Our Location
The village of Kirtlington lies ten miles north of Oxford, between Bicester and Woodstock. It sits on a rise above the Cherwell Valley, set in gently rolling farmland. This was an important farming area and today several of the surrounding farms have diversified: one is now a golf course and another a stud farm, while former agricultural land close to the centre of the village is home to small housing developments.
To the east of the village the bulk of the land belonged to the eighteenth-century Grade I listed Palladian hose, Kirtlington Park, and is now run separately as a private estate. Parishioners are fortunate in having access to much of this land, with its wealth of ancient trees and the lake created as a focal point for the house by the landscape designer Capability Brown.
The Oxfordshire Way footpath crosses the land and is well used by walkers, often starting from the Village Hall carpark. The village and its surroundings are visited also by cyclists and, especially in summer, by users of the canal that runs alongside the Cherwell river.
The existence of a small shop and café located in Kirtlington Conservation Area and on the edge of Kirtlington Park registered parkland beside the Oxfordshire Way, in the idyllic setting of the Village Hall, looking out over the listed parkland on one side and towards the church on the other, past majestic ancient trees, would provide an exceptionally attractive stopping place for walkers and cyclists in addition to offering a peaceful venue for village residents.
The proposed new community shop is located centrally within the village and adjacent to the existing well-established village hall. Within the same location lies the children’s playground and a large sports field to the rear of the village hall. There is a generous car park for ample car parking including EV charging facilities and bike storage. The site is accessed by vehicles via a no- through-road from South Green. Pedestrians can access the site from the same direction or via several footpaths.
The village hall already has an active events calendar which attracts locals and outside users for both regular and one-off events. The site of the village hall and playing field is also the location of almost all community events held in the village.
Following careful consideration of available options, this site was chosen as the most suitable location for the new community shop.
