A decade ago, Grand Designs presenter Kevin McCloud championed a radical vision: to spark the UK's largest self-build community, freeing homeowners from the constraints of identikit housing. The result was Graven Hill in Bicester, Oxfordshire, a site inspired by Dutch self-build suburbs and designed to liberate residents from stringent planning laws.
Ten years on, that ambitious dream has collided with a familiar reality. While the estate boasts some extraordinary individual homes, including a blue princess castle and glassy eco-bungalows, many of the original 'pioneer' residents now describe the area as 'soulless', criticising a lack of infrastructure, the influx of standard newbuilds, and a sense that the founding vision has been lost.
The Pioneers' Bleak Outlook
The project began with high hopes. To ignite interest, the first ten 'self-build' plots were sold for £100,000 each to 'pioneer' residents, with the agreement that their building journeys would be filmed for Channel 4's Grand Designs.
Paul Troop, one of those pioneers, told the Daily Mail: 'The aspiration was for Graven Hill to be primarily self and custom build... what it's become is basically a new build development.' He described a 'Jekyll and Hyde' estate, with varied, lovely streets sitting beside monotonous, identical ones.
Troop and others expressed deep disappointment with Cherwell District Council, which bought the 188-hectare site in 2014 and set up a development company to manage it. 'They're not imaginative,' he said of the standard newbuilds. 'They used the same ex-Taylor Wimpey architect to design them and they all look the same.'
Infrastructure Failures and a 'Snobby' Divide
Beyond architectural complaints, residents highlight chronic failures in basic amenities. Infrastructure has been painfully slow to arrive, with some areas lacking footpaths for nearly ten years and a promised park remaining inaccessible.
Olivia Varley, who lives in one of the more affordable homes, pointed to the lack of a proper supermarket. 'I don't drive so I have to take a taxi to the supermarket,' she said. While praising the area's peacefulness, she also noted a social divide, describing some self-build residents as 'snobby'.
This sentiment underscores a tension within Graven Hill. While self-builders lament the dilution of their custom-build haven, those in the cheaper, council-associated homes feel judged by their wealthier neighbours.
Unfinished Dreams and a Blue Castle
The very nature of self-building has also led to prolonged construction, leaving some parts of the estate feeling like a permanent building site. One iconic example is a bright blue, castle-like home with spiky turrets, a favourite with local children.
Its owner, Frevisse Hitchcock, has spent seven years working on the property and is still not living there. Opposite, resident Rachael Barron commented, 'We moved in four years ago and they're still working on it... I can't ever imagine them being able to sell. It is weird.'
As Kevin McCloud continues to publicly critique standard newbuild developments, some residents suggest he should turn his attention to the compromised reality of his own passion project. The original vision of a thriving, well-connected community of unique homes now stands in stark contrast to the experience of many who live there, leaving a legacy of frustration and unfulfilled potential.
