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Headington Headlines #248

TonyOX3

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

Now you see it, now you don’t! What happened on the heatpipe project last week? My handy summary is here. All my posts about the project are under the ‘Energy Project’ tab in the main menu, and there’s a page of links and contact details here.

Aldi have submitted a planning appplication (ref: 15/03709/FUL) for a new store on the Curry’s site at Horspath Driftway (where Homebase is).

According to the BBC, Hampshire Police have confirmed they have received a complaint alleging criminal behaviour by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, the Trust involved in the death of Connor Sparrowhawk in 2013. The Trust is accused of producing false and misleading information, an offence under the 2014 Care Act.

Sobell House hospice is going to build a new £4m specialist facility at the Churchill Hospital.

There has been a landslip from the old quarry wall in the back garden of a house in Coppock Close, thought to have been caused by the exceptionally wet weather recently. Fortunately no-one was hurt.

Charles Young, spokesperson for the Headington Car Club car-sharing scheme, presented a petition to Oxfordshire County Council before Christmas asking them to reconsider their refusal to allocate two on-street parking bays in Headington (see HH 240). Here he is in a video from @ThatsOxfordTV explaining how car-sharing works.

Also from @ThatsOxfordTV, here is Marston independent councillor Mick Haines, supported by Joanna Bartlett, urging support to stop the demolition of the Jack Russell pub to build housing.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Barton Park development
  • City Council agrees energy pipe needs planning permission
  • Free water, energy and money-saving offer
  • Headington Post Office
  • Pothole – Marston flyover slip

Headington Headlines #245

TonyOX3

Your weekly round-up of local news for 14 – 20 December.

The Hospital Energy Project information machine has still to start functioning. Despite several attempts by a number of people including me, there’s still a discrepancy between the Trust/Vital and County Highways over when the All Saint’s Road work will be finished. The Trust say 27 January, the County’s traffic order says 17 January. They both agree it starts on 4 January.

On the positive side a meeting this coming Tuesday should see a Liaison Group set up, with representatives from the affected roads, Councillors, the Hospital Trust and contractors Vital Energi taking on the task of sorting out the inevitable problems. It’s not a public meeting but does include people who volunteered at the open meeting on 9 December. I will be reporting on the outcome. There is another article, including a mention of the liaison meeting, in the Oxford Mail.

BBC local TV news on Tuesday night featured a report on parking spaces, or the lack of them, for car club cars (see also HH 240). Headington Transport Group’s Charles Young was featured; also Cllr Roz Smith.

Despite widespread cynicism in some quarters, Headington/Barton/Risinghurst “Team Purple” came top of the City Council’s recycling league competition last week.

Skipton Building Society’s first anniversary celebrations went well, as this report tells. It was also covered by @ThatsOxfordTV as part of Headington’s @LiveAdvent2015, with photographer @RossMackenzie talking about his work.

Holy Trinity Church, Windmill School and Headington Quarry School staged an outdoor, travelling nativity play in Quarry on Friday with real sheep and ponies. Their route went from the Coach House in Quarry Road, to the church, and then to the Mason Arms before finishing at Headington Quarry School.

I can’t really make one of my own tweets the favourite of the week, but here it is again.

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

  • Disruption
  • Lost watch
  • X90

A Merry Christmas to you all!

Headington Headlines #221

TonyOX3

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

@OxfordshireCC surprised us with an announcement of £12.5m to be spent on a project called “Access to Headington”, covering Headley Way, Old Road, The Slade and Horspath Driftway. A consultation has started – more information here. Do go and see the proposals if you can: the County has opened a formal consultation which expires on 7 August. The display board images are on the consultation website. People who cycle will welcome the changes (with some modifications) but I suspect the most controversial aspects of the plans will be the loss of some grass verges, trees and on-road parking spaces.

Six people turned out for @QuarryVelo‘s inaugural Sunday Social ride, an easy-paced 25 miles round Otmoor ending with a jaunt through the City centre.

There was a small car fire in Atkyns Road, Wood Farm in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Police are investigating it as a possible case of arson.

Remember the story from April of a man in a car in Barton dying after being stabbed, and the subsequent arrests in Cowley on other charges? Now as part of the same investigations another man, Radoslaw Litwiak, has been charged with conspiracy to kidnap and rob.

Work has started to replace the street lights in Staunton Road but progress seems rather slow. Sandfield Road is next.

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

  • Silver joggers
  • £12.m transport improvements for Headington: exhibitions and consultation
  • Lord Lieutenant presents local company with second Queens Award
  • Peggy Seeger Fundraiser Concert Friday 10th July
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.