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Headington Headlines #101

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 25 February – 3 March.

From this morning (4 March) Beaumont Road will be closed from Quarry Hollow to Green Road while the County Council instals a new surface water rising main. The closure is scheduled to run until 16 April.

Headington Action (@HeadingtonA) organised a well attended and enthusiastic meeting when it was agreed to go ahead with producing a Neighbourhood Plan for Headington. Cllrs @RuthWilk and @DavidRundle have published a report of the meeting. This is the start of a long process on which I and others will try to keep you up to date.

Two days later a group aiming to help develop an integrated transport strategy for Headington met for the first time. The inaugural meeting was also organised by @HeadingtonA.

The Post Office letterbox in All Saints Road was the object of a possible arson attack last Sunday (24 Feb) although the cause of the small fire is unclear.

Also last Sunday there was a robbery at Threshers off-licence in Cherwell Drive, Marston.

Headington’s Blockbuster store is going to close and will become a Morrison’s supermarket. There are reports too that the owner of the closed Crown and Thistle pub in Old Road may be looking at alternative uses for the building.

Our very own Dee Sinclair, City Councillor for Quarry & Risinghust and candidate for the new Headington and Quarry Division in the County Council elections in May, is to be the next Lord Mayor of Oxford from May this year. Come on Dee! With such a high profile you’ll just have to get that @delia_sinclair twitter account going!

@ThriveBarton‘s work in Barton is the subject of an article in the Newsletter of the Volunteering & International Psychiatry Special Interest Group of the Royal College of Psychiatrists. It’s on page 5.

A man from Aldbarton Drive, Barton was sentenced to four months jail for dangerous dogs offences. Three people had been attacked and needed hospital treatment.

The two men who were in court on charges of rape in Bury Knowle Park (see original press report) were acquitted.

The City Council’s Sites and Housing Plan was formally adopted on 18 February – the end of a long process. The definitive version is here.

So far only Oxford Civic Society @oxcivicsox has commented on the latest planning applcation for 29 Old High Street. They are broadly supportive. Application ref: 13/00311/FUL.

Lime Walk was closed between London Road and All Saints’ Road for a short time on Friday for emergency water main repairs.

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

  • A Neighbourhood Plan for Headington?
  • A Lord Mayor on this forum again from May 2013!
  • New Lime Walk and All Saints junction “improvements”
  • Crown and Thistle
  • Spate of burglaries in Headington
  • Blockbusters in Headington is closing after all
  • Zhen Shan Ren (Truth Compassion Tolerance) Art Exhibition
  • 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.

Headington Headlines #85

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 5 – 11 November —

Martin Young’s latest planning application for 29 Old High Street was withdrawn at the East Area Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday. Local residents were prepared to accept it but Council officers were recommending refusal.

There was an accident involving a cyclist at the corner of Osler Road and London Road early on Wednesday morning. The road was blocked for more than half an hour.

A man’s gold signet ring was found on Windmill Road last weekend. Details on the e-democracy forum.

The corner shop (F&M’s) at the junction of Merewood Avenue and Burdell Avenue in Sandhills reopened on Tuesday.

@Oxford_Brookes held an Open Day on Saturday.

There doesn’t seem to be much to report this week but instead I’ve got two Headington-related tweets this week which I couldn’t choose between for favorite:

It may have been a quiet week for news but the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum has been particularly busy this week. Active topics:

  • Fireworks on a Sunday night
  • Empty shops in Headington
  • Proposed Changes To Holy Trinity Church
  • Thornhill Park & Ride: proposed charges for 11+ hours
  • Supermarket at Barton west
  • Should Windmill School grow to over 600 pupils?
  • Accident on London road/Osler road junction today
  • Sandhills Shop
  • Osler Road (Osler Road Junction)
  • Fireworks Display in Risinghurst 10th November 2012
  • Hit and run on Headley Way
  • Check your home medicine cabinet, say Oxford doctors
  • Lost gold ring
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 #82

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 15 – 21 October —

There was a Headington Ward Focus Group meeting in Osler House (on the JR site) on Tuesday evening. At the same time there was a meeting at Windmill Primary School with County representatives to discuss the proposals for making the school a three-form entry.

@106JackFM broadcast from @WindmillOxford on Friday morning.

Osler House (www.osler.co.uk) is the Oxford University club for clinical medical students. Or as their representative put it, “Somewhere medical students can get away from doctors, nurses and patients”. They have conference/meeting facilities for over 100 people, including a seminar room complete with modern A/V equipment, a lounge and a bar. The facilities are available for private hire and they are keen to attract more of this business.

Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet meeting on Tuesday approved the introduction of long-term parking charges at Thornhill and Water Eaton park-&-rides. The fee will be £3 for stays longer than 11 hours.

Print and copy shop Oxford Design closed their shop on London Road on Friday. They re-open in Stanton St John on Monday. Londis (run by @sundersandher) has been placed in the UK Top 100 independent retailers by the Independent Achievers Academy. And Robert Stanley Opticians, who have been trading at 137 London Road for 40 years, have just refurbished their store. They are having a grand re-opening on Thursday 25 October from 6pm – everyone invited!

Cerian Townsend of the @ThriveBarton team will receive an award in the Oxfordshire Charity & Volunteer Awards at the Town Hall on Tuesday.

@ Headington’s Oxford Mail reporter Damian Fantato has moved to cover North Oxford instead. Debate continues over whether we think this is a promotion.

Councillor Mick Haines unveiled a plaque on Saturday commemorating the residents of Marston killed in the second world war.

Martin Young has formally withdrawn his candidature for the role of Thames Valley PCC.

@DorsetHouse_Ox has joined twitter.

I came across this Headington Heritage blog. I couldn’t see who’s behind it but the items in the ‘Blogs I Follow’ list are possibly significant.

The quest has started to track down Headington’s very own flag (if it ever existed). It might be somewhere in the city archives.

My favorite Headington-related tweet this week:

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

  • Should Windmill School grow to over 600 pupils?
  • Ruskin College open day on Saturday 27 October 2012
  • New cancer centre for Headington
  • Google StreetView has redone Headington
  • Proposed Changes To Holy Trinity Church
  • Job advertisement
  • Thornhill Park & Ride: proposed charges for 11+ hours
  • New Road being built through Northway
  • News about two Headington shops
  • Best places to eat in Headington?
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.