Neighbourhood Plan

Headington Headlines #133

TonyOX3

No Headington Headlines last week as I was away, but now here again is my weekly round-up of local news, this time for 14 – 20 October.

The Oxford Times reported that St Andrew’s School is the most popular primary school in the county, measured in terms of the number of people who put schools down as their first, second or third preference compared with the number of places offered. On this measure there were 8.3 applications per place at St Andrew’s.

The County’s consultation on issues around a transport strategy for Headington closed last week. Here are links to some of the reponses by interested groups:

The map of the area proposed to be covered by the Headington Neighbourhood Plan has been submitted to Oxford City Council for approval. The Headington Plan website has an explanatory commentary. The Neighbourhood Plan Forum met on Thursday (report not yet published).

@headingtonnews pointed out that Barton West lies in the parish of St Andrew’s, Old Headington and wondered if this will change.

Professor Audrey Mullender, Principal of Ruskin College, announced her retirement with effect from 30 November. She has held the role since 2004.

Carl Sprake posted a blog about lichens in St Andrew’s churchyard in Old Headington.

In what looks suspiciously like a troll the Oxford Mail carried a story saying that in the long term, Christ Church might sell some of the land it owns adjacent to the West Barton development. The land is in South Oxfordshire District and is Green Belt so I suggest the chances of anything happening in the forseeable future are vanishingly small.

The Butchers Arms @ButchersArmsOxfhas a new shark-themed logo (with no apostrophe).

Police are looking for a Headington 17-year old who is charged with rape and who failed to attend a court hearing.

Up & Running moved across the road into the old Cartridge World shop, but there’s still no sign of Morrison’s opening.

Rosemary Restaurant continued to strip its façade of all signage. Unconfirmed rumours are that it will re-emerge with a different name.

Headington Ward’s LibDem councillors and the Friends of Old Headington have pooled funds to provide a grit bin on Ethelred Court (it’s off Dunstan Road if you didn’t know). The bin’s on order.

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

  • Has anyone got a large Santa suit they could loan for a day?
  • Headington Transport Strategy Consultation
  • Some Concerns about Headington
  • Headington Neighbourhood Plan Forum
  • New Headington bus routes
  • Punctuality Problems on No 4 Bus
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 #111

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 6 – 12 May.

In Sir Alex Ferguson’s first match in charge, Manchester United lost 0-2 away to Oxford United at the Manor Ground in Headington on 8 November 1986.

A man from Weyland Road who waved a large kitchen knife in a street fight was given a six-month suspended sentence.

Consideration of the Haboakus developments in Northway and Cowley by the East Area Planning Committee today (13 May) has been deferred until 5 June “because of the large volume of third party responses that were received after the Committee report was published”. Thames Water have asked for the drainage system to be assessed before work starts.

A draft constitution for the @HeadingtonPlan Neighbourhood Forum is available for comment on the Plan website.

A school for children with autism and learning disabilities will open next year on the site of the former Ormerod School in Waynflete Road, Barton. It will be run by the MacIntyre charity in partnership with Oxfordshire County Council and will take 20 pupils. A full refurbishment is planned with a new 12-bed residential building set to open in September next year.

The C S Lewis Jubilee Festival in September @CSLewisJubilee is on twitter. Tickets for festival events are already on sale.

@Jacobsandfield are taking over the Red Lion in Wolvercote, planning to re-open in July as @JacobsInn.

@OxFurniture‘s mobile phone was stolen on London Road by two girls on Saturday.

Sources in Risinghurst tell me that @QGCafé whose opening I noted in March this year is no more. The twitter account is closed which seems to confirm it.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

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

  • Bury Knowle Park big swing on a pole thing
  • Oxford’s 1st Polish Business Fair
  • Area Comittees and Public Engagement
  • Local historians what do you know about the history of Sandhills?
  • Redevelopment of Northway
  • Lack of traffic in Headington this morning
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 #110

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 29 April – 5 May.

There was an election on Thursday – two if you live in Churchill Ward. Turnout ranged from 35% in Headington & Quarry county division to 18.5% in the Churchill ward by-election. Labour were clear and unsurprising winners in all the OX3 areas apart from Headington & Quarry where two existing councillors, one Labour, one LibDem, were competing in a division with new boundaries covering part of each of their existing territory. Roz Smith (LibDem) @RosalindRogers narrowly beat Dee Sinclair @Delia_Sinclair by 31 votes, a majority of 1%. All the results for Oxford are on on my blog or more legibly on this pdf.

About half the new spaces being created at Thornhill P&R opened on Monday – that’s about 250. The remainder are due to be ready by July.

At the Headington roundabout the ‘safe’ cycle route from Thornhill proved impassable for disabled fundraiser @Claire80Lomas as she arrived in Oxford on her hand-bike on a 400 mile cycle challenge. Claire was the person who completed the London marathon in 17 days last year wearing a robotic suit. Her domestique @charliecoffee wasn’t impressed with the “cycling city”‘s response either.

@FoodieonTour, aka Jacqui Thorndyke, blogged about Headington Farmers’ Market.

The Ruskin Arts Festival was on Saturday 4 May, the same day as a street festival at the top of Kennett Road to mark the start of Oxfordshire Art Weeks.

Oxford author @GriseldaHeppel spoke about her book “Ante’s Inferno” aimed at 9-12 year-olds to girls at @HeadingtonSch.

A project to bring Latin and classical studies to a wider section of the community is to open in Cheney School later this year.

@HeadingtonPlan has a facebook page.

A big list of active topics on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Thornhill Park and Ride Expansion Plans.
  • CoNDem nasty hypocrisy
  • Bury Knowle Park big swing on a pole thing
  • Free family bus ticket on Arriva (can be used on 280 service in Headington)
  • Local elections, May 2013
  • Shop at end of Kennett Road
  • A Neighbourhood Plan for Headington
  • Oxford’s Polish School celebrates 10 years of Achievement!
  • Oxford’s 1st Polish Business Fair
  • North-East Area Forum
  • Redevelopment of Northway
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.