The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has sold 187 hectares of surplus land at MoD Bicester to the council for the construction of new homes.
The sale allows the council to deliver the UK’s first self-build community of up to 1,900 homes at Graven Hill, as well as a million square metres of commercial space. More than half the site will be set aside for community woodland with public access, parks and open spaces.
Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) expects to continue to run its warehousing operation on the site until 2019. However, limited areas of the site will be vacated to enable roads and infrastructure to be laid ahead of the first homes being built in 2015.
Cllr Barry Wood, leader of Cherwell District Council, said that the land deal "signifies the first stage in delivering the country's first self-build community”.
He said: "This is the first-ever large-scale project of its kind in the UK, trailblazing a new way of customising homes and empowering communities. For many, the fantasy of building a dream home can now become a reality and we are looking forward to leading this pioneering development."
A resolution to grant planning consent has already been granted for the new homes along with a primary school, employment space, pub/ restaurant and a small number of local shops.
The self-build concept will be delivered in various forms, including kit homes bought from catalogues, watertight shells, group/community self-build schemes and custom build projects where the owner designs the property but employs contractors to build it.
The council has said that properties will vary in size and design according to the residents' needs but are likely to include detached, semi-detached and terraced homes of differing sizes, apartment blocks and bungalows. There will also be a mix of tenure types.
Cllr Wood said earlier this month: "So many people dream of building their own home but are often put off by the complicated process and difficulty in finding a suitable plot of land. However the Graven Hill Self Build scheme makes the process easier as Cherwell has done the hard part by finding the land; all people have to do now is start deciding how they want to use it."
Councillors first agreed to negotiate for the acquisition of the site in October 2012 and, since then, due diligence has taken place to ensure the site's feasibility.
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