Cherwell District Council has recruited a town centre regeneration specialist to help with the revamp of Bicester Market Square.
Leading numerous placemaking projects like the recently completed Hanover Square in London, WSP have been brought on board to make the most of the community's input and produce a proposal for the market square's redevelopment.
Earlier this year, the council's Bicester project team organised a stall at the Friday market to communicate with residents and businesses about the project.
Here they gathered opinions, with approximately 296 visitors taking part in this initial consultation.
The feedback collected will be incorporated by WSP into their research, and the firm will engage with businesses, residents and the wider community.
Over the coming months, WSP will be scrutinising the town centre - from parking to traffic flow to pedestrian spaces.
The outcomes of these investigations will feed into a more formal consultation due to conclude this year, which will determine the project's final plans and designs.
Ian Boll, corporate director for communities at the council, said: "We have the right partners in WSP to help rejuvenate Bicester town centre.
"We will work with them to continue listening to our local businesses and residents and understanding their aspirations for the market square.
"During our time at the Friday market, we heard from many who welcomed changes and from those who had concerns.
"We recognise the need to build on this and ensure businesses in neighbouring streets and the surrounding areas are heard.
“We recently delivered letters to businesses surrounding market square to inform them and ask them to be involved, and we hope to hear from many of them.
"We understand the importance of this regeneration project, and we will work with local businesses, residents, and the wider community to ensure we have a town centre that meets the needs of Bicester now and in the future.”
David Thompson, project director for WSP, said: "We are excited to be appointed to work with Cherwell District Council on their forward-thinking plans for Bicester Market Square.
"We know there is work to be done to ensure that the community is involved across the stages of this project, and we are looking forward to getting stuck in and meeting everyone who has an interest in the square."
The regeneration project has been backed by £4.25 million of funding from the council's capital budget.
This support has come from a government grant for infrastructure in Bicester.
Interested residents and businesses can stay updated by signing up to receive news about the project via the council's website.
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