Oxfordshire County Council is developing plans for a new household waste recycling centre near Bicester Park and Ride, with a reuse shop and a target opening date of 2030.
Oxfordshire County Council is developing plans for a £6 million household waste recycling centre near Bicester, intended to replace the ageing facility at Ardley and provide residents with modern recycling facilities and a new reuse shop.
The proposed centre would be built next to Bicester Park and Ride, with a potential access junction off Vendee Drive. The council is aiming to deliver the facility by 2030, subject to public consultation and planning permission.
The plans come as the existing Ardley household waste recycling centre approaches the end of its current planning permission and lease. Permission for the site is due to expire on 30 December 2026, although the council expects to submit a planning application later this month seeking an extension until March 2031.
Councillor Laura Gordon, the county council’s cabinet member for environment and economy, said Ardley was more than 40 years old and no longer met the standards expected of a modern recycling centre.
She said the proposed replacement would be closer to population centres in Bicester and Kidlington, with access from major roads. The development would also introduce a reuse facility, responding to requests from residents for a place where suitable unwanted items could be sold rather than thrown away.
The proposed reuse shop would form part of the new centre, although further details of its operation have not yet been announced.
The wider development is intended to deliver a 20 per cent biodiversity net gain, with habitats managed and maintained over the longer term. This would form part of the project’s environmental commitments.
Residents and other interested parties will have opportunities to comment as the proposals develop. The council has said a programme of public consultation will support the planning application, with further information to be provided as the scheme progresses.
Oxfordshire County Council currently operates seven household waste recycling centres across the county. The proposed replacement for Ardley is intended to maintain that level of provision rather than increase the overall number of sites.
The new centre remains at the planning stage, with its final design, access arrangements and delivery dependent on the consultation and planning process.
