Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 25 – 31 March.
A man from Headington who was tackled by members of the public in the course of an attempted robbery at the Covered Market has died. He was named by @TheOxfordMail as Clinton Townsend, later corrected to Clint Townsend by Thames Valley Police.
Author Brian Aldiss did himself no favours with a strange contribution to Headington Monthly. In a one-page piece rather reminiscent of a personalised story-book he shoe-horned in mentions of the JR, Headington Homewares, Ruskin, Waitrose, Bury Knowle Park and Chancellors. I wonder if a similar version has appeared in other local magazines around the country.
William Hill are appealing against the refusal of a change of use on the old Cartridge World shop which is stopping them opening another betting shop.
The planning application (Ref 13/00570/FUL) for a change of use for the Marston Plumbing business on Marston Road (now closed) to become a taxi business with waiting room has been called in by the East Area Planning Committee.
The Oxford Mail picked up a story which first surfaced in February (see Headington Headlines #98) about the not-so-public proposed piece of public art that @EFOxford want to install inside their gates to comply with their planning permission conditions. To say “A row has broken out” is perhaps a bit strong when there’s only been one comment on the proposal.
@HeadingtonPlan joined twitter. If you didn’t know that Headington has embarked on drawing up a Neighbourhood Plan you haven’t been paying attention! A Steering Group has been set up consisting of Stuart Cooper, Mark Lygo, Ruth Wilkinson, Christopher Taylor, Veronica Hurst and John Nealon: further members are being sought. The Steering Group’s first meeting will be on 3 April.
The Oxford Furniture Warehouse is moving from their Abingdon Road store into the shop that was the short-lived Today’s drink shop at 85 London Road, next to Lloyds TSB. Their website says they sell “new, antique and good clean second-hand furniture”. They expect to move in next weekend.
The cycle lane markings on Windmill Road have been repainted.
There are reports that possibly 40 ancillary jobs could go at Oxford Brookes University as student numbers have fallen. Some 250 student rooms in halls of residence (out of about 5000) are unoccupied.
@Oxford_Labour declared their candidate for the Churchill Ward by-election – Susan Brown. She’s not on twitter; a retrograde step in my view after @joemcmanners. The by-election is on 2 May, the same day as the County elections.
Active topics on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:
- Headington has 2 of the country’s most congested roads
- Redevelopment of Northway
- Bedroom Tax Demonstration – Saturday 16th 1pm – Bonn Square Oxford
- Headington shop news 2013
- E-Forum Protocols
- Bus Users’ Forum | Thu 4th Apr | Town Hall | 18:30
- Barton Road Cricket Ground
- A Neighbourhood Plan for Headington