Plans submitted for £600m theme park

Puy du Fou currently has two history-themed parks in Europe

A theme park company has submitted a planning application for a £600m history-based attraction in the Oxfordshire countryside.

The site near Bicester would include four period villages and 13 live shows in which visitors can "immerse themselves in British history".

Plans also include three hotels based on different periods of British history, a wooded park with landscaped gardens, restaurants, and a conference centre.

Puy du Fou aims to open the park in phases, beginning in 2029. It said by the time it is fully developed it will employ about 2,000 people.

It claimed it would also support a further 6,000 jobs in hotels, restaurants, suppliers, and other local businesses, delivering a "£500m a year boost to the local and regional economy".

The £600m attraction would be built near Bicester

The company estimates 1.47 million people will visit each year once the attraction is completed.

The proposals also include more than 5km (3.1 miles) of new hedgerows, 40 acres of wildflower meadows, and 20,000 new trees which will join with existing woodland to "create the first new 50-acre forest in Cherwell for generations".

Puy du Fou aims to open the park in phases, beginning in 2029

Puy du Fou has had history-themed parks in Les Epesses in France since 1978 and in Toledo, Spain, since 2021.

It has showcased historical events depicting the Roman Empire and figures like Joan of Arc.

Visitors can "immerse themselves in British history" at the attraction, the company says

Olivier Strebelle, CEO of Puy du Fou, said: "We have only submitted these plans after an extensive consultation, which took over a year and included six in-person events and over 250 individual meetings, all of which have helped to shape our final proposals.

"We did not rush our consultation because we wanted to get our proposals right.

"We have wanted to come to the UK for many years. Britain has such a rich, colourful and exciting history, and the site we have chosen near Bicester is the ideal location to create a world-class destination that will bring that history to life."

He said the attraction would have the "environment and sustainability at its heart".

Puy du Fou opened its first park in France in 1978