South Oxfordshire District Council is commissioning an artist to design and fabricate a bespoke metal gateway forming part of the wider redevelopment of 116-120 Broadway, Didcot. The gateway will mark the transition from the busy Broadway frontage into a semi-private communal courtyard serving new homes and Class E spaces within a mixed-use, affordable housing development.
The redevelopment seeks to regenerate a prominent town centre site along Didcot's Broadway, contributing to the Didcot Garden Town 'Cultural Spine' and supporting ambitions for a high-quality, welcoming and distinctive public realm. The project combines new housing, the retrofit of a historic shopfront building, and active ground-floor uses, with a strong emphasis on sustainability, accessibility and long-term quality.
This commission is identified within the Didcot Garden Town Public Art Plan as part of a broader ambition to embed high-quality, integrated public art within key regeneration sites and movement corridors across the town.
Didcot Garden Town promotes public art not as an add-on, but as an intrinsic element of placemaking, helping to shape identity, enhance the public realm, and improve the everyday experience for residents and visitors as the town continues to grow and change.
The gateway is envisaged as a functional and sculptural artwork, integrated into the architectural metalwork package for the site.
Extension of Berinsfield Playground including installation of SEND friendly play equipment
South Oxfordshire District Council (the Council) is conducting a soft market testing exercise to engage with suppliers specialising in inclusive playground design, installation, and sensory play environments. This exercise is non-committal and participation provides no advantage or disadvantage in any future tender process.
Through this soft market testing exercise, the council wishes to gather feedback on the proposed scope for the Berinsfield SEND-Friendly Play Provision set out in the specification below, and to gather information on indicative costs and timeframes.
This activity does not commit the council to running a competitive tender process in the future and is for information gathering purposes only. Participation in this market engagement exercise will not lead to any advantage or disadvantage in any subsequent tendering processes should the Council formally approach the market.
The information provided will be used to inform the project budget and to refine the specification.
All responses will be received in commercial confidence, however you should be aware that the generic content of all collective responses do have to be published as per the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. Please respond to this preliminary market engagement no later than 5pm Wednesday 22nd July 2026 via the Proactis e-sourcing portal. Please note that it will not be possible to extend this deadline.
https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=60e205f6-e56e-f111-813c-005056b64545&p=08800155-5442-e511-80ed-000c29c9ba21
