustainability
The site we have chosen has been intensively farmed for many years and analysis shows most of it has limited ecological value in its current state. This gives us an opportunity to deliver a major increase in biodiversity and wildlife habitats – exceeding national targets for Biodiversity Net Gain.
The few areas of higher ecological value include three ancient woodlands. These will be entirely preserved and protected. To enhance the environment, around 20,000 new trees will also be planted, as well as over 5km of new hedgerows and 40 acres of biodiverse, species-rich wildflower meadows. New ponds and wetland habitats will be created. Bird and bat boxes will be used to enhance nesting and roosting opportunities, along with log piles to create habitats for amphibians and invertebrates.
Our proposals will also include sustainability measures such as the generation of renewable energy onsite, our own water treatment facility to treat all sewage onsite, with the cleaned water being used for irrigation of the gardens, as well as a waste management centre so that 99% of the park’s waste will be sorted and processed onsite.
Application documents
All our planning application documents are available online from Cherwell District Council’s website, application number 25/02232/OUT. You can also review some of the most relevant documents by using the links below.
