Headington Headlines

Headington Headlines #170

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 30 June – 6 July.

The new Maggie’s centre opened at the Churchill on Tuesday.

The new development on the old cricket ground on Barton Road is to be called “The Willows”. The name was the most popular at the last Headington Ward Focus meeting.

Quarry & Risinghurst labour Councillor @laurencepbaxter is standing down as he is leaving Oxford to take up a teaching post in Prague. Expect a by-election in August or September.

A two-week hearing begins today (7 July) to decide whether the Foxwell Drive Town Green application will be granted. The decision will affect the access to and from the new Barton Park estate.

There are grants of up to £15,000 available for Headington businesses who want to promote sustainable transport by encouraging their employees to use public transport, cycling, car sharing etc. Public sector employers, charities and community groups are also included in the Travel Choices Initiative scheme.

A news story broke on Wednesday that a convicted paedophile “living in Headington” (apparently Ivy Lane) has gone on the run having failed to turn up for a court hearing. Police are asking for information.

A 20-year old man from Coleman’s Hill (near the Green Road roundabout) has been charged with sexually assaulting two teenage girls in Headington in March. He has been bailed to appear before magistrates in September.

@OBSUJazzSociety entertained shoppers and passers-by outside Waitrose on Friday to mark the store’s Partnership Day.

Signs have gone up in the window of Café Corsica implying that Oxford Designer Blinds are opening there.

The JR’s car park number 2 (outside the Women’s Centre) has had a much-needed resurfacing.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

Only one active post on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Introduction
I 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 #169

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 23 – 29 June.

@TheOxfordMail ran an article about the designation of Stansfeld Outdoor Centre as an Asset of Community Value. The move is led by Friends of Quarry. Nothing more will happen until Birmingham City Council put the site on the market. [Read my previous article on the subject.]

The Old Marston Parish Council elections took place on Thursday. 13 candidates for 12 places, turnout 12.7%. Full results here.

It was the annual Barton Bash on Saturday, and Barton’s oldest resident Dorothy Pearce celebrated her 100th birthday the same day.

Credit to Steve Barrie, the manager of the new Tesco store opening in a few weeks’ time, for putting his head above the parapet on the e-democracy forum. He’s also on twitter, you’ll be glad to know @sbarriepilgrim. If you’re interested, recruitment for jobs in this branch open today – see Steve’s posts on the e-democracy forum for more information.

You can add Ian MacDonald (UKIP) @IanMacdonald91 to the tally of unsuccesful OX3 candidates from the May 2014 elections who are standing in the Cowley Ward by-election next month. Ian stood in Barton and Sandhills Ward.

A 57-year old woman from Peat Moors was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for cannabis smuggling.

Building work at Headington Library, including disabled access, is over-running and the official re-opening has been put back to Monday 14 July.

Just one active post on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Introduction
I 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 #168

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 16 – 22 June.

Headington’s bike hire scheme was relaunched under the management of a new company. They are still using the name Oxonbike and all the details are on their website (confusingly using the domain name in the plural – Oxonbikes). The deal seems to be the same as before and the locations are also the same, though the actual bike racks have a different design and technology. Their twitter account is @oxonbike.

It seems the London Road road works have been put back to late Summer and will run through into 2015 with a break over Christmas.

The Stansfeld outdoor centre off Quarry Road has been registered as an Asset of Community Value.

Headington Quarry School celebrated its 150th anniversary this weekend.

Two aspiring politicians who stood in OX3 wards in the city elections in May are trying their luck again in the Cowley Ward by-election on 17 July. @KatHarborne (Con) stood for Quarry & Risinghurst and @DavidHenwood2 stood for Headington Ward.

And talking of elections, there’s an election to choose the 12 people who make up Old Marston Parish Council next Thursday, 26 June. @theabingdontaxi, who lives in the village, has written a guest blog about the role and powers of the Parish Council and asking for information about the candidates. Apparently it’s the first time in 16 years an election has been needed because there are more candidates than places to fill.

@Oxford_Brookes‘ John Henry Brookes Building by architects @DEArchitects, which I reported in May had won a RIBA regional award is one of six buildings in the “Campus” category to win a RIBA National award. The national award winners go forward for consideration in the Stirling Prize.

The first artist’s impressions of Oxford University’s Big Data Institute, which will be the next addition to the Old Road Campus, have been released. It’s being described as having a “ship’s prow”.

There was a break-in at The Six Bells on Beaumont Road, Quarry in the early hours of Sunday morning last week (15 June). The intruder forced a window, broke into a fruit machine and stole cash and spirits. Police are appealing for information.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Headington bike hire scheme
  • Shell garage closure?
I 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.