Headington Headlines

Headington Headlines #15

TonyOX3

Here is my weekly round-up of news for the week 30 May – 5 June.

The Headington Festival took place on Sunday 5 June, and was well-attended despite the weather turning a bit damp during the afternoon. @HeadingtonNews posted some photos.

In yet another climb-down by the County Council, plans to introduce parking controls in Cheney Lane and Warneford Lane were dropped. “Controlled parking zones are not a priority”, Rodney Rose, council cabinet member for transport is reported to have said.

A blue plaque to famous Morris dancer and folk musician William Kimber was unveiled on Monday outside 42 St Anne’s Road, the house Mr Kimber built for his family in about 1908. The traditional bank holiday Morris dancing at Headington Quarry followed.

Laura Loves Flowers has closed after only a short time & has relocated to Sutton Courtenay (via @beccachaplin).

29 Old High Street made the news when it was put on the Save Britain’s Heritage At Risk register. This doesn’t require anything to actually happen about it.

The inaugural meeting of the Area Planning East Committee met in the Town Hall on Wednesday. Four out of 9 councillors on the committee represent ‘our’ wards: Mary Clarkson (Lab, Marston); Van Coulter (Lab, Barton & Sandhills); Roy Darke (Lab, Headington Hill & Northway); David Rundle (LibDem, Headington).

On Wednesday night thieves broke into the Helen and Douglas House charity shop in Windmill Road and raided the safe, taking about £250 in cash.

@DazzMullee reported there was a car smash outside the Britannia on Friday when a BMW was in collision with a driving instructor’s car.

Active topics this week on Headington & Marston e-democracy forum:

  • 29 Old High Street
  • Planning applications: new arrangements
  • Library
  • Rosemary’s Restaurant

I try to cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.

Headington Headlines #14

TonyOX3

Here is my weekly round-up of news for the week 23 – 29 May.

News broke that seven Oxfordshire libraries planned for closure, including Headington, will now stay open.

A new teaching block was opened at St Nicholas Primary School in Raymund Road, Marston to help cater for growing pupil numbers. The school is set to expand from 410 to 460 pupils in the next few years.

Michele Obama’s motorcade was reported passing through Headington on Wednesday. Of course it might have been an elaborate decoy with the First Lady actually getting out at Thornhill, changing onto a 400 bus, getting off in St Aldates and slipping into Christ Church without anyone noticing.

The monthly Headington farmers’ market happened on Friday.

Headington School had their ‘Muck Up day’ when the sixth form leavers create mayhem around the school. There is a 2-part video of this year’s antics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKFCjXXtuYE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9RdK6gVAGg (no sound on the 2nd clip when I wrote this).

Active topics this week on Headington & Marston e-democracy forum:

  • Cars for Sale at bottom of Headley Way
  • Rosemarys Restaurant
  • Bricklayers Arms, Marston
  • Library

I try to cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.

Headington Headlines #13

TonyOX3

Here is my weekly round-up of news for the week 16 – 22 May.

It’s not surprising that the West Barton development contiues to make the news. Under the headline “Oxford ring road junction plan ‘recipe for disaster'” The Oxford Times website on Tuesday quoted “some motorists” opposing the idea of reduced speed limits and a traffic light controlled crossing on the Ring Road north of the Headington roundabout. “Some motorists” were in fact the Secretary of the City of Oxford Licensed Taxi Association and a driving instructor.

Oxford City Council released the results of its consultation exercise on future building development in the City. The document is 414 pages long. The preferred option for Headington car park is to build over, retaining (some) parking beneath. The H&M e-democracy forum has more.

The OXSRAD sports centre closure was averted after an outstanding debt was settled.

A firefighter was injured when the service was called out to a suspected arson fire at West Hill Farm, The Ridings, Shotover, at about 5.45pm on Sunday. The house was boarded up which meant access was difficult. Four fire engines and the water carrier from Wheatley attended the scene.

The campaigners who wanted to preserve the pedestrian subway in Headington made the news this week, one year on from its closure. Despite there having been no accidents at the light-controlled, 20mph-restricted, surface-level crossing with a traffic island halfway across protected by bollards they still regret the loss of the smelly, poorly-lit and potentially dangerous subway.

Active topics this week on Headington & Marston e-democracy forum:

  • Londis corner shop in receivership
  • Unemptied bins: complain!
  • Headley Way public conveniences
  • Bricklayers Arms, Marston
  • Development in All Saints Road and around 73 Lime Walk
  • A long shot..
  • Headington Car Park site
  • minibus for sale

I try to cover news from the OX3 postcode in Headington and out as far as Barton, Sandhills and Risinghurst (see map). To feed into next week’s summary you can comment on this article, or tweet either with the hashtag #ox3 or @mentioning @TonyOX3.