Approaching £1m in additional funding will enable Cherwell District Council to work with developers and the community on key housing, growth and regeneration projects.
Published: Wednesday, 8th October 2025
On Tuesday, 7 October, the council’s executive committee approved using £0.6m of council reserves for growth and regeneration projects. It also welcomed a £0.3m grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to speed up infrastructure and housing delivery under the Bicester Garden Town Programme.
The monies will be used for a range of activities, including to accelerate delivery of 8,000 homes that have planning permission in the district but which have not been built. They will also support the council’s regeneration plans in the district’s urban centres.
Councillor Lesley McLean, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance, Property and Regeneration, said: “Cherwell District Council currently has approximately 8,000 homes with planning permission agreed awaiting developer delivery. This funding provides extra capacity to help get construction underway and to overcome some of the complex barriers that are currently preventing developers from getting shovels in the ground and bringing forward much-needed new homes, along with the infrastructure required to make the new developments work.
“The decision to allocate additional funding - and the positive news of our £0.3m grant from government - will also help us support our three Area Oversight Groups, which exist to ensure that, as the district grows, key stakeholders and our communities are working together to support high-quality placemaking and regeneration.”
To address delays with the delivery of new homes, the council approved a Housing Delivery Action Plan in February. The announcement of new funding is designed to support this plan and ultimately speed up construction at key sites with existing planning permissions.
Officers will work in an enabling role with developers to address some of the complex infrastructure challenges in the district, which are hindering the construction of the new homes. The delivery of infrastructure projects required under existing Section 106 legal agreements with developers will be a key focus.
The new funding will also enhance the council’s growth and regeneration service, where officers will support the district’s multi-stakeholder Area Oversight Groups and work to unlock provision for the district’s future energy needs.
Banbury, Bicester, and the four parishes of Gosford and Water Eaton, Kidlington, Yarnton, and Begbroke all have Area Oversight Groups. They exist to provide a coordinated approach to new development and to empower communities.
The groups are working to identify where infrastructure or regeneration is needed, and they include chairs of parish and town councils, district councillors, business leaders, community groups, Oxfordshire County Council and government agencies such as Network Rail and the Environment Agency.