Quotes from Team after meeting
Here are a few quotes from the team following the meeting with Puy du Fou:
Co founder of WWPDFUK, Adam Goodger said “ Meeting the Puy Du Fou team solidifies for me just how positive the park will be for the area. The due diligence they’ve done to get the project to this stage is remarkable.”
Donna Berridge said "Puy du Fou blew me away 20 years ago on my first visit and again last night. Their plans for the UK are thoughtful, community-driven, and unlike anything on the scale that we’ve seen here before. Truly exciting!”
Colin Aries commented "The meeting with Puy Du Fou was really interesting. Going by their achievements at their other parks in France and Spain, they are a very community focused company who like to actively engage with local communities and businesses. They will be a huge asset to the area, supporting many local businesses and farmers, and offering a huge range of employment roles and training opportunities.
Puy Du Fou will be an inspiration to many businesses and establishments in the area. And perhaps set a precedent in how things should be done. They have an exquisite eye for detail. They have an excellent sustainability reputation at their other parks. And their sustainability plan for the proposed site in Bicester goes way beyond what Cherwell District Council are demanding in their 2040 local development plan.
Puy Du Fou is exactly the type of enterprise we should be trying to attract to the area and welcoming with outstretched arms. They tick every single box.”
Marcus Potts said “With my background in ecology and horticulture, I was especially interested to hear what they had to say about the likely environmental impact of the proposed Park. I do appreciate that some of the local residents have concerns over this, so it was especially reassuring to learn just how seriously the Puy du Fou is approaching what could be a very sensitive aspect of the project. Not only do the plans include the planting of some 20,000 new trees, five miles of hedging, and around 40 acres of gardens and wildflower meadows, which I'd read about in the original outline plan, but it is also clear that they will also be addressing the potential for light and sound pollution in a very effective way.”
I can now appreciate just how significant the completed park's impact will be on bio-diversity. The current area is fairly unproductive pasture, a monoculture of grassland divided by lengths of hedgerow, principally hawthorn. Any new development in the UK today is required to achieve a 10% increase in biodiversity, the so-called Biodiversity Net Gain, or BNG. It seems clear that the plans outlined for the Puy du Fou will far outstrip this requirement. There will be an almost incalculable increase in the variety of plant and tree species, with a corresponding divergence in habitat types, and all leading to significant new opportunities for wildlife. This will encourage invertebrates, especially pollinating insects, as well as small mammals, amphibians and birds. It's an over-used phrase, but this is all a definite win-win for the environment.
The use of earth mounds and 'bunds' to enhance the topography of an otherwise rather flat landscape will help to mitigate sound and light pollution across the neighbouring communities. The addition of semi-mature trees will also muffle that sound, although it seems the Park is unlikely to be heard at all over the constant drone of the nearby M40.
Understanding how the Puy du Fou proposes to work with the highway authorities, and the rail network, to tackle the thorny question of the local transport infrastructure was also so helpful. This is, perhaps, the one aspect of the project that can be a source of genuine concern to local residents like myself. I am now reassured that this will be dealt with effectively by the combination of new or improved access roads and managed opening times for the Puy du Fou.
The benefits to the local economy are, of course, self-evident. All in all, I feel genuinely optimistic about the project, and am looking forward to seeing how it develops in the coming months and years.“