Crime & Safety
New Cotswolds village gets green light to be built as plans approved
Centred on innovation in agriculture and land management, the Royal Agricultural University’s (RAU) Innovation Village will be developed next to its Cirencester campus.
The project is set to become a major hub for research, collaboration, and real-world solutions in the land-based sector.
Professor Peter McCaffery, vice-chancellor of the RAU, said: “We are delighted that our application for outline planning has been approved.
READ MORE: Praise for 80s music legend trying to save historic village pub
“The RAU celebrated its 180th anniversary last year and today’s endorsement by Cotswold District Council’s planning committee marks another significant milestone in the evolution of our university.
“The Innovation Village will be a major centre, both in the UK and internationally, for agriculture-related innovation, and is integral to the RAU as well as being a UK first.”
Spanning a 12-hectare site owned by the university, the 24,000 sqm development will include laboratories, office space, and facilities for events and hospitality.
It will focus on regenerative agriculture and is designed to be carbon-neutral and environmentally rich.
Buildings will be constructed to Passivhaus Plus standards to ensure low energy use and occupant wellbeing.
READ MORE: Inside TV legend’s Cotswolds home as fans given rare look
Cllr Tristan Wilkinson, Cotswold District Council’s cabinet member for economy and council transformation, said: “This is a truly exciting announcement.
“The Innovation Village reflects the direction set out in our corporate priorities for a more diverse, resilient, and sustainable local economy.
“It has the potential to support green growth and agri-tech innovation, attract high-value, low-carbon businesses, and create skilled jobs that strengthen the Cotswolds beyond its world-renowned visitor economy.”
The RAU hopes the village will encourage young people in Gloucestershire to pursue careers in the sector by offering training and employment opportunities.
The facility will also support collaboration between the university’s researchers, food producers, farmers, and landowners to develop practical solutions for food production and biodiversity recovery.
READ MORE: TV legend’s daughter selling £3.95m Oxfordshire mansion with swimming pool
The economic impact of the Innovation Village is expected to be substantial.
The RAU currently contributes more than £50 million a year to the Gloucestershire economy, and the new development is projected to generate an additional £50 million annually once fully operational.
Professor McCaffery emphasised the collaborative nature of the project.
He said: “Our international partners will also play an active part in the ecosystem of organisations that we are helping to convene at our Cirencester campus – alongside SMEs, industry R&D, government agencies, charities, community bodies, and other UK universities.
“Since launching the proposal, we have been in contact with many potential investors and funders and, following today’s decision, we are now in a position to move forward with those discussions.
READ MORE: Aldi asks shoppers to choose locations for new UK stores in £370m deal
“Today is an exciting day, not only for us at the RAU but also for the town of Cirencester and for Gloucestershire as a whole.”
Councillor Julian Tooke, cabinet member for business, economic development, planning and infrastructure at Gloucestershire County Council, welcomed the project as a boost for the region.
Cllr Tooke said: “This is a significant step forward for Gloucestershire and a clear vote of confidence in our county as a centre for innovation in agriculture, food, and land management.
“The Innovation Village will help create high-quality skills and employment opportunities, particularly for our young people, while supporting sustainable growth in our rural economy.
“It builds Gloucestershire’s strong partnerships between education, industry, and the public sector, and will play an important role in shaping a more resilient, low-carbon future. Great news for the county.”
Bailey arrived in July 2024 at the Oxford Animal Sanctuary from the special education project, but it turned out that he was not a fan of children.
Not the noisy ones, not the quiet ones, not the ones offering treats. So it was decided he might be happier somewhere with a strict no-children policy.
His new home at the animal sanctuary has a strict no-children policy.
The Oxford Animal Sanctuary said: “You have never seen a goat look more relieved.”
Within a day, Bailey had become the leader of the goat group.
Describing his unmistakable tactic, The Oxford Animal Sanctuary said: “His signature move is the lean.
“He’ll come over, press his full weight against your leg, and gaze up at you with enormous, soulful eyes.”
While this seems like affection, it’s actually a demand for treats – he expects them before anyone else.
Beyond his treat rituals, Bailey is reportedly very affectionate and happy to spend time with those around him.
Bailey has found a contented life at Oxford Animal Sanctuary.
Pack of Lies by Hugh Whitemore tells the story of Bob and Barbara Jackson, a middle-aged couple living a peaceful life in 1960s Ruislip, until a Scotland Yard detective arrives and asks to use their house to observe a suspected Soviet spy ring.
The play is set to run at the Players Theatre in Thame from July 7 to July 11, with performances each evening at 7.45pm and an additional matinee at 2.30pm on July 11.
Based on the true events of the Portland spy ring in the early 1960s, the Jacksons face the ultimate test of loyalty when they discover the suspected spies are their close friends and neighbours, Peter and Helen Kroger.
The London West End production in 1983 starred Judi Dench and Michael Williams.
Dame Judi won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress for her performance.
This amateur production of Pack of Lies is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.
Tickets are priced between £10 and £12.
They can be booked online at www.thameplayers.co.uk, through the Information Centre at Thame Town Hall, or by calling 01844 212833.
The Cotswold Home in Burford celebrated the special day on May 12 by giving gifts to its nurses, past and present.
International Nurses Day is celebrated around the world on Florence Nightingale’s birthday.
The date acknowledges the contribution nurses make to society, raises the profile of nursing, and recognises the increasing challenges in the everyday environment.
Michelle Francis, head of nursing at Elizabeth Finn Homes, visited The Cotswold Home with cards and gift hampers for the nurses to say thank you for their dedication.
This also included former nurses among the home’s current residents.
Ms Francis said: “It was an absolute pleasure to thank our nursing teams and a great opportunity for them to take time out from their busy day and know that they are much appreciated.
“Of equal importance are former nurses whose service is not forgotten.”
At the Cotswold Home, nursing is an integral part of the care on offer, with registered nurses on hand 24 hours a day as part of the staff team.
The Cotswold Home, built in traditional Cotswold style, is in Bradwell Village, just outside Burford.
The home is part of the Elizabeth Finn Homes group and provides 51 en-suite rooms, which include residential and nursing care.
The care home also has extensive, landscaped gardens and newly refurbished communal rooms.
Across care homes, hospitals, schools, and the community, there are more than 850,000 nurses, midwives and nursing associates registered to practice in the UK according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoYoung farmers club hosts fun farm competitions in Bicester
-
Oxford united FC4 weeks agoOxford United chairman statement to fans after relegation
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoMajor UK firm collapses in administration with nearly 700 jobs at risk
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoChinese takeaway forced into 'bitter' closure after 'hatred and resentment'
-
UK News4 weeks agoWoman murdered sister and took her Rolex watch
-
Crime & Safety2 weeks agoMan arrested in connection with rape in Oxfordshire town
-
Crime & Safety4 weeks agoOxfordshire father ‘bitten’ by man who approached his daughter
-
Crime & Safety2 weeks agoBanbury woman jailed after lying to police about kidnapped children