Headington Headlines #350

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’.

And here’s a picture of the boat:

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

  • Over-60s exercise classes starting in Old Headington

Headington Headlines #296

Your weekly round-up of local news for 12 – 18 December.

The Hospitals Trust has published the schedule of heatpipe roadworks for Lime Walk covering the period 3 January to the end of February. The contractors didn’t quite meet their first target though – both sets of roadworks have over-run into this week, but we’re assured all will be finished by next Friday, probably before. Then it all starts again in the New Year.

All my posts about the project are under the ‘Energy Project’ tab in the main menu, and there’s a page of links and contact details here.

A driver captured this dashcam footage of a van driving the wrong way on the A40 dual carriageway. The video starts at the Thornhill P&R lights, heading east and ending at the layby before the Forest Hill turn.

Planning approval has been given for Nielsen House to be converted to “30 x 1-bed flats and 63 x 2-bed flats”.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Travellers update
  • Internet Connection in Headington
  • Nielsen House

Headington Headlines #290

Your weekly round-up of local news for 31 October – 6 November.

Work in the public realm on the heatpipe project, or hospital energy project to give it its proper name, is about to start again. It’s been confirmed that work on the JR Temporary Car Park will begin on 14 November and work on the residential roads on 28 November. For a summary of the latest information see my separate post which also has a link to the Trust’s letter to Highfield residents.

All my posts about the project are under the ‘Energy Project’ tab in the main menu, and there’s a page of links and contact details here.

@ThatsOxon TV did a short piece on the Wychwood planning application next to the C S Lewis nature reserve. You can watch it here on YouTube.

Three Headington building projects won @OxfordPresTrust certificates – the Radcliffe Primary Care building, St Andrew’s Church tower in Old Headington and Maggie’s Oxford Centre at the Churchill Hospital.

On Friday 11 November Highfield Residents Association is putting on “an evening of music, poetry and reflection” in All Saints Church. Details here.

Southern Health’s new Chairman has announced a review of the Trusts’s operations.

Any hope of saving the Fairview pub in Glebelands has gone. The East Area Planning Committee agreed on Wednesday that it can be converted into a family home. The owner says he intends to live there with his family.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the by-pass, the campaign to save and re-open Risinghurst’s Ampleforth Arms @TheAmpRevival has a smart new website.

Locals are getting fed up with Beech House contractors’ vehicles parking on double yellow lines in Latimer Road.

Concillor RuthWilk has taken up the case with the developers Frontier Estates, who have come down hard on the contractors. Hopefully things will be better this week.

A @headingtonrr runner was hit by a lit firework thrown at him on Thursday evening in South Parks Road. His top caught fire but fortunately he didn’t suffer serious injury.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

Some e-democracy forum users seem to have a problem with the name Nielsen. We’ve already had Nielen. This week we’ve added Nielsen (correct), Nielson and Nelson. That just leaves Nilsson, Nilsen, Nilssen and Nielssen, I think. @headingtonnews has appealed for calm and consistency. It’s Nielsen everybody!

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

  • AC Nielen building and A40 surveying work
  • Apple juicer
  • Nielsen/Nielson/Nelson House
  • Oxford Winter Cycle Safety