Puy du Fou, the creator of award-winning history-themed destinations in France and Spain, has submitted an outline planning application to Cherwell District Council for the site near to junction 10 of the M40 on land north of Bucknell, near Bicester.
Puy du Fou says that by the time the park is fully developed, it will directly employ around 2,000 people, support a further 6,000 jobs in hotels, restaurants, suppliers and other local businesses, and deliver a £500m annual boost to the local and regional economy.
The park would be open between April and October and would have four period villages and 13 live shows, eventually attracting an estimated 1.47 million visitors a year.
There will also be three hotels, each themed to different periods in British history, and a ‘state-of-the-art’ conference centre, which will be open on demand all year round.
The scheme was submitted in the last few weeks and, so far, there have been eight objections and six comments in support.
Hugo Brown, of Stoke Lyne, said: “Although this is an exciting idea, its proposed location is totally in the wrong place.
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“Whatever tie-ups are devised with the railway companies, the prohibitive cost of train travel will mean that most visitors will arrive by private car. This, together with the number of lorries needed to service the hotels and other hospitality venues on site, will overwhelm what is still essentially a rural road (the B4100) which is becoming increasingly dangerous to join from one of the side roads, even with the installation of numerous mini-roundabouts.”
Supporter Sidharth Panicker, of Knighton Way, Bicester, said: “As someone who’s lived in Bicester for years, I think the Puy du Fou plans are a brilliant opportunity for our town.
“A 600 million investment like this doesn’t come around often, and the fact it could bring in 500 million a year to the local economy is huge. It’s not just about the park itself, think of all the jobs it’ll create in hotels, restaurants, and shops around the area.
“That kind of boost could really help local families and businesses thrive.”
Bucknell Parish Council is yet to submit a formal comment, but requested that the deadline for comments be extended by six months, to April 11 next year.
Olivier Strebelle, CEO of Puy du Fou, previously said: “We have only submitted these plans after an extensive consultation, which took over a year and included six in-person events and over 250 individual meetings, all of which have helped to shape our final proposals.
“Britain has such a rich, colourful and exciting history, and the site we have chosen near Bicester is the ideal location to create a world-class destination that will bring that history to life.
“This will be a £600 million investment in the local economy over the next ten years and will create thousands of jobs, but it will also have the environment and sustainability at its heart.”
