Headington Headlines #63

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 14 – 20 May —

There was a collision between two cars on the A40 Northern by-pass early on Monday morning. Later the same day an accident at the Green Road roundabout closed the road for a while and stopped buses serving Barton.

The gap in the central reservation on the A40 opposite Collinwood Road, Risinghurst, will be closed this Monday (21st) for an 18 month ‘trial period’. Traffic will be affected.

The Headington Ward Focus meeting organised by LibDem councillors @RuthWilk and @DavidRundle was held on Tuesday.

The new Sue Ryder charity shop on Windmill Road opened on Thursday where Clover’s used to be.

The Oxford Mail’s reporter for Headington & Marston, Damian Fantato,(@dlafantato) got through the first stage of auditions for Mastermind.

Police reported four burglaries in Headington between 12 and 15 May. Properties in London Road, Margaret Road, Northfield Road and Coniston Avenue were hit.

Weapons including a loaded crossbow, a stun gun and four knives were seized in a drugs raid in Stowood Close, Headington on Wednesday.

A residential block for the elderly, Broadlands House in Mill Lane, Old Marston could be demolished and replaced with a new building.

The Headington Sharks Football Club Under 13 Team is looking for shirt/kit sponsors for the 2012/13 season.

EF International Academy’s applications to demolish (12/01107/CAC) and rebuild (12/01106/FUL) the blocks behind Cotuit Hall, Pullens Lane have been submitted to the Council.

The City Council will take no further action over the derelict 29 Old High Street until Martin Young’s planning appeal has been heard. He is appealing against the Council’s refusal of permission to demolish the house and replace it with 5 three-storey houses.

There will be no Headington Headlines next week and possibly not the following week either as I will have little or no internet access for a while. Normal service will resume after the bank holiday.

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

  • Savills Invite to Public Exhibition re propsoed new scheme for the student housing development on St Clements car park
  • North East Area Forum
  • Garden waste brown bin subscription renewal
  • Terrible state of London Road between Headington Roundabout and Bury Knowle Park
  • Headington Sharks Football Club – Looking for Sponsors
  • Experimental closure of gap in A40 near Risinghurst
  • Halfords Cycling Tour Series, Oxford – 22 May 2012
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 #62

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 7 – 13 May —

The first mid-month Headington farmers’ market happened on Friday. It’s now on twice a month on the second and fourth Fridays, 8:00 to 13:30 on Kennett Road.

The County Council announced two new free bus services, H1 & H2.

The Council’s decision to hold the next NE Area Forum in the Town Hall instead of somewhere in the Headington area came in for criticism. Local LibDem councillor @DavidRundle said he wouldn’t attend the meeting but would instead spend the time on Ward business. The meeting is on Monday 21 May.

Cheney School parents voted against the school becoming an academy.

A prisoner out on day release and working in one of the charity shops is alleged to have assaulted another person working at the shop and then absconded. He’s now been caught.

Thames Valley Police @ThamesVP are appealing for information after a disturbance at a property in Headley Way on Monday 7 May.

Waitrose’s application for extended licensing hours was granted. They can now sell alcohol from 07:00 every day of the week even though they don’t open until 07:30 Monday to Saturday and 10:00 on Sundays.

The Planning Inspector for the Barton Area Action Plan hearing has been appointed. The hearing will be in the week beginning 16 July.

McDonalds run a charity – Ronald McDonald House – in the JR Children’s Hospital. It provides accommodation for parents whose children are in the hospital. Carl Room who runs several McD’s outlets around Oxford received an award (it doesn’t say who from) for his work for the charity.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

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

  • Free bus services H1 and H2
  • Bus stop to Barton in Castle Street
  • Restaurant application for former Tote betting shop in Marston Road
  • Savills Invite to Public Exhibition re proposed new scheme for the student housing development on St Clements car park
  • Lessons on Neighbours Online and Social Inclusion
  • Can someone suggest a person to repair my leaking garden shed roof?
  • North East Area Forum
  • Garden Waste Brown Bin subscription renewal
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 #61

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 30 April – 6 May —

The elections of half the Councillors to the City Council took place on Thursday. The results nationwide have been extensively covered: locally five out of six wards returned their sitting candidates. The exception was Marston which elected Independent candidate and well-known local campaigner Mick Haines. The local results are summarised here, and my short report is here. The turnout in Headington Ward (41.35%) where @RuthWilk was re-elected was the highest of any ward in the City and Marston’s turnout was third highest.

In the run-up to the election Dr Julia Gasper, the UKIP candidate for Quarry & Risinghurst, said she had received death threats after publicity was given to comments she made in 2010 about homosexuals and linking homosexuality with paedophilia. @TheOxfordMail story summarises; Pink News reported the story on 27 and 30 April.

In other news @sundersandher of Headington Londis stores joined twitter.

Hair stylists Africare in Windmill Road has closed.

Headington residents have formed a cycling lobby group which held its first meeting last week.

@TheOxfordMail reported that the Dept of Health has offered Warneford Meadow for sale to the County and City Councils. The County has declined and the City say it’s too expensive though they are willing to negotiate. The asking price hasn’t been revealed.

The Sikh community has submitted a new planning application (ref 12/00990/FUL) to convert 295-297 London Road into a temple.

Private equity group Terra Firma is buying Four Seasons Health Care, owners of The Albany Nursing Home and the Headington Care Home.

The designs for the new Maggie’s Centre at the Nuffield Hospital have been published. The concept is based on the idea of a tree house.

EF International Academy published the results of their recent public consultation exercise on Cotuit Hall. A full planning application is about to be submitted. Meanwhile the internal re-fit of the existing buildings will start on 14 May and will last about 16 weeks.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week (no prizes for accuracy):

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

  • Restaurant application for former Tote betting shop in Marston Road
  • Is a wider process needed for consents for Transport Plans?
  • Northway Pharmacy
  • New Lime Walk and All Saints junction “improvements”
  • Flooding along Marston Meadows Cycle Track
  • Sikh temple in Cherwell Drive
  • Policing of bus lanes
  • Lack of bins with recycling sections in Oxford
  • City Council election on Thursday 3 May 2012
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.