Headington Headlines #355

Your weekly round-up of local news for 29 January – 4 February.

Redrow has been selected as the builder for the next phase of @BartonPark_. The company is on twitter as @RedrowHomes.

Winvic contractors are still flouting their permitted working procedures and causing problems in Latimer Road. This is just one of several tweets about it from @LeonardoLoredan.

I’m not going to rant about the disgraceful lack of transparency of the Oxfordshire Growth Board, but it apparently met in closed session on Thursday to discuss the delayed Access to Headington work under a disguised agenda item. @RuthWilk reports “individual projects are not likely to be announced till the 7th February. So the planned and published Staunton Road closure may still go ahead”.

The rather decrepit old bridge over the Cherwell at the Parks end of the path through Mesopotamia has been replaced with a smart new one.

The temporary surgical theatre outside the JR Women’s Centre has been removed. It was originally put there to provide more capacity after the downgrading of maternity services at Banbury Horton. Hopefully something more permanent has been provided in the main building.

The driver of a Land Rover Discovery tried to ram-raid the Aldi on Horspath Driftway on Saturday night. Apparently the cash machine was the target. Police are appealing for information.

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

    • Concerns re parking prices in Headington
    • Reply re Barton Park
    • Police crime statistics for Oxford and personal theft: a question
    • Politics on the forum
    • Beech House

Headington Headlines #338

Your weekly round-up of local news for 2 – 8 October.

It was all kicking off at the JR …

From today (Monday 9 October) patients using the Manor Surgery car park must register their car at reception when they attend for an appointment.

The Barton Park developers have submitted their plans for a controlled parking zone (CPZ) in Barton Park. The documents are on the council website under reference 15/03642/CND. There are two drawings, both of them of such poor quality that they don’t convey much information; I tried and failed to understand what they are supposed to show. But as this is all discharging a condition on the original planning application, and acceptance will be a delegated decision (read ‘tick the box’ and ‘rubber stamp’), and there doesn’t seem to be any consultation either, whatever the plans are supposed to show will no doubt be what happens. Or perhaps not, because nobody will know either way.

The Oxford half-marathon came to Marston again on Sunday, accompanied by the now usual complaints about non-consultation and no warning about road closures.

I checked to see if you can get safely into Barton Park and the marketing suite for the new homes if you want to go on foot or by bike. I’m glad to say you can!

My favourite Headington-related tweet:

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

  • Free Exercise Bike
  • Road works at Roosevelt Drive
  • Anyone know of CCTV showing road between Headington Cemetery and the Black Boy?

Headington Headlines #334

Your weekly round-up of local news for 4 – 10 September.

The old Post Office, which has been a shop selling stationery since the PO closed, is to become a gallery for local artists.

BBC Countryfile reported on the @TheSpiritofToad distillery in South Park. It’s here on iPlayer until the end of the month – scroll through to 53’30”. (NB You have to register now to view BBC iPlayer).

The proposal for a 20mph speed limit for the whole of Windmill Road, which has always been part of the Access to Headington scheme, was approved by the County on Thursday. Thames Valley Police had objected on the grounds that people already drive faster and they doubt if they could enforce it. As they don’t enforce most other traffic restrictions this argument isn’t very convincing.

The new Swan School to be built in Marston moved a step closer as the River Learning Trust which will run the school announced contractors Galliford Try have been appointed to lead the design and build process.

A group of travellers moved onto the Margaret Road recreation ground on Thursday, but had gone by Friday evening.

The Tour of Britain passed briefly through OX3 on Saturday on the B4027 from Stanton St John to Islip. Here’s part of the peloton going through Islip.

The Tour of Britain passes through Islip
The Tour of Britain passes through Islip

Dr Anandagopal Srinivasan of Sandfield Road has been charged with two counts of sexual assault, one of which is alleged to have happened at the JR Hospital and the other at Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge.

The Mosaics (Barton Park) marketing office was opened over the weekend. There’s a thread about it on the e-democracy forum.

My favourite Headington-related tweet:

And finally, a tenuous link to Headington and only of interest to fans of professional cycling, EF Education First is  replacing Cannondale as sponsor of the current Cannondale-Drapac cycling team. Following what seems to be a trend for cycling teams to have ever more clunky names, the new team name will be Team EF Education-Drapac.

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

  • Travellers on Margaret Road play area
  • Travellers on Margaret Road
  • Barton Park Opening
  • Builder?