Tesco

Headington Headlines #174

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 28 July – 3 August.

Headington’s Londis closed down last Sunday (27 July). It now stands empty and its future is uncertain.

As one door closes another opens. The new Tesco Express opened on Tuesday morning. The store and its manager are on twitter as @Tesco6880. Also ‘Headington’ is apparently ‘Area 5‘ in Tesco-speak.

Multiple reports of a Big Pong across Headington on Monday evening attracted interest from @BBCPhilGayle and the Oxford Times. Unconfirmed explanations included muck-spreading in the Barton fields.

A van overturned on Jack Straw’s Lane on Tuesday.

The Barton Community Association is reported to be thinking of starting the process of forming a Parish Council. Still some way to go before it happens.

Not news, but a round-up of views on the Barton Park link road as developers confirm a planning application is scheduled for later in the year.

Headington School @HeadingtonSch celebrates its centenary next year and has a website dedicated to the event.

Vice-Chancellor Janet Beer is leaving @Oxford_Brookes at the end of January 2015 to take up the Vice-Chancellorship of Liverpool University.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Headington Londis
  • Satellite dish outside Tesco
  • Smoking at JR Hospital
  • Headington & Marston in the First World War
  • the night time stench
  • I see a new local rival discussion site has been set up.
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 #169

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 23 – 29 June.

@TheOxfordMail ran an article about the designation of Stansfeld Outdoor Centre as an Asset of Community Value. The move is led by Friends of Quarry. Nothing more will happen until Birmingham City Council put the site on the market. [Read my previous article on the subject.]

The Old Marston Parish Council elections took place on Thursday. 13 candidates for 12 places, turnout 12.7%. Full results here.

It was the annual Barton Bash on Saturday, and Barton’s oldest resident Dorothy Pearce celebrated her 100th birthday the same day.

Credit to Steve Barrie, the manager of the new Tesco store opening in a few weeks’ time, for putting his head above the parapet on the e-democracy forum. He’s also on twitter, you’ll be glad to know @sbarriepilgrim. If you’re interested, recruitment for jobs in this branch open today – see Steve’s posts on the e-democracy forum for more information.

You can add Ian MacDonald (UKIP) @IanMacdonald91 to the tally of unsuccesful OX3 candidates from the May 2014 elections who are standing in the Cowley Ward by-election next month. Ian stood in Barton and Sandhills Ward.

A 57-year old woman from Peat Moors was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for cannabis smuggling.

Building work at Headington Library, including disabled access, is over-running and the official re-opening has been put back to Monday 14 July.

Just one active post on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week:

  • Introduction
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 #141

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 9 – 15 December.

The owner of the Fairview Inn in Glebelands is retiring after being given three weeks notice to quit following the sale of the pub to an unknown buyer. Although the current owners say the new owners will continue to run it as a pub the future is uncertain until the new owners reveal themselves. There was a farewell party in the pub on Thursday.

A new bench celebrating C S Lewis’ character Reepicheep from the Narnia stories has been installed in Bury Knowle Park.

LibDem Councillors @DavidRundle, @RuthWilk and @RosalindRogers wrote a letter published in the Oxford Mail asking the City Council to extend Christmas cheap parking to Headington car park to help local businesses.

A letter in the Oxford Mail from Councillor Mick Haines says that Tesco will start building on the site of the Friar pub in February.

Slade House, the care home and other services run by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, which closed to new admissions three weeks ago (see HH 139) is under investigation by health regulator Monitor.

The red phone box next to the Baptist Church in Old High Street is under threat of removal by BT. Locals led by Cllr @RuthWilk have mounted a last-minute attempt to save it. It’s the last surviving red phone box in Oxford outside the city centre. See these links for more on this story.

The Shark House in New High Street is back on the rental market again. For only £2300 pcm you can live under a landmark.

The Guardian published a long interview/article with Headington-resident author Brian Aldiss.

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

  • London Road proposed cycle lane consultation
  • Noise in Quarry
  • Kebab shop in Headington – article in the Oxford Mail today
  • Chain stores in Headington
  • Is our red phone box worth fighting for?
  • Nationality-based shopping at Headington Coop?
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.