Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 9 – 15 March.
The mystery noticeboard which appeared last week on the corner of Headington Road and Headley Way acquired its first notices on Monday – posters for performances at the Oxford Playhouse and the New Theatre.
The fire in Colemans Hill, which was breaking news as last week’s Headington Headlines went to press, is being treated as arson. Three people were taken to hospital for treatment.
Police released an image of a man they want to question in connection with an assault that happened in The White Horse on Sunday 1 March.
Lovers of the 29 Old High Street saga will be both delighted and dismayed, even angry, to learn that Martin Young will not be prosecuted for failing to bring his property up to standard because the Council has run out of time for the legal process. Local taxpayers will now have to pick up the bill of at least £16,000, including Mr Young’s costs.
The decision to remove the solar panels from the roofs of the new houses facing Bury Knowle Park (see HH204 or this Oxford Times article) has triggered one of the biggest local outcries since the suggestion of building on the Waitrose car park. Posts on the e-democracy forum queried the need to remove the panels, saying the need for renewable energy outweighed and visual impact. You can even sign a petition calling on the Council not to remove them. However, Friends of Old Headington and Friends of Bury Knowle Park take the opposing view, while Cllr Roy Darke has said on the forum that he believes the panels will now stay.
The City Council, which is responsible for naming new streets, is asking Barton & Northway residents for suggestions for the names of over 30 new streets in the Barton Park development. The Barton Community website says you can tweet your suggestions to @oxcitycommunity with the hashtag #BartonSNN. There are also links for email, facebook, and even a good old-fashioned drop-in box.
Two sheds in Risinghurst (aka Headington, according to the Oxford Mail) caught fire late on Saturday night. Arson is suspected.
Active posts on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:
- Solar panels in Bury Knowle Park
- Local transport plan consultation (including controversial new route to Churchill)
- School Places
- Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
- 29 Old High Street (again)
- Headington Post Office
- City Council looks to residents for Barton Park street name ideas