Puy du Fou: Council update on £300m theme park plans by M40

Historical-themed attraction Puy du Fou declared its interest last year in wanting a 300 to 400-acre site within a 40-mile radius of Oxford for a new theme park.

Now theme park bosses are proposing for the new attraction to be built in Cherwell, north of Bicester, by the M40.

Cherwell District Council has now issued a statement regarding the possibility of the theme park coming to Oxfordshire.

The plans are in place for the theme park near Bicester. (Image: Puy du Fou)

A council spokesperson told the Oxford Mail: “We are aware that Puy du Fou is consulting with local communities as they prepare their plans.

“We wait with interest to see what proposals emerge; they will of course need to be submitted to us for consideration through the planning process.

“We encourage residents to take the opportunity to engage with the promoters to hear more and provide their input.”

Puy du Fou features historical live shows. (Image: Puy du Fou)

A public consultation website has been launched while the first in-person consultation will take place at Weyland Hall on North Street, Bicester on Thursday, July 18 between noon and 7pm.

A second consultation will be held at Wesley Memorial Church on New Inn Hall Street, Oxford between noon and 6pm on Friday, July 19.

It is said the attraction could employ 700 people and create 2,000 new jobs at hotels, suppliers and other local businesses from its first year of opening.

The company has previously said it intends to open two new destinations in the world before 2030, with the UK remaining a preferred location.

The award-winning attraction currently operates in two locations, Les Epesses in the Pays de la Loire region of western France and Toledo in central Spain.

The original Puy du Fou show opened in France in 1978 and was joined by the Spanish destination in 2021.

In France the shows are themed around the Roman Empire, the Musketeers, the Vikings, Joan of Arc, the heroic soldiers of the First World War, and the pioneers of cinema.

The proposed new site in the UK would celebrate British history and culture.

There will be no rollercoasters at the park.

Olivier Strebelle, chief executive of Puy du Fou, said: “We are not an attraction like you have ever experienced before.

“We do not have any rides or rollercoasters; there are no neon flashing lights.

“Instead, we create an authentic, natural and historical environment set within beautiful gardens, which become the setting for world-class shows and immersive cultural and historical experiences for the whole family to enjoy.

“With Britain’s rich history, and with so many British people already visiting us in France and Spain, we have been looking for a site in the country for many years, and we have now identified the perfect location near Bicester in Oxfordshire.”plans are in the consultation phases.