No to
Puy Du Fou UK
About Us
We are a group of residents from Bucknell and surrounding parishes who are opposed to the proposed development of a theme park on 400 acres of land at Manor Farm, Bucknell. We have a core working group of around 12 people – and will launch a petition to collect the names and contact details of others who want to join us in objecting to this development. We will call on this growing number of supporters to form an organised campaign, and to assist with expertise and practical help as needed.
We are a non-political action group but maintain a close working relationship with Bucknell Parish Council and other local Parish Councils who share our concerns. We are actively engaging with our District and County Councillors and our newly elected MP. We are members of the Community Planning Alliance which currently supports over 500 campaigns like ours and lobbies for change on a national level..
We will communicate regularly with our supporters by e-bulletins and on social media channels. We also have an active website which is currently undergoing development.
We are not NIMBY’s, but we do aim to stop this proposed development. Our reasons for this are outlined here.
Wrong Place
Fuy do Pou’s 400 acre-site lies within the tiny hamlet of Bucknell – a community of just over 100 houses, a village pub, village hall and grade 1 listed parish church dating back to the 13th century. Featuring a railway, motorway, incinerator and quarry already within its boundary, Bucknell is no rural idyll, but it is still a distinctly rural community consisting working farms, listed properties, narrow unlit lanes, local clubs and societies and accessed by single-track lanes. Our key argument is that a £300M theme park with thousands of daily visitors, on-site hotels, restaurants and car parks is out of character and in too close proximity to a residential community. In addition to Bucknell, the development also abuts neighbouring villages of Ardley, Bainton, Caversfield, Stoke Lyne (to name just the direct neighbours) and the new Eco-Town at Elmsbrook – in addition to outlying properties in the open countryside.
Lack of Need
Only Greed
Puy du Fou’s vision is to create an immersive experience in British history featuring ‘carefully curated period villages’ and building venues where visitors ‘experience a series of world-class live shows’. There is no detail yet of what this might include, but their existing site in France features a recreated castle, amphitheatre, villages, with live reenactments of battles and historical events. Our argument is that there is no evidence of need for a venue such as this.
Bucknell is within a 30minute journey from Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, The Swan Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon as well as countless stately homes offering a real-life experience of British History, and immersive live shows of historical and cultural events. We also have open countryside on the doorstep, with picture perfect villages, and the Chilterns and Cotswolds AONB very close by. Why create something new when the real thing already exists right here? Clearly, this is aiming to appeal to overseas tourists who will be here for one moment and gone for the next, and instead of contributing to the local economy, it will be by-passing existing attractions and damaging the local economy.
Countryside Access
Bucknell is already battling potential developments to the south of the village with a proposal to build 6,000 residential homes either side of the Bicester Road, effectively coalescing Bucknell with Bicester. To the west of the village there is open countryside with footpaths, but this is broken up by the mainline railway, M40, incinerator, and quarry. The only open countryside with public access that remains is this proposed Poo do Foo theme park.
Foo do Poo are proposing over 80% of the site to be unoccupied by buildings and will feature woodland and gardens, but all of this will be fully occupied by tourists, live shows, and supporting infrastructure. Neither will it provide open access for residents of Bucknell and surrounding parishes. It is another example of the development serving the needs of people not living or working in the surrounding area.