Thornhill

Headington Headlines #91

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 17 – 23 December.

The Manor Hospital, run by private company Nuffield Health, has installed a new MRI scanner replacing the original equipment dating from when the hospital opened in 2004.

The Friends of Warneford Meadow have set up a limited company as a charity to raise funds to buy the meadow from the Department of Health. The meadow is expected to go on the market early in the New Year.

The overall plans for the Barton West development of some 900 new homes was signed off by the City Council on Monday. Looks like it’s going to happen folks! The next step is for the developers to put forward specific planning applications for consultation and approval.

A man was arrested in Headington’s Trade Exchange shop on Tuesday morning.

The West Wing Atrium of the JR Hospital was the venue for carol singing twice this week: Wednesday evening with The Salvation Army and Songsters, and on Friday afternoon with the Abingdon Brass Band.

The two men charged with raping a woman in Bury Knowle Park in September (see original report) pleaded not guilty at Oxford Crown Court on Thursday and will stand trial in February.

Two new shops are opening soon in Marston: Oxybox take-away and a butcher’s shop called ‘Marston Meat’. Both are in the parade on Marston Road next to the petrol station on Cherwell Drive.

Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed that work to rebuild the collapsed drains which cause the road at Headington cross-roads to flood in even moderate rain is scheduled for next month (Jan 2013). They have also announced that work on the planned expansion of Thornhill Park & Ride will start in January. This will provide 500 new parking spaces and cost an estimated £3.6m part of which will be met from the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport grant.

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

  • London Road Improvements Stage 3
  • Empty shops in Headington
  • Long-stay charging to begin at Park and Ride
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.

Headington Headlines #20

TonyOX3

Here is my weekly round-up of news for the week 4 – 10 July.

The Quality Care Commission issued a report heavily criticising standards in the Albany Nursing Home on the London Road. “The care provided fell far short of the essential standards of quality and safety people should be able to expect from a care home”, it says. The Albany Nursing Home is owned by Trinity Care (Crown) Limited, part of the troubled Southern Cross Healthcare Group. It is registered to care for 48 older people. [Latest] Southern Cross is closing all homes but says residents’ care will continue.

The County Council announced it has secured a grant of £5m for transport schemes. Around £3.5m of the grant will be put towards the following schemes:

  • Expanding Thornhill Park and Ride through the addition of 500 spaces
  • Creating a new outward-bound bus lane on London Road in Headington towards the ‘hamburger’ roundabout
  • Establishing two new low-carbon bus services connecting Thornhill Park and Ride with the John Radcliffe and other hospital sites, and the city centre.

Oxford Brookes University’s plans to put a maintenance unit on its £132m library and teaching building have got their neighbours annoyed again.

The first North-East Area Forum was on Tuesday. @RuthWilk and I both blogged about it. The Headington car park development dominated discussion, including in the e-dem forum.

A lorry and a Renault Clio collided on the London Road near the Green Road roundabout at about 07:15 on Monday.

The missing husky story made the Oxford Mail. The original twitter appeal was still being retweeted at the end of this week.

The Northway Estate reached its 50th anniversary.

The Mediterranean Fish Bar in Cherwell Drive, Marston, closed since a fire, re-opened.

An application to build flats in William Street, New Marston has been turned down because of concerns about overdevelopment, amenity space and access.

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

  • The Cavalier pub
  • Tagging
  • Headington area to get most of Government transport grant
  • Headington Car Park site
  • Amenities lost in Headington in recent years
  • Oxford Car Parks

 

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.