Headington Headlines

Headington Headlines #140

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 2 – 8 December.

Friday nights are Girls’ Nights Out in Barton, for young women aged 14 – 17. But only from 6.30 – 8.30pm.

Headington cyclist Simon Hunt has taken over from James Styring as Chairman of campaigning group Cyclox @cycloxoxford.

@OxFurniture shut down their not-so-old shop on Saturday evening, and re-open this morning (Monday) in what was Brambles. It must have been a busy Sunday!

Blackburn Close is looking much better now.

A free cash machine has recently been installed outside the Post Office in Risinghurst.

National tree week was marked in Bernwood Road, Barton the weekend before last by the planting of about 40 saplings in Bonny Banks Park.

Kennett House was sold at auction for £2.5m (+VAT). Original story in HH 138.

Barton got into the Christmas spirit with the Barton Christmas Wonderland yesterday (Sunday 8 Dec). A pantomine, face-painting, raffle and tombola were among the attractions.

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

  • Noise in Quarry
  • Chain stores in Headington
  • London Road proposed cycle lane consultation
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 #139

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 25 November – 1 December.

Brambles closed its doors for the last time. Well-wishers, souvenir hunters and opportunists were buying stock and fittings up to the last minute.

@Oxonbike going into liquidation means their twitter account is no more.

Talking of twitter accounts, I wrote a short article about some local schools’ failure at ‘doing twitter’.

Is this a new toilet facility or the latest incarnation of the Tardis behind @JacobsandField? No, they’re building an extension apparently.


Picture c/o Jacobs & Field

A story surfaced about a suggestion that land next to C S Lewis’ house ‘Narnia’ in Kiln Lane, Risinghurst might be used to build sheltered housing. As far as I know there’s no planning application as yet, so nothing to comment on other than the story and the editorial comment in Thhe Oxford Times.

The @OxfordBusCo released pictures of its new and bigger coaches for the X90 London service. They say the livery is ‘dual-branded’ so they can use them on the airport services too. The larger coaches will initially be used to provide extra capacity at peak times starting in early December.

A firm of plumbers from Manchester was fined for fly-tipping in a field north of Barton off Bayswater Road.

A care home at Slade House on Horspath Driftway has been closed to new admissions by the Care Quality Commission, who found serious failings in the treatment of patients and the state of the facilities. Slade House is owned and run by Southern Health NHS Trust, who bought it from the Oxfordshire Learning Disability NHS Trust, also known as the Ridgeway Partnership, a year ago.

The new grit bin (originally reported here in October) has been installed on the corner of Ethelred Court and Dunstan Road. Headington Ward’s LibDem councillors and the Friends of Old Headington provided the funds.

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

  • Has anyone got a large Santa suit they could loan for a day?
  • Letting Rooms to Overseas Students
  • Police and Crime Commissioner Public meeting
  • Inclusive Neighbours Online Workshop Sat Nov 30 – Kingston, Dec 2 Event on New Voices too
  • London Road proposed cycle lane consultation
  • NHS Public Meeting
  • Sound Insulation & Noisy Neighbours
  • Events in Headington
  • Badgers in Headington
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 #138

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 18 – 24 November.

There might soon be a Friends of Headington Hill Park group. It’s been trailed on the e-democracy forum (link below) and The Oxford Mail picked up the story.

Also on the e-democracy forum there was another blow to @BartonPark_‘s claim that ‘Barton Park’ was chosen after widespread consultation when @AlexLalvani discovered that Grosvenor had registered the domain name bartonparkoxford.com back in May 2011.

The freehold of Kennett House, the block of shops and offices on the corner of Kennett Road, including HSBC Bank, Iceland, two charity shops and Brookes’ offices above, is being sold by auction on 3 December. The guide price is £2.25m – £2.5m. It doesn’t necessarily mean any changes in the immedite future though. The agents’ details are here – go to the online catalogue for 3 December and look for Lot 99. I expect the details will vanish once the auction is over.

More on the refurbishment of tower blocks in Northway and Wood Farm: they may be getting bright stripy tiles! Consultation details in last week’s HH.

Local councillors @laurencepbaxter, @redmikerowley and @delia_sinclair kept up the campaign for a light-controlled crossing on the A40 at Risinghurst. A review is due to finish by April but lack of funds may mean nothing gets done.

PCSOs mounted an anti-speeding campaign in Lime Walk (20mph zone) on Wednesday evening. Five vehicles caught speeding and one stopped for faulty lights and cannabis use.

Bury Knowle Park is to get an outdoor chess table like this thanks to @RuthWilk and @DavidRundle‘s ward budget. You’ll have to bring your own chessmen though.

C S Lewis’ former house in Holyoake Road is under offer (link via @headingtonnews). Earlier report.

Highfield Residents’ Association took over @ButchersArmsOxf on Saturday night for an evening of folk and other fun.

The church of St Anthony of Padua held its Christmas Bazaar on Sunday.

Headington’s Christmas tree is in its traditional place outside Barclays on the corner of Old High Street.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Headington event tomorrow 1-3pm – Silver Star Society Christmas Party, John Radcliffe Hospital
  • The Local Plan: What is it? Why do we have it? How can it change?
  • Changes to the Britannia Inn
  • Host Families required
  • St Anthony of Padua Church Christmas Bazaar this Sunday
  • Who would like to be a friend of Headington Hill Park?
  • New Headington bus routes
  • Auction of block of shops and offices in central Headington
  • Events in Headington
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.