The Home Office is pressing ahead with plans for a major asylum accommodation development at MoD Bicester Site A, awarding a £1.2 million design contract despite an ongoing High Court legal challenge brought by local campaigners.
New documents published on the government’s Contracts Finder website today (9th November) reveal that construction specialist Reds10 (UK) Limited was awarded the contract on 3 November 2026.
The contract covers detailed design work for the proposed development, which could accommodate up to 1,256 asylum seekers at the former military site near Bicester.
£1.2 million committed to detailed design
The contract is valued at £1,204,648.97, including VAT, and covers RIBA stages 3 and 4, which involve developing the detailed architectural and engineering designs for the proposed development.
Work began on the 3rd of November and is scheduled for completion on the 5th January 2027.
The award represents a significant step forward in the Home Office’s preparations for the site, with more than £1 million now committed to detailed design work while the proposed development remains subject to planning approval and legal scrutiny.
High Court challenge remains ongoing
The contract award comes less than two weeks after Wrong Plan Wrong Site (WPWS), through Bicester Countryside and Communities CIC, launched a High Court legal challenge against the government’s decision not to require a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the development.
The challenge, announced on the 23rd of October, questions whether the government acted lawfully in reaching that decision, particularly while investigations relating to contamination, ecology and wastewater infrastructure remained outstanding.
Cherwell District Council has also been included as an interested party in the legal proceedings.
The award of the design contract does not resolve or determine the outcome of the legal challenge, which concerns the environmental assessment process.
Construction has not yet been approved
Importantly, the newly published contract relates to design work only rather than the construction of the proposed accommodation.
The Home Office has structured the project as a two-stage design and build arrangement, with a separate contract required for the actual building works.
The government notice explicitly states:
Under the awarded opportunity, the Authority has no commitment to enter into the Stage 2 building works contract.
The Home Office has also stated that awarding contracts for design and technical assessment does not represent a final decision to open or operate the site.
Nevertheless, the award confirms that substantial design work is now being commissioned, with completion scheduled for early January 2027.
What happens next?
The proposed development remains subject to the government’s Urgent Crown Development planning process, alongside the separate High Court challenge concerning the Environmental Impact Assessment screening decision.
The newly published documents do not confirm when construction might begin, whether a construction contract will ultimately be awarded, or the total anticipated cost of the development.
WPWS will continue to monitor the planning process, legal proceedings and further government spending associated with the proposals.
The full contract award notice, including the accompanying redacted contract documentation, can be viewed on the government’s Contracts Finder website.
