Headington Headlines #136

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 4 – 10 November.

Cllr @RuthWilk posted an update [no longer available] on the timetable for the Barton West development. It seems we’re going to have to start calling it Barton Park. What do you think of the name? An attractive commitment to a pleasant and open living environment, or a developer’s too-cosy attempt to sell to a middle-class market? I blogged what I thought (hint – I don’t like it) and made a storify timeline of what local twitter had to say (hint – twitter doesn’t like it either). There’s also some discussion about who was involved in choosing the name.

New parking charges come into force at Thornhill and Water Eaton today (11 Nov). £2 to stay 1 – 11 hrs. Full details including information about season tickets here.

@OxfordshireCC announced a consultation about the new primary school for Bayswick (aka Barton West or Barton Park). It will be an academy so who runs it is important. Consultation here, my blog about it here.

Both Risinghurst and South Park had their firework displays on Saturday.

People have been puzzled by the unannounced appearance of new City Council benches in the environs of Headley Way. Not even local councillors knew anything about them. The benches have been put in what seem to be very inappropriate places – here is @RuthWilk‘s picture of the one where the higher part of Staunton Road joins Headley Way. Suspicion is mounting that Banksy has turned his talents from street art to installations, in this case benches.

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

  • Hazardous glass in Holley Crescent
  • Volunteers Needed!
  • Risinghurst Fireworks Display 9th November 2013
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 #130

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 16 – 22 September.

A VW campervan parked at the Shotover car park was broken into on Sunday last week (15 Sept). A handbag, purse and iPhone were stolen.

The concession by which hospital workers have been able to park free at Thornhill and Water Eaton P&Rs is ending. They will have to pay £2 a day (up to 11 hours) or £4 for a longer stay. The changes were agreed by Oxfordshire County Council who operate these two sites and will start in mid-November.

The new bus services connecting the Headington hospitals and campuses with Thornhill and Water Eaton P&Rs and Kidlington start today (Monday 23 Sept). Oxfordshire CC announcement | Blog article.

A car parked on a driveway in The Ridings was broken into early last Sunday morning (15 Sept). An iPod and golf clubs were stolen. Later that morning a thief smashed the window of a car in Old Road and took a handbag, sunglasses, and a mobile phone.

A lorry hit some scaffolding in Bateman Street on Thursday. The scaffolding collapsed and blocked the road.

The C S Lewis festival @CSLewisJubilee commemorating the 50th anniversary of the writer’s death took place over the weekend. Here’s a sample.

A man from Barton has appeared in court charged with two burglaries in Headington (Windmill Road and Girdlestone Road) earlier this month. He was remanded in custody until 1 Novemeber.

From today (Monday) Headington Co-op is offering a 10% discount to NUS members.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • Proposed Changes to Green Road Roundabout
  • Thornhill Park and Ride Expansion Plans
  • Some Concerns about Headington
  • Quarry Gate pub
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 #119

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 1 – 7 July.

Work on the long awaited Marston cycle track from Edgeway Road to Fairfax Avenue is due to start on 29th July.

The last of the currently-planned @Oxonbike stations opened at Oxford Brookes Gipsy Lane site on Monday. See my blog post for exact locations, pictures and links.

As expected, Crown News morphed into W H Smith Local. @HeadingtonNews has the history of the shop, which has been a W H Smith before.

Even more of an institution, Café Noir closed this week after 24 years’ trading. The owners cite rent increases as the last straw.

The planning application for housing on the Barton Road cricket ground was approved.

The County Council’s latest proposals for new bus lane arrangements at the Headington roundabout & London Road are out for consultation. There’s a drop-in session with County officers on 18 July, 4 to 8pm at Quarry Village Hall. More details in this blog post.

More consultation, this time on County proposals to introduce a £2 charge at Thornhill and Water Eaton P&R for stays up to 11 hours. The 11-24hr charge is set to go up from £3 to £4 with corresponding increases for even longer stays. The consultation period runs to 31 July.

The @TheMasonsArmsHQ launched their new website.

Paralympic gold medal winner rowing cox Lily van den Broecke is an ex-pupil of @HeadingtonSchool, which gives me an excuse to report the repainting of her gold post-box even though it’s not in OX3.

A complaint about a pot-bellied pig made at Risinghurst and Sandhills parish council will be referred to the City’s Environmental Services.

The local branch of CAMRA is pressing for a new pub to be included as part of the Barton West development.

A quiet week on the Headington & Marston e-democracy forum this week with only two active topics:

  • Plans for resurfacing of London Road between Bury Knowle and Green Road roundabout
  • Café Noir
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.