Barton

Headington Headlines #188

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 3 – 9 November.

Highfield Residents Association is sponsoring All Quiet on the Western Front – a programme of music and readings to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War – on Friday 14th November at 7.30pm at All Saints Church, Lime Walk.

The Oxford Mail carried a story saying residents in Barton don’t want the new Barton Park development to be segregated from the existing community.

Headington Singers commemorated the tercentenary of the death of dr John Radcliffe with a concert in Oxford Town Hall on Saturday. The programme included a new commission.

After finally getting approval, the long-awaited refurbishment of the City’s tower blocks should start sometime next year. Foresters Tower in Wood Farm and Plowmans Tower in Northway are the two in this area. The work involves enhancing the exteriors as well as adding insulation, new windows and heating systems. All the towers will have their balconies enclosed, with large glass windows to create a small conservatory space. This BBC report has more details and an artist’s impression of howw Evenlode Tower in Blackbird Leys might look.

After deciding not to appear at the Headington Ward focus meeting last week, Frontier Estates organised a public meeting on Friday. They were represented by a consultant. Frontier are the people who want to build student accommodation on the corner of Latimer Road and also have their eye on other land in and around Windmill and Kennett Roads. Here is their Team, presumably too busy to turn out on a Friday night.

Home deliveries of Headington Monthly magazine seem to have stopped, though @Headingtonnews reports that it is available free at the checkout in Tesco.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • No Help to Buy in Oxford
  • Revised Proposals for the Development of Holy Trinity, Headington Quarry
  • Oxford Hospitals Notice-Boards
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 #174

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 28 July – 3 August.

Headington’s Londis closed down last Sunday (27 July). It now stands empty and its future is uncertain.

As one door closes another opens. The new Tesco Express opened on Tuesday morning. The store and its manager are on twitter as @Tesco6880. Also ‘Headington’ is apparently ‘Area 5‘ in Tesco-speak.

Multiple reports of a Big Pong across Headington on Monday evening attracted interest from @BBCPhilGayle and the Oxford Times. Unconfirmed explanations included muck-spreading in the Barton fields.

A van overturned on Jack Straw’s Lane on Tuesday.

The Barton Community Association is reported to be thinking of starting the process of forming a Parish Council. Still some way to go before it happens.

Not news, but a round-up of views on the Barton Park link road as developers confirm a planning application is scheduled for later in the year.

Headington School @HeadingtonSch celebrates its centenary next year and has a website dedicated to the event.

Vice-Chancellor Janet Beer is leaving @Oxford_Brookes at the end of January 2015 to take up the Vice-Chancellorship of Liverpool University.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Headington Londis
  • Satellite dish outside Tesco
  • Smoking at JR Hospital
  • Headington & Marston in the First World War
  • the night time stench
  • I see a new local rival discussion site has been set up.
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 #169

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 23 – 29 June.

@TheOxfordMail ran an article about the designation of Stansfeld Outdoor Centre as an Asset of Community Value. The move is led by Friends of Quarry. Nothing more will happen until Birmingham City Council put the site on the market. [Read my previous article on the subject.]

The Old Marston Parish Council elections took place on Thursday. 13 candidates for 12 places, turnout 12.7%. Full results here.

It was the annual Barton Bash on Saturday, and Barton’s oldest resident Dorothy Pearce celebrated her 100th birthday the same day.

Credit to Steve Barrie, the manager of the new Tesco store opening in a few weeks’ time, for putting his head above the parapet on the e-democracy forum. He’s also on twitter, you’ll be glad to know @sbarriepilgrim. If you’re interested, recruitment for jobs in this branch open today – see Steve’s posts on the e-democracy forum for more information.

You can add Ian MacDonald (UKIP) @IanMacdonald91 to the tally of unsuccesful OX3 candidates from the May 2014 elections who are standing in the Cowley Ward by-election next month. Ian stood in Barton and Sandhills Ward.

A 57-year old woman from Peat Moors was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for cannabis smuggling.

Building work at Headington Library, including disabled access, is over-running and the official re-opening has been put back to Monday 14 July.

Just one active post on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Introduction
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.