accident

Headington Headlines #96

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 21 – 27 January.

On Monday morning two armed men threatened staff of Lloyds TSB and escaped with an undisclosed amount of money.

Gregg’s was once again obliged to close because of a pigeon which keeps getting into the shop. Food safety regulations mean they then have to throw away any uncovered food – which the pigeon then goes round the back to eat according to a writer on the H&M e-dem forum. It’s easy to laugh but it’s not much of a joke really. The story escalated during the week, with coverage on @PhilGayle‘s morning show on @BBCOxford radio on Thursday.

A man had to be cut free from his car after a two-car collision in Girdlestone Road on Saturday afternoon.

@LaurenceReade wrote a nice memoir and appreciation of Headington Quarry, followed by another on Risinghurst and C S Lewis.

Caffè Corsica, the Pizza café on London Road, seems to have closed. The interior has been stripped and there is a Chancellors’ ‘For Sale’ sign (commercial premises and flat over) above the shop.

Chinese take-away OxyBox opened in Marston (Marston Road, near the junction with Cherwell Drive). They already have an established branch in Kidlington.

At the time of writing there’s no report from the meeting on Friday where Oxford City councillors were being asked to agree the sale of Bury Knowle Stables and Barn. The competitive bids were inadvertently published online and were visible for a few hours before being hastily taken down. No, I didn’t see them.

Osler House (on the JR Hospital site just off Osler Road) has got a new licence for plays, films, sporting events, dancing, live music and alcohol. You may remember they are keen to attract more outside bookings.

Headington School (@HeadingtonSch) came back to twitter after an absence of 9 months. One of their ex-students Sophie Sumner (@sophiesumner8) who grew up in Oxford won US reality TV show “America’s Next Top Model” last year.

The school was also a venue for the first of two weekends of the Oxford Music Festival. The other venues are @JdP_oxford and Keble ‘not on twitter’ College. The Festival Concert will be held in the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building (@StHildasOx) on Sunday, 10th February at 6:00 pm.

Windmill Road building supplies firm @Blanchford popped up on twitter again after posting just three tweets about 9 months ago. Let’s hope they stick with it this time!

If like me you were wondering what had happened to the helpful older man who worked in the mornings as car park attendant at the Manor Surgery, I can report that his job finished at the end of September last year. He told me he is keeping well and misses his job, though not in the recent cold weather!

6th Headington Guides are to receive an £800 grant from @OxfordshireCC‘s Big Society Fund. Their application was supported by County Councillor Roz Smith.

It was reported that HM Treasury is taking over the sale of Warneford Meadow from the Dept of Health. Good thing for the Friends? Bad thing? Don’t know.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

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

  • Empty shops in Headington
  • Long-stay charging to begin at Park and Ride
  • Installation of new pumping station in Headington Quarry
  • 2 new shops in Marston?
  • Save Bury Knowle Barn and Stables!
  • London Road Improvements Stage 3
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 #95

TonyOX3

As social media channels were obsessed with snow in and around Oxford, here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 14 – 20 January.

The priest and congregation of Russian Orthodox church St Nicholas The Wonderworker in Ferry Road, Marston held their annual blessing of the waters at Parsons’ Pleasure on the Cherwell on Saturday. Facebook picture.

More information came out about Oxford County Council’s proposals for the London Road Improvments Stage 3 which I wrote about after a public meeting last month. Note that it says the new scheme “delivers much greater benefits to buses and other traffic; it also minimises the impact on cyclists and pedestrians”. Cyclists and pedestrians bottom of the priority pile again then.

A woman was killed when her car skidded and overturned on the Northern bypass between Marston and Headington on Friday night (the night after the snowfall). Anyone with any further information is asked to contact the police.

Two separate accidents on Sunday evening closed the Eastern by-pass at Horspath Driftway between Headington and Littlemore.

Headington Quarry resident Dr Julia Gasper, who stood for the City Council elections last May as UKIP candidate for Quarry & Risinghurst has quit her position as Chair of the Oxford branch of UKIP. She was investigated by her party after posting “extremist and offensive” homophobic opinions on the UKIP online Members’ Forum. The Mirror newspaper broke the original story last Saturday and reports of her loss of office started appearing on Thursday. The story made The Marr Show on BBC1 on Sunday when Nigel Farage confirmed Dr Gasper “has resigned”. It seems she remains a member of the party, which Farage said “believes in free speech”.
The Marr Show on BBC iPlayer is on this link. Farage is introduced at 20’45”, the issue of remarks on the Members’ Forum starts at 25’00” and Gasper is discussed at 25’57”.

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

  • Eastern bypass resurfacing postponed
  • Empty shops in Headington
  • Osler Road junction
  • Church Bells in Ferry Rd, Marston
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 #90

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 10 – 16 December.

Abacus College received planning permission last week to move in above Londis on the London Road.

A traffic accident involving two cars near the junction with Oxford Road closed Cherwell Drive/Marston Ferry Road for a time late on Tuesday afernoon. Buses were diverted.

The Headington Hill Conservation Area Character Appraisal was endorsed by the East Area Planning Committee on Tuesday. Links to all the documents are on @OxfordCity‘s website. Cotuit Hall is mentioned: I’ve updated my Storify timeline (see link on the left).

There was an informal public meeting on Wednesday about the County’s plans for improvements to the London Road between Bury Knowle Park and the Headington roundabout. My notes from the meeting are below. The @OxfordTimes also reported and a lively discussion is still happening on the H&M e-democracy forum. I’ve copied the County Council’s information sheet about how they plan to spend the Local Sustainable Transport Fund money here.

Martin Young, of 29 Old High Street fame, has resuscitated a 38-year old planning permission which he claims allows him to build three chalets on the site. He’s reported as saying his motive is to achieve a negotiating position with the Council.

A woman was taken to the JR hospital after being attacked by a dog in Aldbarton Drive, Barton on Saturday morning.

Also on Saturday a 3-car accident closed the Marston Road near the Oxford Islamic Centre for a while.

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

  • London Road Improvements stage 3
  • Using your real name on the forum
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.