Junction 9 sheds and the steel that goes with them
Bicester's industry has grown around the M40 junction 9 corridor. Symmetry Park Bicester covers 69 acres and has already delivered 692,800 sq ft of space that its developer describes as logistics and advanced manufacturing buildings. Axis J9 is another commercial scheme in a business park setting, and a local guide lists established trade estates on Telford Road with logistics sites running along the A41 road.
Occupiers of sheds like these need yard equipment, lockable stores and plant housings more than they need a factory. DRST supplies that from a 12,000 sq ft workshop at Marston Moretaine: shipping container modifications and larger steel fabrication, all to your drawing. Quotes are itemised and arrive within 24 hours in the working week, with the lead time confirmed in writing. We sell to commercial and trade buyers only.
Who in Bicester buys from a workshop like ours
- Logistics and distribution occupiers Operators on B8 units want secure stores, plant rooms and welfare units on the yard, plus dock canopies, bollards and escape stairs fabricated as supply-only steel.
- Advanced manufacturers Symmetry Park's developer markets space for advanced manufacturing. Firms of that type order machine bases, enclosures and lifting frames, some in stainless or aluminium.
- Telford Road trade and workshop tenants Established estate tenants ask for racking frames, platforms, handrails and security shuttering for stores, with galvanising or powder coat for outdoor use.
- Contractors and developers Builders finishing plots at new parks need fire escapes, walkways and canopies, plus container-based site stores that can be reused on the next scheme.
Larger jobs from Bicester's yards
Bigger orders at this kind of site are multi-unit: a run of six or eight converted containers for a depot, generator and battery enclosures for a new unit, or frames and skids for equipment installed by a tenant's contractor. Structural steel can be supplied under BS EN 1090 control as UKCA or CE marked. Staged payments suit multi-unit orders, and invoices run against your purchase order. Finishes include powder coat, RAL wet spray and hot-dip galvanising, arranged by us.
Container conversions for Bicester depots
Our capacity is around 8 units a week, and one week went to 12, which suits depot fit-outs that come in batches. Each unit gets structural openings framed into the rails before doors, windows or roller shutters go in. Linking, stacking, cut-downs, repairs and repaints are available too. You can supply the containers or we source them. About 50 units have been built for one repeat energy-sector contractor. See structural container modifications.
A container placed on a business site can need planning permission, depending on where it stands, how long it stays and what it is used for. Cherwell District Council is the planning authority for Bicester, and its planning team can say whether your plot needs an application. Ask before the unit is ordered, and keep the answer in writing.
Fabrication for Bicester plant and sheds
On the fabrication side we offer coded MIG, TIG and MMA welding, plasma cutting and bending in-house, and laser-cut parts through suppliers. For Bicester buyers the sensible products are steel enclosures for generators, batteries and switchgear, machine bases, and supply-only stairs, walkways and handrails. Stainless and aluminium work is TIG welded in its own area. Each quote itemises material, fabrication and finish. See steel enclosures.
Bicester's business addresses
Symmetry Park Bicester, 69 acres beside junction 9, is the biggest of them, and the council committee has since approved two more Class B8 units on land next to it. Axis J9 sits in a business park setting at the same junction. The Telford Road trade estates are the older core, and the A41 corridor carries further logistics sites. A delivery from our yard can reach each of these without going through the middle of Bicester.
Why a Bedford workshop can cost Bicester less
Cutting, welding, finishing and checking all happen in our own 12,000 sq ft workshop, so no stage is passed to a subcontractor with its own margin. Delivery to Bicester goes through our logistics partners and shows as its own line on the quote. Put the two together and the total often comes in below a local fabricator, which is easy to check: send us the same drawing you've sent them.
Delivery and site visits in Bicester
Bicester is 34 road miles from Marston Moretaine, about 49 minutes by car using the A421 and the A4421. Drive times are by car, and a loaded lorry takes longer. We organise delivery through our logistics partners, with a vehicle suited to the container chosen when the load is booked. Making the units in-house often brings our price below local fabricators.
Our engineers visit the Bicester site to see the job. Modern logistics parks have wide aprons, but tell us where the unit can be set down and whether the ground takes a loaded unit. Say what lifting is available and we agree the drop with you. Your own installer positions, fixes and connects the unit. We build to drawing and do not install on site.
How a job runs
- 01.Send the drawing
PDF or CAD, a dimensioned sketch, or a photo of the old part. Quantities and the site postcode help.
- 02.Itemised quote in 24 hours
Material, fabrication, finish and haulage broken out line by line, with the lead time confirmed in writing.
- 03.Agree spec and finish
Sections, tolerances, weld spec and finish confirmed before anything is cut.
- 04.Fabricated inside our unit
Cut, welded and assembled by coded welders in our 12,000 sq ft Marston Moretaine workshop.
- 05.Check and paperwork
Dimensionally checked before dispatch; welder qualification and mill certificates on request.
- 06.Delivered to site
We organise delivery to your site through our logistics partners, or you can collect from the yard if that suits. One-offs and batches both welcome.
Work we take on
- Container modifications: conversions and modifications to drawing, single units or batches
- Structural openings: side openings, doors, roller shutters, linking and cut-downs
- Container repairs: panel, door and rail repairs and repaints for depots and fleets
- Steel enclosures: generator, acoustic, plant and battery housings
- Skids and frames: skids, machine bases, lifting frames and supports
- Commercial fabrication: fabrication to drawing, structural steelwork, one-offs and batches
- Stairs and fire escapes: supplied ready for your installer to fit
- Walkways and railings: handrails, platforms and ladders, supplied to fit
Frequently asked questions
Can a Bicester depot order several containers at once?
Yes. Capacity is around 8 units a week, and the quote shows each unit's scope and price. Multi-unit orders can have staged payments, and the lead time is confirmed in writing.
Do you build to a standard that suits a tenant at a new logistics park?
We build to your drawing. Structural openings are framed into the rails, and structural steel can be supplied UKCA or CE marked under BS EN 1090 factory production control.
Does Cherwell planning matter for a stores container?
It can. Whether permission is needed depends on position, duration and use, so ask Cherwell District Council before ordering and keep their reply. We supply the converted unit but do not submit applications.
How is a container offloaded at Bicester?
We agree the drop with you. Tell us what access and lifting there is on site, and where the unit should be set down. We do not install, so the final placing and connection sit with your own installer.
Do you deliver to Bicester?
Yes. We organise delivery to your site, with the vehicle chosen to suit the load. The A421 and A4421 are the roads we give for road miles and drive time, and a loaded lorry takes longer than a car.
Nearby areas
We also quote for firms in Oxford, Banbury, Aylesbury, Milton Keynes and Swindon. See every town on the areas we serve page.