Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 9 – 15 December.
The owner of the Fairview Inn in Glebelands is retiring after being given three weeks notice to quit following the sale of the pub to an unknown buyer. Although the current owners say the new owners will continue to run it as a pub the future is uncertain until the new owners reveal themselves. There was a farewell party in the pub on Thursday.
A new bench celebrating C S Lewis’ character Reepicheep from the Narnia stories has been installed in Bury Knowle Park.
LibDem Councillors @DavidRundle, @RuthWilk and @RosalindRogers wrote a letter published in the Oxford Mail asking the City Council to extend Christmas cheap parking to Headington car park to help local businesses.
A letter in the Oxford Mail from Councillor Mick Haines says that Tesco will start building on the site of the Friar pub in February.
Slade House, the care home and other services run by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, which closed to new admissions three weeks ago (see HH 139) is under investigation by health regulator Monitor.
The red phone box next to the Baptist Church in Old High Street is under threat of removal by BT. Locals led by Cllr @RuthWilk have mounted a last-minute attempt to save it. It’s the last surviving red phone box in Oxford outside the city centre. See these links for more on this story.
- Ruth Wilkinson’s page about the Old Hiigh Street box
- Oxford History’s page on Oxford’s red phone boxes
- Thread on H&M e-democracy forum
The Shark House in New High Street is back on the rental market again. For only £2300 pcm you can live under a landmark.
The Guardian published a long interview/article with Headington-resident author Brian Aldiss.
Active topics on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:
- London Road proposed cycle lane consultation
- Noise in Quarry
- Kebab shop in Headington – article in the Oxford Mail today
- Chain stores in Headington
- Is our red phone box worth fighting for?
- Nationality-based shopping at Headington Coop?