Vail Williams welcomes proposals for unique history-themed park

Vail Williams, a commercial property consultancy in Oxfordshire, has welcomed news that plans have been submitted for a £600 million history-themed park near Bicester.

If approved, the park is expected to create thousands of jobs and deliver a major boost to the local and regional economy.

The scheme by French operator Puy du Fou -set across 150 acres – could generate around 2,000 direct jobs and support a further 6,000 roles across the hospitality, retail, and supply chain sectors.

Richard Dawtrey, Partner and Head of the Oxford office of Vail Williams, commented: “We commend the developer’s comprehensive and collaborative approach – including over a year of public consultation and more than 250 individual meetings – as reflective of strong, community-minded planning practice.”

Upon full development, the park could inject around £500 million a year into the local and regional economy, while creating around 2,000 direct jobs and supporting an additional 6,000 positions across hospitality, retail, and supplier networks

Environmentally, the inclusion of 40 acres of wildflower meadows, 20,000 new trees, new lakes, gardens, and hedgerow planting demonstrates genuine commitment to biodiversity and long-term sustainable design -a welcome complement to the built environment, according to the property consultancy.

Vail Williams sees this as a catalyst for broader regional revitalisation, with positive ripple effects for adjacent towns like Bicester, Banbury, Abingdon, and beyond.

“The proposed scheme underscores the strategic value of Oxfordshire within the growing Oxford–Cambridge corridor and would further support the case for enhanced transport infrastructure and placemaking across the region,” concluded Mike.

Puy du Fou submitted the planning proposal to Cherwell District Council for the scheme near Bicester, with a decision expected over the coming months.

*images © Puy du Fou