Headington Headlines

Headington Headlines #291

TonyOX3

Your weekly round-up of local news for 7 – 13 November.

There are some changes to the shops in Headington. The Rose Tree restaurant has closed “until further notice”, a Helen & Douglas House charity shop is opening where Oxford Furniture used to be and shopfitters are working in the old Morrison’s shop near Starbucks.

Headington Library is closed until further notice while the boiler and heating system is repaired.

After a long time out of the news (the last time was March 2015) there was some activity at 29 Old High Street this week. For new readers, number 29 is the near-derelict property between Waitrose and the car park. The Council has access to carry out a structural survey. I’m guessing, but perhaps there’s a chance it might be declared unsafe, in which case the Council could force action to be taken.

Headington Baptist Church celebrated its tenth anniversary the Sunday before last (6 November) with celebrations including the unveiling of a new artwork.

After last week’s news of the Fairview pub, another old-established but closed pub has reached the end of the line. Marston’s Jack Russell pub in Salford Road was “half-destroyed in an arson attack” on Saturday night. Locals have been campaigning for it to become a community centre.

The Friends of Stansfeld @FofStansfled are having an open meeting in @TheMasonsArmsHQ Arms tomorrow (Tues 15 November) to discuss the development proposals for the site. Everyone welcome.

Thames Valley Police @ThamesVP issued a statement on Friday in connection with the alleged abduction and rape of a 14 year old schoolgirl. They say that there is no evidence of an abduction but they are still investigating a case of rape.

A woman, her son and a pet dog were rescued unharmed after a fire broke out in the living room of their home in Weyland Road on Saturday night.

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

  • Friends of Quarry Meeeting
  • Oxford Winter Cycle Safety
  • road repairs in headington – hats off to the Labour Party
  • Glossy yellow leaflets and spuriously claiming credit

Headington Headlines #290

TonyOX3

Your weekly round-up of local news for 31 October – 6 November.

Work in the public realm on the heatpipe project, or hospital energy project to give it its proper name, is about to start again. It’s been confirmed that work on the JR Temporary Car Park will begin on 14 November and work on the residential roads on 28 November. For a summary of the latest information see my separate post which also has a link to the Trust’s letter to Highfield residents.

All my posts about the project are under the ‘Energy Project’ tab in the main menu, and there’s a page of links and contact details here.

@ThatsOxon TV did a short piece on the Wychwood planning application next to the C S Lewis nature reserve. You can watch it here on YouTube.

Three Headington building projects won @OxfordPresTrust certificates – the Radcliffe Primary Care building, St Andrew’s Church tower in Old Headington and Maggie’s Oxford Centre at the Churchill Hospital.

On Friday 11 November Highfield Residents Association is putting on “an evening of music, poetry and reflection” in All Saints Church. Details here.

Southern Health’s new Chairman has announced a review of the Trusts’s operations.

Any hope of saving the Fairview pub in Glebelands has gone. The East Area Planning Committee agreed on Wednesday that it can be converted into a family home. The owner says he intends to live there with his family.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the by-pass, the campaign to save and re-open Risinghurst’s Ampleforth Arms @TheAmpRevival has a smart new website.

Locals are getting fed up with Beech House contractors’ vehicles parking on double yellow lines in Latimer Road.

Concillor RuthWilk has taken up the case with the developers Frontier Estates, who have come down hard on the contractors. Hopefully things will be better this week.

A @headingtonrr runner was hit by a lit firework thrown at him on Thursday evening in South Parks Road. His top caught fire but fortunately he didn’t suffer serious injury.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

Some e-democracy forum users seem to have a problem with the name Nielsen. We’ve already had Nielen. This week we’ve added Nielsen (correct), Nielson and Nelson. That just leaves Nilsson, Nilsen, Nilssen and Nielssen, I think. @headingtonnews has appealed for calm and consistency. It’s Nielsen everybody!

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

  • AC Nielen building and A40 surveying work
  • Apple juicer
  • Nielsen/Nielson/Nelson House
  • Oxford Winter Cycle Safety

Headington Headlines #289

TonyOX3

Your weekly round-up of local news for 24 – 30 October.

The planning application for the Stansfeld site is now on the Council’s website (ref: 16/02618/FUL). Comments are open until Saturday 19 November.

Headington has one less charity shop. The CLIC Sargent shop next to HSBC has closed and the premises are up for lease.

@TheAmpRevival are having an open Community Meeting this coming Friday 4 November at 6.30pm in the Risinghurst Community Centre where they are re-launching their share offer. Also don’t forget @TiagosFishChips fish ‘n’ chips van is outside The Amp weekly every Tuesday from 5 – 9pm.

amp_meeting

The British Legion, whose members used to stand at the entrance to the JR on Headley Way to pay their respects to soldiers being repatriated after dying in Afghanistan, planted 456 daffodils at the corner on Friday. That’s one for each fatality in that campaign. The corner is informally known as the “Final Turn”.

Oxford University have agreed to set aside their plan to divert the Science Transit Shuttle buses via Lime Walk and Stapleton Road. However, they say they will keep their options open in case Warneford Road/Old Road congestion gets worse.

I posted an article giving more details of a planning application to build a mix of apartments, parking spaces and a new access road on land next to the C S Lewis nature reserve in Risinghurst which has attracted local opposition. See the application and comments on the Council’s website (ref: 16/02549/FUL). The comments are mostly, but not exclusively, against the development. There is also a petition asking the Council to reject the application. The application is open for comments until Monday 14 November.

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

  • Oxford Winter Cycle Safety
  • Lye Valley Issues
  • Building next to C S Lewis nature reserve
  • Time Oxford had congestion charging
  • Apple juicer