Housebuilder appointed for final phase of Barton Park by joint venture between city council and developer Grosvenor

Countryside has been appointed by a joint venture between Grosvenor and Oxford council to deliver the 441-home final phase of the Barton Park development in the city.

The overall scheme of 885 homes has been overseen by a 50-50 joint venture, called Barton Oxford LLP, between developer Grosvenor and Oxford council, the original landowner of the site.

The appointment will see Countryside work up plans for up to 441 homes and local retail space, including 176 homes for social rent. The housebuilder is planning to submit a reserved matters application for the homes later this year.

Barton Park Oxford- credit to Hill

Homes built by Hill in the first phase of Barton Park

The joint venture previously appointed Hill and Redrow for the first two phases of the scheme, with almost 200 homes already occupied. The scheme is one of 10 demonstrator sites for the NHS’s Healthy New Towns programme, designed to show how places can be built to support healthier living.

On completion, the council will take ownership of 354 of the 885 homes and let them at social rent levels via its in-house housing company, OCHL.

Louisa Nie, senior development manager of strategic land for Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said the appointment meant the scheme was on course to provide “high-quality homes, open space and community facilities”.

She added: “By taking a master developer approach, partnering with three housebuilders and funding the infrastructure upfront, we have been able to get new homes for Oxford built quicker while setting a high bar for site-wide design and delivery.”

 >> Read more >> Barton Park: A unified approach to housing development