The ‘Triangle’ apt site for Oxford United home

Article posted by Coliseum, October 13^th, 2023

Image: Oxford United

The League One team Oxford United F.C. published on October 9^th further details of the plans for their potential new home in Kidlington (village in England, UK). The club has published seven new images of the proposal and a virtual fly-through.

‘Oxford United’ stated that the club has a vision to create a sustainable sports, entertainment and lifestyle landmark in Oxfordshire (ceremonial county in South East England, UK) which is locally loved and internationally recognized. After an extensive site search, the ‘Triangle’ in Kidlington has been identified as the only viable and potentially available site to create a best-in-class facility as the new home of the Oxford United.

The English Football League One, known as the Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes or simply League One in England, is the second-highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and the third tier overall in the English football league system.

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Preston (UK)-based the English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales (UK). Founded in 1888 as The Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in England from its foundation until 1992, when the top 22 clubs split from it to form the Premier League, the highest level of the English football league system.

The Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the City of Oxford, England (UK). The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system.

The 12,500-capacity Kassam Stadium is the home of the Oxford United Football Club, and is named after the ground’s owner and former Chairman of the football club, Firoz Kassam.

Oxfordshire is a ceremonial county in South East England (UK). The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the North, Buckinghamshire to the East, Berkshire to the South, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the West. The City of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town.

The ‘Triangle’ is a greenbelt site in Kidlington, Oxfordshire (UK). It’s located East of Frieze Way and South of the Kidlington roundabout. The Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) acquired the site in 1937 to maintain a green gap between Oxford and Kidlington.

The Oxfordshire County Council is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Oxfordshire in the South East of England. It was established in 1889. The Council is responsible for most strategic local Government services in the county.

‘Oxford United’ further stated that the club’s new home will set the benchmark for community benefit, commercial innovation and environmental performance, and will put the visitor experience at its heart. This will take the club into the 21^st century and enable the continued success of both the men’s and women’s teams (Oxford United Women’s Football Club), as well as its vitally important community outreach and charitable work.

The club’s current agreement to play at the Kassam Stadium comes to an end in 2026 and so they have to find a new home. This has led to plans for a 16,000-capacity stadium and complex within a single building. This will include a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, conference center, health and wellbeing space, and a community plaza.

The Northern part of the building, next to the new plaza, will have a range of retail, restaurant and community spaces, including the club shop, sports bar/café, and restaurant.

The building will be surrounded and complemented by new landscaping and community-focused open public green spaces which will enhance the biodiversity of the site by more than 10 percent.

The stadium will be better connected to public transport and create new connections for the wider community, with a new East to West pedestrian and cycle route, improved footway and cycleway links to the Oxford Parkway Station and the Water Eaton Park and Ride site as well as enhanced pedestrian facilities along Oxford Road.

The stadium has been designed for all, reducing barriers to participation and involvement. The stadium designs feature sensory rooms and a dedicated accessible concourse with elevated views of the field of play, demonstrating the club’s commitment in ensuring everyone is able to comfortably visit Oxford’s new home for football.

The Oxford United are committed to the women’s league and cup fixtures being played at the stadium and want everyone to have equal access to the new facilities.

On the evening of October 9^th, the club held a special preview exhibition of the revealed designs and setting out a lot more detail about the project. Presently, a 12-day exhibition is underway where the public can see the proposals and leave their feedback.

A copy of the exhibition boards and an option to complete the feedback form electronically is available on the stadium website at https://oufcstadium.co.uk/.

The exhibition follows the decision by the Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet last month to give in principle consent to lease the ‘Triangle’ site in Kidlington as the new home for the Oxford United.

Informed Tim Williams, Oxford United Football Club Chief Executive, “With our right to use the Kassam Stadium coming to an end in 2026 and no option to renew the lease, we must find a new home. The club is committed to developing a proposal which is highly sustainable and community-focused whilst providing a state-of-the-art destination for all. The further detail we have released today (October 9^th) shows how seriously we take these principles, and I am delighted to share the first glimpse of our stadium with the whole of Oxfordshire. I hope everyone from Kidlington, the surrounding areas and across the county will come to the exhibition and take a look at the plans. We want to hear all your feedback.”

The series of exhibitions got off to a start on October 10^th and will continue till October 21^st. The venue is the Holiday Inn Hotel at the Peartree Roundabout where the designs are on show for public scrutiny.

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