Old Road

Headington Headlines #157

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 31 March – 6 April.

A barrier has been installed on the bridge carrying Old Road over the ring road and up to Shotover. Apparently one side of the bridge is in a bad way and the County engineers have decided they need to restrict the traffic to one side. There’s a discussion on the e-democracy website including a letter from the engineers.

The relaunch of the bike hire scheme at Thornhill P&R and Headington has been put back by at least two months as the operators say they need more time to install their technology.

Keith Ponsford, Head Teacher at Bayards Hill primary school in Barton, retired this week. Over a forty year career he has taught in Marston and Cutteslowe as well as Barton.

Friends of Quarry are hoping to get the Stansfeld Outdoor Centre listed as an Asset of Community Value. I blogged about it, thinking it may be destined for housing.

Istanbul Barbers opened in the old Lazy Gamer shop.

Power was out on Saturday afternoon in an area from Bickerton Road to Wharton Road and extending out to near the NOC, with a reported brief ‘blip’ in a wider area from Wood Farm to Quarry. The power cut lasted about an hour.

The police helicopter @NPAS_Benson hovering over Headington on Friday afternoon was helping in the search for a person reported missing, who was eventually located by police on the ground.

Smart new blue bus shelters have been installed in the JR grounds.

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

  • Multi-storey car park at Old Road campus
  • Activities for under 5s on Fridays
  • Tree-felling on Oxford Bypass adjacent to Northway
  • Barrier on bridge on Old Road
  • Quarry Gate pub
  • Trade Exchange
  • Student accomodation where Cavalier pub was
  • New Headington Residents’ Association
  • Bar Meze
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 #76

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 27 August – 2 September —

The future of the Three Horseshoes pub in Old Marston is in doubt. Landlady Jeanette Cadd who has run the pub for 30 years is retiring. She has planning permission to turn the Grade II listed building – an old smithy – into two dwellings but has said she has not finally decided what to do with the pub, which is a free house. There are two other pubs in Old Marston, the Red Lion and the Victoria Arms.

In the wake of Oxford University completing the purchase of the Park Hospital site to facilitate the University’s development of the Old Road campus, Headington Councillor @RuthWilk called for a Headington masterplan to guide development.

A book by Dawn Griffis covering the history of Headington Hill Hall over the years 1939 – 1958 has been published.

@RyeStAntony School has submitted a planning application (ref 12/02214/FUL) for the erection of single storey extension to provide a new science room and office.

A Headington page has appeared on facebook. It’s nothing to do with me.

A lorry overturned in collision with a car at the Headington roundabout on Friday.

The new Dorset House student accommodation is open for business.

Former Headington School pupil Lily van den Broecke won a gold medal coxing the mixed coxed four at the Paralympics.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

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

  • When is a cycle lane not a cycle lane?
  • walking dogs in Bury Knowle Park
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 #70

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 16 – 22 July —

The Planning Enquiry into the Barton Area Action Plan went on all week in the Town Hall. The most significant development to emerge was @OxfordCity dropping its insistence on a 40mph speed limit on the Marston – Headington section of the A40. It looks like a 50mph limit could well be agreed with housing backing onto the road rather than facng it. There will be a two-day follow-up public hearing in September before the Inspector makes a final decision.

Oxford University revealed its plans for redeveloping the Park Hospital site on Old Road. There will be four new laboratories and a multi-storey car park. The site will be developed over the next eight years “into a revolutionary science facility”. Plans include a restaurant, shop and possibly a gym available to Headington residents. The University recognises it will be required to make a substantial developers’ contribution particularly to mitigate traffic problems in the area.

Martin Young announced his intention to stand for election to the post of Police Commissioner.

Bury Knowle Park was again awarded a Green Flag.

St Joseph’s Primary School won this year’s SOS School Build competition funded by Abingdon construction company Leadbitter. The £7500 prize wil be used to build an extension to the school music room.

On Saturday the Shell garage was again targeted by @GreenpeaceOxon protesting against plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.

Instead of a favourite tweet, how about this Headington-related Curiosity of the Week? There really is a website (well, a section of one) devoted to ‘You are here’ signs.

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

  • Buddleia Bother
  • Block Connectors Invite
  • Tar and feather dressing on Old Road /The Slade
  • Parish councils in Headington & Marston
  • Recommend a gas man?
  • Save Bury Knowle Barn and Stables!
  • Events in Headington & Marston area
  • Barton Area Action Plan: see what was submitted to Secretary of State
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.