Your weekly round-up of local news for 25- 31 December.

A quiet week with nothing particular to report but two planning applications from before Christmas deserve a mention. Best wishes to all in OX3 for a peaceful and productive 2018.

The change-of-use application (ref. 17/02969/B56) to build 134 flats on the Nielsen site was approved on 21 December. The Oxford Times gives the background to the story. I’ve written a separate article about the City’s conditions relating to access by bike and on foot.

No surprises that the Planning Review Committee meeting on 13 December gave permission for the development of Cotuit Hall in Pullens Lane (see my earlier article). This was the scheme originally rejected by East Area Planning Committee for failing to comply with several policies in the City’s Local Plan and the Headington Neighbourhood Plan. These non-compliances will now be addressed in conditions to be drawn up by City Officers under delegated powers – a weakness in the planning process which in my opinion avoids close scrutiny both of the drafting of the terms and the eventual outcome.

My favourite Headington-related tweet:

A pair of tweets this week. There’s a narrow boat on the Oxford Canal called ‘Cuckoo Lane’.

Our NB named after this lane in Headington,Oxford pic.twitter.com/dCsH45epjw

— Cuckoo Lane (@cuckoo_lane) December 31, 2017

And here’s a picture of the boat:

#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/qYoXx5Lurh

— Cuckoo Lane (@cuckoo_lane) July 4, 2017

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

• Over-60s exercise classes starting in Old Headington