Crime & Safety
MP and residents react as Bicester New Town loses status
Dorchester Living has built 1,200 of the planned 13,000 homes on the former RAF site near Bicester over 15 years, which is a £5 bn project.
Plans for 9,000 new homes at the site were dropped when the government cut its new towns list from twelve to seven earlier this week. However, plans could still go ahead if they are approved by Cherwell District Council.
Bicester MP, Calum Miller, said the decision highlights the need for more homes but warned growth must not strain already overstretched services.
“This decision should be a wake-up call”, he said, “We need more homes […] but growth cannot mean piling more pressure onto roads and services that are already overstretched.”
Considering other large local planning and infrastructure developments, he said a joined-up approach is obvious and the government should be clear about why it decided not to proceed with the site.
“Ministers must not kick this into the long grass”, he said, “They need to get to grips with the infrastructure gaps in our area and make sure future growth works for local communities, not against them.”
READ MORE: Bicester developers buy Cherwell council offices in Banbury
Heyford Park Community Action Group, said: “Residents of Heyford Park are keen to understand what this means for us as the settlement needs facilities, amenities and much needed infrastructure.
“Even though the new town was a frightening prospect for many, it was a potential solution to the continual silence, deflection and failures of the current company responsible for the village.
“Dorchester Living are struggling to create a healthy community here and we beg the authorities to step in and force Dorchester into action before they are given any further planning and growth options.
“Deliver what was promised for the current residents, before being given any permission to expand their fiefdom.”
Dorchester Living said it remains committed to working closely with the local community, statutory authorities, and the Government, which it says “shows clear support and recognition”.
It said: “Heyford Park has grown into a vibrant community with an exceptional range of amenities, far exceeding what is typically found in comparable developments.
“At the heart is our commitment to creating not just homes, but a truly thriving community. This is something we are immensely proud of, and it’s reflected in the genuine sense of belonging and pride shared by the majority of residents.
“There is a great deal more to come, and we look forward to continuing to enhance and grow this outstanding community.”
Daniel Kaveh, 24, Justin Hughes, 25 and Kailan Chadbone, 20, were each sentenced to years in jail at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, May 29 for supplying and dealing drugs on the streets of Oxford.
Kaveh, of Lambourn Road in Oxford, and Hughes, of Woodperry Road, played ‘significant’ roles in an ‘open line’ class A drugs operation in Blackbird Leys between November 2024 and last November, the court heard.
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Kaveh was previously in court in 2021 after pulling out a ‘Rambo’ knife in a stabbing incident in Lambourn Road in Rose Hill in November 2020 which resulted in a 12 month jail sentence suspended for two years.
Between them, they supplied around 4.6kg of crack cocaine and heroin to the drugs line.
Police raids on Hughes’ home also found 232g powder cocaine and 2.338kg of cannabis, for which he was sentenced for possession with intent to supply, along with a quantity of cash, drugs paraphernalia and weapons.
Raids on Kaveh’s property found similar equipment and drugs like heroin and diamorphine, with a total street value of more than £100,000.
It was established the two dealers worked for Emman Riasat, who ran his own drug line in Oxford and wholesale supplied drugs to the line operating out of Blackbird Leys.
Hughes received a jail sentence of six years and nine months for two counts of class A drug supply and two counts of possession, while Kaveh was jailed for seven years and six months for two counts of class A drug supply.
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Also working for Riasat was Chadbone, of Bernwood Road, who worked lower down in the operation as a drugs runner.
He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and diamorphine between August 1 and November 19, 2025, committed while he was serving a suspended sentence for affray.
Chadbone received a total of 45 months in jail for two counts of drug supply and the breach of a previous suspended sentence.
‘Sundays in the Park’ took place in Garth Park on May 31, thanks to a collaboration between Bicester Town Council and Bicester Live.
Visitors enjoyed performances from Ukesnaile, Bicester Concert Band, and Malish, offering a variety of covers from pop to garage.
Food was provided by Garth Park Kitchen, with options like British bockwurst, halloumi buns, and wood-fired cheeseburgers, while others brought their own picnics to enjoy in the sunshine.
The council’s events team said: “We can’t wait to welcome you all for an afternoon of live music, great food, and community fun in the beautiful surroundings of Garth Park.”
The next ‘Sundays in the Park’ event will be held on June 14, featuring Hook Norton Brass Band and local soloists, starting at 12.30pm.
In a Facebook post on ‘Raise the Colours: Oxfordshire’, the principal leader of the group asked campaigners to join the demonstration for ‘justice for Henry Nowak’.
The protest follows days of demonstration outside the police station following the murder of University of Southampton student Henry Nowak.
Protesters hurled bins, chairs and bricks at police as hundreds gathered outside the station.
READ MORE: Nationalist group to protest after murder of student
Activist Tommy Robinson and former actor Laurence Fox were among those who spoke to the crowd.
Speaking to the crowd Robinson said: “I heard someone say this wasn’t about race, this is about race.
“A white boy who done nothing was handcuffed, a murderer in possession of a knife who stabbed someone five times isn’t.”
Demonstrators were heard chanting “Henry, Henry” as large group moved across town and threw object at police in riot gear.
The controversy surrounding the murder of Mr Nowak centres on the initial police response after the 18-year-old student was stabbed in Southampton in December 2025.
A trial heard that officers arriving at the scene were allegedly misled by the killer, Vickrum Digwa, 23, who claimed he had been the victim of a racist assault.
Police initially placed Mr Nowak in handcuffs.
In camera footage Nowak can be heard telling officers that he had been stabbed, with an officer on the scene replying “don’t think you have mate”.
Hampshire police’s Deputy Chief Constable Robert France said that within three minutes of interacting with Nowak they were starting to perform CPR.
He added that: “This is a complete tragedy and I am sorry that they couldn’t save Henry that night and I’m sorry that Henry was handcuffed and arrested as he lost consciousness.”
In a statement to the press outside Southampton Crown Court after Digwa was sentenced, Mark Nowak, Henry’s father, said: “We are calling on the Government to treat knife crime as the national emergency that it is.
“Henry did not die with dignity. He did not die with the care he deserved. He lost consciousness before anyone believed him.”
A group of Oxford ‘patriots’ are due to protest in Oxford this week as well.
Aiden Noble, organiser of the protests, is calling on the public to stand in ‘justice for Henry Nowak’ on Friday, June 5.
The group will gather at 6pm outside Carfax Tower to ‘demand answers, accountability, and justice for Henry Nowak’.
The protests join other demonstrations in Southampton, Birmingham, Nottingham, Blackpool, Liverpool, London, and Gloucester.
Vickrum Digwa was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 21 years served on Monday for the murder of 18-year-old Mr Nowak in Southampton.
PM accuses Farage of exploiting Nowak case to sow ‘division’ and denies ‘two-tier policing’ claim
‘Bicester has fought too hard to be ignored’, says MP on EWR
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