Councillors agreed to back the inclusion of the north west Bicester location in the government's list of potential eco town sites but only if its ten caveats were recognised. The decision to promote a new deal for Bicester was taken at a special meeting of the council's executive, held on Monday 30 March, devoted to the issue of eco towns.

Cherwell District Council will only support an eco development at North West Bicester if alternative proposals for a larger eco town at Weston Otmoor are dropped. Key to the ten point plan is the idea of a 'new deal' for Bicester. In return for supporting an eco development Cherwell District Council wants assurance from the Government that substantial and continuing financial support will be made available to Bicester. The council wants guarantees that 'growth point funding' (money given to areas earmarked for expansion across the UK) will be channeled to Bicester ahead of any expansion of housing numbers. The new deal would also require public sector organisations to work together to deliver major projects on Bicester's infrastructure, such as junction nine of the M40.

Proposals for an eco development in north west Bicester were submitted by Cherwell District Council in response to the Government's consultation on eco towns, as a way to provide a direct alternative to another potential site in Weston Otmoor. The council believes the Weston site would damage the future success of Bicester and the surrounding area and has opposed the Weston idea since it was announced in April 2008.

Cherwell's ten point plan:
This council supports the inclusion of the NW Bicester proposal with the following caveats:

1. The NW Bicester concept study only illustrates the possibilities – it isn't seen as a definitive design. A formal planning brief still needs to be prepared and approved, in the same way as for any other major planning application.

2. We'll only support the NW Bicester option if the Weston Otmoor scheme is rejected.

3. Detailed planning for NW Bicester would become part of the Local Development Framework – an integrated long-term plan for building homes and expanding facilities across Cherwell.

4. More detailed work still needs to be done. We particularly need to look at transport options and talk to those who own land on the NW Bicester site.

5. The government should provide a 'new deal' for Bicester, guaranteeing financial support and directing specific funds to the town's infrastructure before any more new homes are built.

6. Organisations such as the Highways Agency, MoD, Learning and Skills Council and Home Office need to work with the local councils to speed up improvements and investment in the Bicester area, such as changes to junction nine of the M40.

7. The government must back up the council when it comes to planning decisions based on the eco town criteria, so planning permission is only granted to developments which meet the standards.

8. 5,000 new homes built as part of the NW Bicester eco town should count towards the government's target of building 13,400 new homes in the Cherwell district before 2026.

9. Cherwell District Council should be able to nominate families from its housing register to live in social houses built on the NW Bicester site.

10. Cherwell District Council should be the lead organisation on the NW Bicester development.

Submitted 31 March.