Bicester bus changes, storms and local wins

Bus passengers now have a much clearer picture of Bicester’s September network. Thames Travel announced on Monday 24 August that new services 25 and 25A, alongside changes to town route 21, will begin on Sunday 20 September.

The biggest change is route 25. It will run hourly from Upper Heyford through Heyford Park, Middleton Stoney, Chesterton, Bicester, Ambrosden and Islip before continuing directly to the John Radcliffe Hospital. This replaces the connections currently provided by Stagecoach’s H5.

A new 25A will also run hourly between Upper Heyford and Upper Arncott via Heyford Park, Middleton Stoney, Bicester and Ambrosden, replacing links currently provided by route 29. Together, the 25 and 25A will provide up to two buses an hour between Upper Heyford, Bicester and Ambrosden.

There is a useful evening improvement too. Extra late journeys are planned between Bicester and Heyford, with the final departure from Bicester Village Station scheduled for 11pm.

Bicester town service 21 is changing at the same time. Thames Travel says it will receive additional daytime journeys and move from Oxford Bus Company operation to Thames Travel. Chesterton will gain a regular daytime service through the new 25, while the first weekday 21 will instead start at Bowmont Square in Highfield.

For anyone using the H5, 29 or 21 regularly, this is one to prepare for rather than discover at the bus stop. Check the new timetable and any operator-specific ticket arrangements before 20 September.

The Met Office issued fresh yellow thunderstorm warnings on Tuesday 25 August, with Oxfordshire included on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday’s warning runs from 3am to 10pm on 26 August. The Met Office says many places may miss the heaviest storms, but where they develop they could be intense, with 20–30mm of rain possible in less than an hour in some locations. Hail, lightning and local surface-water flooding are also possible.

A second warning runs from 6am to 10pm on Thursday 27 August. Heavy rain and thunderstorms could again bring difficult driving conditions, local flooding and some disruption to bus or rail services.

This is a yellow warning, not a prediction that Bicester will definitely get severe weather. The practical point is to check conditions before travelling on Wednesday and Thursday, especially if your journey is time-sensitive, and keep an eye on updates because warning areas can change quickly.

Cherwell District Council received confirmation on Tuesday 25 August that its Local Plan Review 2042 can continue through independent examination. The Planning Inspector has confirmed that the plan meets the relevant transitional arrangements and can continue to be assessed against the December 2023 National Planning Policy Framework. Further hearing sessions will now be arranged. For Bicester, the Local Plan matters because it provides the framework for future housing, employment land, infrastructure and development across the district.

Construction of phase three at Symmetry Park Bicester has reached its halfway point. Tritax Big Box Developments marked the milestone on Monday 24 August with a steel-signing event involving the project team and local authority representatives. The phase contains two speculative warehouse units of roughly 156,000 and 115,000 sq ft, meaning tenants have not yet been announced. The buildings are designed for BREEAM Excellent and EPC A+ ratings, with solar panels and rainwater harvesting included.

The Bicester School says its overall GCSE outcomes improved for a fourth consecutive year when pupils collected their results last Thursday. A record 23% of grades were at grade 7 or above, while 63% of pupils achieved a standard pass in both English and Maths. Its Attainment 8 score rose from 47.35 to 48.38. The school is continuing to support pupils moving into sixth form, college, apprenticeships and employment.

The Royal Shakespeare Company has added its support to the proposed £600 million Puy du Fou history theme park north of Bicester. The RSC confirmed the authenticity of a letter seen by the BBC backing the project’s cultural and tourism ambitions. The underlying planning application is not new and has not been approved; the RSC endorsement is the fresh development. Puy du Fou proposes four historical villages and 13 live shows, with phased opening from 2029 if permission is granted.

The Bell on Sheep Street is hosting Bell Fest ’26 across Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August, with the free-entry event raising money for Bicester-based charity Nai’s House through donations and fundraising during the weekend.

The timing connects with something useful happening behind the scenes at the charity too. Nai’s House is running another week of its ALLIES programme from 24 August. The four-part training is aimed at people aged 15–25 and covers peer support, mental health and trauma, suicide awareness and practical support skills.

That makes Bell Fest more than another Bank Holiday music listing. The money raised is supporting a Bicester organisation currently delivering programmes for young people and families from its base at The Garth.

Bicester Library has quietly built a fairly useful final week of school-holiday activities.

Wednesday brings Family History Help from 10am to noon. There are craft activities on Thursday from 11am to noon, followed by Chess Club from 5pm to 6.30pm. Friday has the Summer Reading Challenge Book Club at 11am and Lego Club at 3.30pm, while Saturday includes Storytime and a Language Café.

Beyond the events, the library offers free Wi-Fi and public computers, a local-history collection, printing, newspapers and help with services including Blue Badge and resident-parking validation. It is open until 7pm on Wednesday and Thursday, which makes it useful even if you are not there for a scheduled activity.

Not everything useful in town needs to be new. Sometimes it is simply a service worth remembering is there.

Oxfam’s Bicester warehouse: The Bicester operation remains part of Oxfam’s review of its three UK warehouses, but the charity says it currently has no plans to close its warehouses. No Bicester-specific decision has been announced, so that is the next meaningful development to watch for.

Bicester Planning Committee: The next Town Council Planning Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday 1 September, 7pm–9pm. The agenda was still marked “to follow” when checked, so we will see whether any material town developments appear once it is published.

That is it for this week. If you spot a new shop, useful service, neighbourhood project or something changing in your part of Bicester, send it our way.

What local change, new opening or community project should HelloBicester investigate or share next?

HelloBicester is Bicester's free weekly community newsletter. Share it with a friend who loves this town. And if you hear about a new Bicester‑area good news story, send it to HelloBicester ([email protected]) so we can share it with the whole town next week.

See you next week.

Cheers!!