29 Old High Street

Headington Headlines #205

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 9 – 15 March.

The mystery noticeboard which appeared last week on the corner of Headington Road and Headley Way acquired its first notices on Monday – posters for performances at the Oxford Playhouse and the New Theatre.

The fire in Colemans Hill, which was breaking news as last week’s Headington Headlines went to press, is being treated as arson. Three people were taken to hospital for treatment.

Police released an image of a man they want to question in connection with an assault that happened in The White Horse on Sunday 1 March.

Lovers of the 29 Old High Street saga will be both delighted and dismayed, even angry, to learn that Martin Young will not be prosecuted for failing to bring his property up to standard because the Council has run out of time for the legal process. Local taxpayers will now have to pick up the bill of at least £16,000, including Mr Young’s costs.

The decision to remove the solar panels from the roofs of the new houses facing Bury Knowle Park (see HH204 or this Oxford Times article) has triggered one of the biggest local outcries since the suggestion of building on the Waitrose car park. Posts on the e-democracy forum queried the need to remove the panels, saying the need for renewable energy outweighed and visual impact. You can even sign a petition calling on the Council not to remove them. However, Friends of Old Headington and Friends of Bury Knowle Park take the opposing view, while Cllr Roy Darke has said on the forum that he believes the panels will now stay.

The City Council, which is responsible for naming new streets, is asking Barton & Northway residents for suggestions for the names of over 30 new streets in the Barton Park development. The Barton Community website says you can tweet your suggestions to @oxcitycommunity with the hashtag #BartonSNN. There are also links for email, facebook, and even a good old-fashioned drop-in box.

Two sheds in Risinghurst (aka Headington, according to the Oxford Mail) caught fire late on Saturday night. Arson is suspected.

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

  • Solar panels in Bury Knowle Park
  • Local transport plan consultation (including controversial new route to Churchill)
  • School Places
  • Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender
  • 29 Old High Street (again)
  • Headington Post Office
  • City Council looks to residents for Barton Park street name ideas
I 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 #199

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 26 January – 1 February.

Traffic woes on the westbound approach to the Headington roundabout were exacerbated on Monday when a manhole collapsed and a lane had to be closed.

The Headington Tesco is not one of the 43 stores the company announced it will be closing (list at bottom of linked page).

Derelict property owner Martin Young, owner of 29 Old High Street, also owns a property on the Cowley Road which the City Council is considering for compulsory purchase because of its dilapidated condition. The house has been empty for over twenty years.

Last year the County Council decided to expand Windmill Primary School @WindmillOxford. Building work to cope with the expansion has still not started and the frustration felt by the Head and others involved with the school broke into the public arena this week.

A large pine tree in Bury Knowle Park was badly damaged by the winds overnight on Wednesday/Thursday. Picture c/o @GeoffMPowell.

Two people were arrested at an address in Bassett Road, Barton on Wednesday. They are suspected of handling stolen goods and possession of class A drugs.

On Tuesday Frontier Estates exhibited their revised proposals for student accommodation on the corner of Latimer Road and London Road.

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

  • Bookshop?
  • Oxfordshire Transport Strategy
  • Marston Tesco?
I 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 #159

TonyOX3

Either I’ve been asleep or it’s been rather quiet in Headington this week. Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 14 – 20 April.

The three planning appeals on 29 Old High Street which were heard on 11 February were dismissed by the Planning Inspector. headington.org.uk has the full history. The Inspector’s full decision report is here (warning: it’s long and specialised).

Dates have been announced for this year’s Headington Festival @HeadingtonFest. It will spread over two days, Saturday 31 May and Sunday 1 June. On Saturday morning there will be a Food and Craft Fair in the Headington shopping area, plus music and street entertainers. A Fun Fair will be open in Bury Knowle Park during the afternoon. On Sunday, the usual host of stalls will be in the park along with a wide variety of entertainment.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • So long and thanks for all the fish
  • Key found in Trinity Road
  • ASDA
  • Northway consultation
  • Ambulances and Saxon Way entrance to JR
  • Barton / Northway bus link
  • Post Here to be positive about Headington, Marston, Oxford, Oxfordshire and life in general
  • Welcome Back Hotmail, MSN, Live, Outlook.com Forum Members – Digest Option, Etc
I 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.