OVERVIEW
Phase Two South West Bicester – also known as Kingsmere – is a major £8 million strategic residential development delivering more than 1,000 new homes on the south western edge of Bicester. The scheme also includes associated highways infrastructure, community facilities, strategic drainage, and high-quality green spaces.
CREATE’S ROLE
We delivered specialist multidisciplinary services (Acoustics, Air Quality, Civil Engineering, Transport, Flood Risk), supporting the project from early feasibility through to construction and handover over a five-year period, commencing in 2015.
Our initial commission involved a comprehensive technical review of the existing Phase One infrastructure. This informed the feasibility, planning, and full detailed design of Phase Two’s primary spine road, associated drainage systems, and utility infrastructure, enabling the phased release of development parcels to multiple housebuilders. The commission also included the detailed design of two Section 278 highway junctions and full Section 38 adoption packages for the internal road network.
Construction commenced in 2018, during which we provided ongoing Resident Engineer support across the development. This included management of technical queries, programme monitoring, and site-based quality assurance. Noise and vibration monitoring was also undertaken throughout the construction phase to ensure compliance with planning and environmental requirements.
Our roles, technical services and outputs included:
- Conceptual Infrastructure Review of Phase One
- RIBA Stage 0 and 1 Technical Notes
- Acoustics Assessment
- Air Quality Assessment
- Preliminary Access Design
- Flood Risk Assessment
- Detailed Drainage Review
- Detailed Façade Noise Break-in Calculations
- Construction Noise and Vibration Assessment
- Highway and Drainage Design
- Resident Engineer
- Construction Noise and Vibration Monitoring
- Water-based Remedial Works
- Technical Query Management
- Sound Insulation Testing
CHALLENGES
Our early review of the inherited Phase One infrastructure identified several critical design flaws within the original drainage system, which would have prevented Phase Two from connecting and progressing. To address this, we undertook a comprehensive redesign of the site-wide drainage strategy, developing a technically robust and future-proofed solution that enabled the development to proceed without significant abortive works.
The scale and complexity of the scheme demanded early multidisciplinary collaboration, iterative design development, and a highly coordinated technical approach to ensure that strategic infrastructure was delivered ahead of multiple housebuilders commencing construction.
ACHIEVEMENTS AND BENEFITS
Our integrated multidisciplinary approach supported the successful progression and delivery of this strategic residential development. By uncovering and resolving critical Phase One drainage constraints early in the programme, we played a pivotal role in enabling Phase Two to proceed efficiently and without abortive works.
The completed scheme delivers a sustainable, well-connected new community, providing high-quality public realm, resilient drainage infrastructure, and efficient transport connections that support long-term growth in Bicester.
