Headington Headlines

Headington Headlines #164

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 19 – 25 May.

The City Council elections were on Thursday. Labour won a seat from the LibDems. I’ve collected the results for the six wards in OX3, and written a round-up of who gained and who lost.

The Oxford University Hospitals Biomedical Research open day took place on Monday in the JR West Wing atrium.

The CLIC Sargent shop was closed on Tuesday following a burglary.

Work started on re-laying the entrance to Headington car park.

Cheney School was in the news with a story about their expanded watersports facilities.

Plans were announced to build 24 apartments and accommodation for people with learning disabilities on the former Marywood Hostel site in Leiden Road which has been empty for 15 years. The site is owned by Oxfordshire County Council.

The Britannia pub is looking for a chef. Training will be given.

The Oxford Food Centre on the London Road (out towards the Headington roundabout) scored null points in the latest Scores on the Doors hygeine ratings.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Housing Policy in Headington
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 #163

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 12 – 18 May.

A report from the Quality Care Commission identified a number of areas where the JR Hospital needs to make improvements. A report in The Oxford Mail by @OllieOxMail has a full summary.

Planned road works on the Ring Road at the Kiln Lane junction for Risinghurst mean that entry to and exit from the estate will be severely restricted for about three weeks, starting on 27 May. Residents say it means they will be living on ‘an island’. The work is for “new signal poles and toucan crossing aspects”. A Council spokesman said the work will improve cycle links between Headington and Thornhill P&R, and will cost about £40,000.

After reports on twitter on Wednesday evening of police activity outside Macdonalds, this story came out the following day. A young boy was injured, thankfully not seriously, in a road accident involving a Renault Clio on The Roundway.

Headington Plan @HeadingtonPlan has set up several Policy Groups to consult on and develop policies for inclusion in the Neighbourhood Plan. Get in touch with them if you’d like to be part of the work.

In an operation on Thursday morning police issued nearly 50 tickets in traffic checks at the Headington roundabout and Bayswater Road. Sixteen drivers were issued tickets for flouting right turn bans, while 11 were fined for not wearing seatbelts. Drivers were also caught using phones and speeding in a 30mph limit.

The new Principal of Ruskin College is Dr Chris Wilkes, who has been Acting Pricipal since the departure of Audrey Mullender.

Two concrete slabs have been placed in Bury Knowle Park as bases for table-tennis tables. People are upset about the unforgiving material and the lack of any consultation which would have allowed other options to be considered. The e-democracy forum has the story.

The postponed Marston Parish Council election will be held on Thursday 26 June. The polling station will be in Mortimer Hall.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Its time Oxford had a congestion charge
  • Hi from Bartonia
  • Housing Policy in Headington
  • Concrete in Bury Knowle Park – lack of consultation
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 #162

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 5 – 11 May.

My blog has a tab for Elections 2014 in OX3. I published a list of the biographies and personal statements of most of the canididates standing for election in the six OX3 wards of Oxford City.

The John Henry Brookes building won the Building of the Year award in RIBA’s South region.

Headington Library will close for refurbishment from Monday 23 June to Thursday 3 July. The layout will include a new children’s library and a passenger lift.

Osler Road is going to be completely resurfaced! The work is scheduled to start on 2 June and last for three weeks. Residents and other users will have to find alternative parking arrangements. Although the letter to residents doesn’t say so, buses will have to be diverted via Headley Way.

Headington Quarry Village Hall held a fund-raising craft fair on Saturday.

The Parish Council election in Old Marston has been postponed due to the death of Parish Councillor Roy Jones.

The Duchess of Cornwall was in Headington on Friday to open the second phase of the University of Oxford’s Botnar Research Centre at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre. The Duchess is patron of the NOC Charity.

A thread on the e-democracy forum reports that it is now officially confirmed that people can travel into and out of the City on the X90, Oxford Tube and airport buses.

Also on the forum, pictures of the new outdoor chess table in Bury Knowle Park. Discussion thread.

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

  • I don’t understand Julia Gasper’s point
  • Cooking smells from Jacob and Field in Osler Road
  • What is the purpose of this forum?
  • Bury Knowle park in days gone by
  • Craft event – raising funds for our village hall
  • Old Marston Parish Council elections postponed
  • Outdoor chess table in Bury Knowle park
  • Using Oxford Tube and X90 coaches to travel within Oxford
  • Bury Knowle Park playpark
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.