Cotuit Hall

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.

Headington Headlines #67

TonyOX3

It seems to have been a fairly quiet week in OX3: here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 25 June – 1 July —

The draft Headington Hill Conservation Area Appraisal produced in partnership between the City Council and local residents’ groups is open for formal consultation until 24 July. Be warned – the main report is 58 pages long!

The HHUG residents’ group opposing EF’s plans for an International Academy at Cotuit Hall, Pullens Lane, were encouraged by apparent support from planning officers for their claim that the Academy would require change-of-use planning permission.

A nice story from @ThriveBarton about a young Barton man’s efforts in fundraising for Thrive.

I posted two pictures (1, 2) of the refurbished Sandfield Road play area. The section for smaller children is fenced off (as requested by local residents) and there’s another area with a zip wire and other equipment for older and more adventurous kids. There are also two sets of blue-painted parallel steel bars which I think must be skateboarding features.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

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

  • Sikh temple in Cherwell Drive
  • Headington Hill Conservation Area Appraisal
  • Experimental closure of gap in A40 near Risinghurst
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 #60

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 23 – 29 April —

Wood Farm residents have formed a ‘Friends of Magdalen Wood West‘ group to look after the eponymous woodland.

The Barton Area Action Plan has been formally submitted to the Secretary of State. I wrote a short blog piece about it, with links to the official documents. The next step is the Examination in Public: the provisional date and venue for this is 16 to 20 July 2012 in Oxford Town Hall, but this may change.

There was a distraction burglary at Headington Conservative Club in Windmill Road last Saturday (21 April) when two men stole charity cash collecting tins.

On the same day there was a major street brawl in the Wood Farm/The Slade area. According to reports, a gang of 30 men armed with hammers and dog chains attacked several Wood Farm residents. Two men and possibly a third were injured. Police suggest the attack might have been in revenge for an earlier burglary.

Costa Express have opened at the Shell petrol station on the London Road, but it’s only a coffee machine.

A question was raised at the full City Council meeting on Monday about the terms of a leasing agreement for the Northway Community Centre. It centres round a dispute over Cllr Roy Darke’s status as Chair of the Association. I suggest you start with the thread on the e-democracy forum if you want to know more. You can also see the question and answer on the video record of the meeting. Ignore the bit where it says "The recording of the meeting is unavailable" and play the Part 1 video. Scroll through to 39’30” to get the start of the question. Two short sections just after the start have been redacted but stick with it and the video continues. Feelings seem to be running high because after Cllr Bance’s statement (at about 46’40”) Cllr Altaf Khan claims he has been personally verbally attacked and leaves the chamber.

A new residents’ group, the Headington Hill Umbrella Group (HHUG), has been formed to represent the interests of local residents concerned about EF’s developments at Cotuit Hall and the former Plater College, both in Pullens Lane. They have issued an opening press release.

Work started on demolishing The Cavalier pub on Copse Lane, Northway. Accommodation for 58 students will be built in its place. Picture by @headingtonnews.

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

  • Controversy over the signing of the new Leasing Agreement in relation to the yet to be constructed Northway Community Centre
  • EF Academy plans for Cotuit Hall
  • The Cavalier pub
  • Restaurant application for former Tote betting shop in Marston Road
  • Is a wider process needed for consents for Transport Plans?
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.