A community shop is owned, managed and run by the community with any profits going back into the shop and into the community.  There are about 40 such shops in Oxfordshire, including in the nearby villages of Tackley and Wootton. 

• Community businesses work: the most recent 2024 report by the Plunkett Foundation shows that there are now 419 community shops in operation in the UK, with a long-term survival rate of 92%. By contrast, in the last five years only 44% of new small commercial enterprises have survived.
• The forecasts in the business plan are based on an industry recognised demographic study of the population within a 10-minute walk of the proposed site and using data from community shops in similar settings; they provide good grounds for believing that a similar shop here could be just as successful.
• The proposed shop, operating on a larger scale than the previous commercial shop, would offer a sufficiently large space to provide a wide range of goods, in an appealing setting. 
• The landowners have offered the land rent-free, so there would be no on-going rental costs. 
• The shop would not rely on paid staff, but have a paid supervisor, full or part-time, supported by volunteers. 
• While needing to cover its costs and introduce new products, the shop would not need to make a profit: any surplus would be put back into the shop or distributed to other community initiatives in the village.

After the previous commercial shop shut in 2020, the villagers trying to re-establish a shop in Kirtlington explored all possible options. One was to use space at the Dashwood, with the advantage of passing trade. This was examined in 2020-21 and again in 2024. In both cases, the space available was too small for the product range needed to make the project viable. There was also an issue over security of tenure. The Village Hall was considered, but the Hazel Room was also too small. There would have been more space upstairs, which was impractical, so the only option would have been to convert the sports corridor, but this would have meant taking it out of service.

It was recognised that the existence of a shop would lead to some increase in traffic on the South Green. However, in giving its approval to the planning application, Cherwell District Council noted the results contained in a traffic consultant’s report that concluded that “the proposed shop will be accessed primarily by pedestrians and cyclists. The low level of car traffic that will be generated will not result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety.”

Careful preparation of a project on this scale necessarily takes time and effort, including:

• establishing the level of support in the village for a community run shop by setting up a village-wide survey and processing the responses;
• improving our understanding of the working of community shops, by visiting several and discussing their operation with their managers;
• obtaining detailed advice on our plans from the Plunkett Foundation in Woodstock, which supports community businesses, to ensure they are a viable and realistic;
• illustrating the potential of the shop by organising three farmers markets, one of them on the proposed site for the shop;
• examining all possible options for the siting of a village shop and other issues during discussions with Kirtlington Parish Council;
• preparing and securing planning permission from Cherwell District Council;
• pausing plans in the light of new leaseholders at The Dashwood who have since departed;
• preparing for registration as a Community Benefit Society, developing a robust business plan, producing a website and planning the public launch of a share prospectus, inviting villagers to support the creation of the shop; and
• investigating and securing the grant finance necessary to complement the support provided by shareholders and donors

Members buy shares. Shares in Kirtlington Community Shop & Café Limited cost £1 each with a minimum purchase of 20 shares (so £20). Full details are contained in the share offer document.

Those interested in supporting the project but not wanting to become shareholders can make donations.  In addition, many villagers have pledged their support by offering their skills. In the 2023 Survey we had offers of voluntary support from local builders, electricians, plumbers, IT support, bakers and cooks.

Most community shops are run as a Community Benefit Society (CBS), an organisation registered with the Financial Conduct Authority with the specific remit that it must benefit the community. Everyone who buys shares in the society becomes a member and all members have an equal say in the development of the shop. The members elect a management committee to oversee the daily running of the shop.

Building design 

• The building would be made of sustainable timber essential for lowering carbon emissions.
• The building system of two structural facings with an insulating foam core is extremely strong and energy efficient.

Energy 

• The intention is to install a pv array on the south-west facing roof, echoing the large array on the roof of the village hall next to the new building and contributing to reducing energy use. 
• We plan to provide heating and possibly cooling using an air source heat pump, which, combined with the PV panels and possible battery storage, would create an extremely efficient sustainable building.
• While we expect the majority of customers to arrive on foot, the car park includes two electric vehicle charging points.
• Bike stanchions by the shop would help to encourage cycling.

Biodiversity 

We will include landscaping in the design of the surroundings, to complement planting round the village hall and increase the biodiversity of the site.

Waste 

We will aim to reduce waste as far as possible, by careful planning, offering discounts on products approaching their sell-by date, minimising the use of packaging, especially plastics, providing refill options for basic household products and paper or jute shopping bags.

The shop would be open seven days a week, with reduced hours on a Sunday. It would stock all essential groceries, plus local produce and delicacies, the priority being a good range at reasonable cost. There would be freshly baked bread, milk, ready-prepared meals as well as treats you cannot find in a supermarket. Local crafts and artisan products would be available, thus supporting local artists and small businesses, as was illustrated at the Farmers Markets held in 2023 and 2024, in the Village Hall and on the proposed site for the shop. It is also foreseen that post office services be offered at fixed times during the week.

The experience of other village shops (see, for example, two particularly successful shops at Wigginton (wiggintonshop.org.uk) and Bledington (bledingtonshop.com)) shows how this shop could provide a valuable additional amenity to those provided by the Oxford Arms and the village’s various voluntary organisations. It would offer employment, training, and volunteering opportunities for people of all ages and it would provide support to those on low incomes or unable/unwilling to travel. In addition, surplus funds, beyond those needed to develop the shop and café, would be distributed within the community to support community projects.

The projected costs are in the region of £280,000. This figure covers all aspects including the preparation of the site, the construction costs, the installation of sustainable energy measures, including solar panels, the shop interior fit out, the necessary coolers and oven and the till system. Details of financial projections are contained in the business plan.

The set-up costs of the community shop would be funded by the members who buy shares. Only if enough people commit to buying shares (we have set a minimum total of £58,000) would we then pursue the second phase of funding, through grants. Various grants are available to fund such community projects. An example of this is the government-run Community Ownership Fund (COF) which requires either a freehold asset or a long-term leasehold of at least 15 years and ideally 25 years. We are required to prove the long-term sustainability of the asset in community hands to be eligible for the funding.

The building would be easily and quickly erected (and in the event of failure of the project, dismantled) and retain a resalable value. Precedents within the village demonstrate that Cherwell District Council accepts the use of timber cladding within the village and the Kirtlington Conservation Area. It accepted this aspect of the design when it approved the planning application in November 2023.

In the unlikely event that the shop fails, we have agreed with the landlords that sufficient reserves would be held to return the land to its original state. This would include the cost of dismantling the building. The use of timber cladding (which has a resaleable value) means the physical removal of the building would be relatively easy.

Should you want more information on the dissolution of shares, a more comprehensive explanation is provided in our share offer document.