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October 2025 update: The Secretary of State confirmed that the planning application would not be called in, allowing the approval to stand and enabling the club to progress its all-electric stadium vision.
Cherwell District Council has approved Oxford United Football Club’s planning application for the UK’s first all-electric powered football stadium. The new 16,000 capacity stadium will create a larger and permanent home for Oxford United and will be the most sustainable mid-sized sports venue in the UK.
Teams from multidisciplinary built environment consultancy Ridge and Partners worked alongside AFL Architects (Lead Architects), Mott Macdonald (Engineering Services) and Fabrik (Landscape Design) to develop the scheme. Ridge provided expertise across several aspects of the approved plans including site selection, planning and sustainability, as well as transport planning, including the transport strategy, modelling and design. Their team also provided project management, design, environmental assessment and BREEAM consultancy services.
We’re absolutely delighted to have secured this crucial step to safeguard the Club for generations to come. The Committee supported the recommendation of the Planning Officer and has approved our stadium plans. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Ridge and Partners who has been fundamental in reaching this milestone. Their dedication and expertise have truly made the difference in securing the future of Oxford United. – Jonathon Clarke, Development Director, Oxford United FC
The stadium will be located on a five-hectare (12 acre) site at the Triangle, 6km north of Oxford — near to Oxford Parkway railway station and Kidlington Roundabout. This was selected by Ridge as the only viable site of 60 that were considered close to Oxford City Centre. The selected site prioritises sustainability, community needs and avoids flood risk and heritage constraints.
Ridge conducted comprehensive research into comparable stadia developments. The team provided transport planning advice, including developing the transport strategy, transport modelling and design work for the surrounding transport infrastructure, encompassing highways, cycle networks and pedestrian routes. The transport strategy was developed through regular consultation with key stakeholders, including Oxfordshire County Council, National Highways, and public transport operators. To assess the potential impact of the new stadium, they used the North Oxford VISSIM model — digital microsimulation of the existing and proposed road network enabling evaluation of development-generated traffic flows. They also conducted pedestrian modelling of the supporters leaving the stadium to develop effective match-day traffic management strategies, to plan optimal crowd flow and to minimise disruption to the local transport network
With Oxford Parkway rail station and Park and Ride right by the new stadium, 90% of journeys to and from the ground have the potential to use sustainable transport and the football club is exploring incentives to promote public and active transport. The project will create a new pedestrian and cycle link to nearby communities and public transport, enhanced rail and bus connections, and integration with the Park and Ride services via dedicated fan shuttles. Around 450 bicycle spaces will be provided on site.
This is a momentous occasion for Oxford United, and for Ridge and our dedicated team who have been instrumental in helping the club get to this point. This project is more than a stadium – it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure the future of Oxford’s only professional club, and deliver lasting social benefits for Oxford’s communities at the same time. Everyone who has been involved in translating this vision into a reality should be very proud. Our attention to detail, hard work and team ethic has helped bring Oxford United’s vision to fruition and we look forward to continuing to work with the club to implement the plans and deliver the transport strategy. – Giles Brockbank, Planning Partner at Ridge
In granting planning approval, Cherwell District Council noted the scheme’s significant public benefits, contribution to the community and sustainable commercial model.
The new permanent home for Oxford United will increase capacity by 3,500, ensure that the club is financially sustainable, and is no longer reliant on short-term leases. This in turn provides the ability to deliver lasting impacts for the community. The stadium will feature purpose-built spaces for the club charity ‘Oxford United in the Community’, to expand its outreach programme and continue to deliver high-impact education, health and inclusion initiatives.
The wider masterplan for the area includes a 1,000-person events space – the largest purpose-built venue in Oxfordshire, with potential for discounted rates for local community groups. There will also be a 180-bed hotel, restaurant, health and wellbeing centre and a community plaza and gardens. These additional facilities will not just boost the club’s vitality and secure its long-term commercial success, but also provide amenities to support community activities. It will create significant new spaces for Oxfordshire to host international events, ensure the stadium and surrounds is active on non-match days, and unlock more than £130 million investment into Cherwell.
The team’s vision for sustainability ensured it was at the heart of the design strategy from the outset. As the first all-electric stadium in the UK, it will operate entirely on renewable energy, integrating 3,500 sq m of roof-mounted photovoltaic panels to reduce the impact on the national grid during matchdays. Air-source heat pumps and energy-efficient building fabric will remove the need for carbon-based fuels and provide an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions per year compared with gas boilers. Mott MacDonald’s engineering team translated the sustainable vision into design and its specialists in fire, acoustics, crowd modelling, catering and security helped ensure the stadium experience will be safe and enjoyable.
The new Oxford United stadium will lead to a 20% net gain in local biodiversity. The drainage and landscaping systems are designed to enhance rather than disrupt the site’s ecology and natural environment with the planting of new trees and inclusion of green roofs, beehives, ponds, rain gardens and wildflower meadows on site.
The design and materials for the stadium are structurally lean and the roof is timber to minimise embodied carbon. AFL Architects’ bowl design has a steeper rake than normal and its diagonally sloping roofline places emphasis on sightlines, atmosphere and the overall spectator experience. It integrates the hospitality and hotel functions in the West and North to ensure a seamless fan experience. The roof tapers towards the South East so the stadium blends sensitively into existing woodland at key arrival points for fans.
Contacts at Ridge:
Giles Brockbank, Planning Partner at Ridge: gbrockbank@ridge.co.uk
Paul Robertson, Lead Project Manager for OUFC at Ridge: paulrobertson@ridge.co.uk
Sarah Matthews, Transport Planning Partner at Ridge: sarahmatthews@ridge.co.uk
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