warneford meadow

Headington Headlines #409

TonyOX3

Your weekly round-up of local news for 11 – 17 March.

The main local story of the week was the stabbing of a young woman outside Headington Co-op on Tuesday afternoon. A major police operation followed; Stile Road was closed for 24 hours. A man was arrested the following day. He has appeared in court charged with attempted murder and other offences and has been remanded. He is likely to stand trial in August.

Work is expected to start today (Monday 18 March) on laying a 3-metre wide hard surface along Cuckoo Lane from Franklin Road to Pullen’s Lane. Initially a footpath, the County Council has plans to designate it as a combined cycle- and footpath at some time in the future. The project has been known to Councillors and some local residents for many months, but calls for a public consultation have fallen on deaf ears. You can read more about it in this thread on the e-democracy forum.

Less controversially, Oxford University and Oxford Health showed the results of a feasibility study they have commissioned from Sustrans on making a surfaced cycle- and footpath through Warneford Meadow, connecting Hill Top Road with Roosevelt Drive. There’s still the matter of funding to be settled, and details about how the path will link to the public road at the Churchill end, but representatives of several local interest groups and residents’ associations were generally supportive of the concept.

Nazi graffiti were drawn on a wall of Cheney School after the terror attack on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand. I won’t give the perpetrators publicity by linking to the pictures. Police are asking anyone with information about this to call them on 101. The offensive daubings have now been removed.

The Post Office in Costcutter, Old Marston Road has closed and there’s no information on when, where or if a replacement will open.

Builders who had been working on building new flats on the site of the old Jack Russell pub in Marston have abandoned the job, leaving the site in what locals have described as a dangerous state.

Months of uncertainty over the future of the police office serving Marston and Northway have ended with confirmation that the office will be kept open.

The River Learning Trust who will run the new Swan School in Marston has announced that the Deputy Head is to be James MacNaughton. Mr MacNaughton is currently a maths teacher and assistant head at Cardinal Pole Catholic School in Hackney, and has a master’s degree in leadership. He read philosophy, politics and economics at St Catherine’s College, Oxford between 2007 and 2010.

A piece of cladding came off Plowman Tower in Northway in last Monday’s high winds.

The White Horse pub has reopened after a brief refurbishment.

The Oxford Trust @TheOxfordTrust unveiled their new Ohm sculpture at Stansfeld Park on Tuesday. The keys to the buildings were ceremonially handed over to the Trust by builders Beard Oxford.

Oxford Brookes is holding a free and open Fraud and Cyber Prevention Fair in association with Thames Valley Police on 20th March, 11am to 3pm. Everyone welcome.

Police found a rusty machete in Bury Knowle Park while they were carrying out a search as part of a campaign against knife crime.

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

  • CARMEN AT THE OXFORD PLAYHOUSE
  • Cuckoo lane: Six weeks of tarmac-laying starts on Monday

Headington Headlines #178

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 25 – 31 August.

Five candidates are standing in the Quarry & Risinghurst by-election – details here. The election is on 18 September.

On 10 September Oxford City’s Executive Board is due to decide whether to ‘designate’ the Headington Neighbourhood Forum as the body to draw up a Neighbourhood plan. If they agree, consultation on local issues will start shortly after.

Slade House, the care unit owned by Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust where Connor Sparrowhawk died last year is unlikely to re-open. The Trust has been criticised for failings in the care it provided to Connor at Slade House, and for failings at other units it operates.

The ownership of Warneford Meadow has been transferred to Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (OHFT), the managers of the Warneford Hospital. The move has been welcomed by the Meadow’s Friends.

There may soon be a new pedestrian crossing and some traffic-calming measures outside Windmill Primary School @WindmillOxford in Margaret Road.

The Grass of Parnassus (it’s not a grass) which recolonised Great Britain after the last Ice Age is flowering in the Lye Valley. Although common in more northerly parts of the British Isles it is rare this far south. Its alternative and more descriptive name is the Bog Star. More interesting detail, including the first written record of the plant, in this article.

The Butchers Arms @ButchersArmsOxf re-opened after a refurbishment.

Quarry residents got together to tidy up the garden around Quarry Village Hall.

About 250 runners took part in the Headington 5 on Sunday, raising money for @Oxsrad.

And in other clean-up news, Friday was Skip Day in Barton, when the City Council provided skips for residents to dispose of unwanted items and general rubbish.

Headington Badminton Club is looking for new members. They play on Mondays and Fridays at Headington School.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • City council by-election in Quarry & Risinghurst ward
  • 1812 Fireworks
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 #132

TonyOX3

Here’s my weekly round-up of local news for 30 September – 6 October.

Ownership of Warneford Meadow has been taken by the Oxford Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust from the Department of Health. The Trust has promised to continue the agreement under which the Meadow is maintained by the Friends of Warneford Meadow for the benefit of the community.

The agents selling the Fairview Inn on Glebelands have set a deadline of 11 October for commercial bids. You’ll remember that locals failed to raise the money to buy it after it was designated an Asset of Community Value. What happens if they don’t get any acceptable bids isn’t clear.

Sandfield Road residents have been complaining about the number of smokers from the JR Hospital who use nearby roads and a children’s play area for their cigarette breaks. But the JR, Churchill and Nuffield hospitals will get their smoking shelters. The planning application was approved on Wednesday by the East Area Planning Committee.

Headington’s 20mph zones may be more rigorously enforced by the police. In keeping with the formula applying to higher limits, action will be taken against motorists doing 24mph or more.

Up & Running will move into the old Cartridge World shop. Hancock’s Funeral Directors had an official opening 8 months after, er, opening. Daisy Chain in Windmill Road reopened after a major refurbishment.

Headington is one of the areas of Oxford that will get free wifi hotspots thanks to a governemt grant.

The Headington & Marston e-democracy forum lit up on Saturday night when people discovered that Headington Hill Park sometimes hosts wedding receptions. If only they paid more attention to Headington Headlines (June this year) they’d have known about it already.

My favourite Headington-related tweet of the week:

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

  • JR Hospital Trust Staff Travel Scheme
  • Warneford Meadow, Oxford – Notice of Intention to Dispose
  • New Headington bus routes
  • Licence for new Brookes building on Gypsy Lane
  • It is time Headington had a business club
  • After 6 months found a fence contractor
  • Traffic in Headington
  • 20 m.p.h speed limits on roads to be strictly enforced
  • Risinghurst Fireworks Display 9th November 2013
  • Marston Heating Supplies
  • Commercialisation of Headington Hill Park?
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.