Headington Headlines #12

TonyOX3

Here is my weekly round-up of news for the week 9 – 15 May.

The 1st Barton Guide Unit and the 7th Headington Brownies each received grants of £500 from the Red Nose Day Community Fund.

A public meeting to discuss traffic and other problems in Osler Road was held on Monday. Cllr. @RuthWilk reports.

Oxford City Council began the consultation process on the Barton West redevelopment. A new twitter account @BartonOxford has been set up to help communications. The Council’s Barton page is here and to comment you can sign in or register here.

@BrookesTV reported that the closed Londis on the Windmill Road junction is to become a KFC. He/she later admitted “I heard it from someone who works in another local business and they seemed pretty sure”. I think it might be a troll, though discussion on the H&M e-democracy forum seems to think it’s likely to be true. (See latest posts on the forum near the bottom of the linked page.)

Fusion Hairdressing (newbie @Fusionhairoxf) in Headington has opened its new nail bar doing manicures, pedicures, threading.

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

  • Rosemarys Restaurant
  • AV
  • Bus Users’ Forum 10th March
  • Planning applications: new arrangements
  • Brookes sells Cotuit Hall
  • Reclaiming the Ring Road, Connecting communities
  • Agenda for last-ever Area Committee meeting (Tuesday)
  • Headley Way public conveniences
  • Londis corner shop in receivership
  • Friends Of Warneford Meadow AGM

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 #11

TonyOX3

Here is my weekly round-up of news for the week 2 – 8 May.

A car was completely destroyed and another severely damaged in a suspected arson attack in Holley Crescent. Firefighters found the cars well alight at about 0300 on Monday morning.

Stonham Services, the company behind the propsed bail hostel on Headley Way, are reported to have dropped their plans and walked away from the deal.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the fire in Plowman’s Tower early last Monday morning. He has been bailed until June 30 pending further enquiries.

The council has named Grosvenor Developments as its preferred bidder to build 1,000 new homes west of Barton. The decision is subject to approval by the council’s executive later this month. Grosvenor is a privately owned property company with its origins in the Duchy of Westminter’s Grosvenor Estates in London’s Mayfair and Belgravia. It is active in the USA, Canada, Brazil, Western Europe, China and Australia. It has not worked in Oxford before, but is well established in Cambridge and other cities.
More information on Grosvenor: In the UK | Worldwide

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

  • Planned Bail hostel at 30 Headley Way
  • Street Litter
  • I need advice on how to clean curtains
  • AV

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.

The Curious Incident

TonyOX3

“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” by Mark Haddon

I was given this book in Fratelli’s Restaurant and Pizzeria in Oxford on World Book Night.

It’s not easy to write a book convincingly in the first person, but Mark Haddon has managed to do it well in this novella. His achievement is the greater for creating a very different character. Although it is easy to find the basis of the book if you read other reviews I don’t want to spoil the initial surprise so shall say no more!

All I will say is that he treats his subject with great sympathy and understanding. The story itself is both happy and sad, the sadness coming from the reader’s outside perspective on events. The book doesn’t take long to read and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. In keeping with the World Book Night convention I shall pass my copy on, wishing it well on its journey.