Bicester Heritage has again been formally recognised for its regeneration of one of the UK’s most ‘at risk’ sites of national historic importance, receiving the Conservation and Regeneration category at this year’s Construction Excellence SECBE Awards.

 

The former RAF Bicester site, is home to a plethora of historic motoring and aviation businesses, including the offices for Motorsport UK, Morgan Motor Company and auction house Bonhams MPH, within its unique ‘motoring marina’ ecosystem.

Held as an exemplar of constructive conservation by Historic England, the restored base promotes skills, expertise and apprenticeship opportunities alongside an active airfield and test track.

Constructing Excellence Awards judges said the site has “created a vibrant focal point for an industry, generating employment, encouraging skills transfer and a viable future for historic motoring technology and events through diligent architectural regeneration and sensitive development.”

With every viable historic structure now restored or reactivated, Bicester Heritage completed construction and delivery of ‘The Command Works’ in summer 2020, a contemporary extension to the historic ‘Technical Site’. This addition was the first significant new-build construction in eighty years at this location.

Daniel Geoghegan, Chief Executive of Bicester Motion, said: “Bicester Heritage is a celebration of our investment in the site’s future, through careful planning, renovation and regeneration of the once derelict RAF site. We’re proud to have been recognised by the Constructing Excellence SECBE Awards, not only for our careful repurposing work, but also as Bicester Heritage continues to evolve and develop a sense of community, revolutionising the future of historic vehicle ownership, preservation and appreciation.”

Bicester Heritage’s site, is the UK’s only hub for historic motoring excellence and is the national centre for a £18.8bn per annum industry that supports the jobs of around 113,000 people. The broader Bicester Motion site, on which Bicester Heritage sits, is planned to become a Centre of Excellence for mobility technology and experience, past, present and future.