southoxon.go.uk: Hunting for presents? Park for free on selected days in the run up to Christmas

Motorists in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse can park for free in district council car parks on selected days in the run up to Christmas.

The annual free parking tradition is provided by South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils to encourage people to shop locally for their Christmas presents.   The free parking days allocated to each area are agreed with the individual town councils depending on which day would best suit local traders.

Free Christmas parking days also means people don’t have to pay to park if they wish to catch up with friends and family in the great pubs, cafés and restaurants found across southern Oxfordshire’s towns during the festive period.

Drivers will be able to park for free in South and Vale car parks on the following days up to 24 December:

  • Abingdon – Saturdays from 2 December
  • Didcot – Fridays from 1 December
  • Faringdon – Saturdays from 2 December
  • Goring – Tuesdays and Saturdays from 28 November
  • Henley – Tuesdays from 5 December
  • Thame – Saturdays from 2 December
  • Wallingford – Thursdays from 30 November
  • Wantage – Fridays from 1 November.

On the above days there’s no need to display a ticket.

Cllr Tony Harbour, Cabinet Member for Technical Services at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Free parking days give people that extra incentive to spend more time in their local shopping area and also helps to encourage visitors from elsewhere.

“We already offer periods of free parking at certain times in our car parks however we are keen for people to visit our local independent shops and make the most of their nearest town centre in the run up to Christmas.”

Cllr Eric Batts, Cabinet Member for Technical Services at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “We have a great selection of independent shops offering very different and original gifts which would make the perfect Christmas present.  We already offer two hours free parking each day but in the run up to Christmas we want to make it even easier for people to shop locally.

“In Abingdon we will also be opening the Charter multi-storey cark park on Sundays so there’s more parking available in the town centre – this will initially be run on a trial period during December until Christmas.”

For details on parking in southern Oxfordshire visit southoxon.gov.uk/parking or whitehorsedc.gov.uk/parking.

Original post: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/news/2017/2017-11/hunting-presents-park-free-selected-days-run-christmas

Guest House Extension Consultation

Information on the Guest House Extension Project will be on display in the Abbey in time for Evensong on the 19th November.

Members of the project working group will be in the Abbey on the following occasions:

  • Saturday 25th November from 10.30am to 12.30pm
  • Sunday 26th November from Noon to 1.00pm when it is hoped our architect will be able to join us
  • Saturday 2nd December from 10.30am to 12.30pm

Expressway Latest News

 

County Councillors Kirsten Johnson and Lorraine Lindsey Gale are being very supportive to the EAG. Lorraine said: “The option to take the Expressway to the West and North of Oxford using the existing A34 has far more to recommend it than destroying the Green Belt and blighting the lives of thousands of South Oxfordshire residents. I urge Highways England to reconsider their decision not to engage with local residents until one corridor has been selected. This determination to keep plans and discussions secret has given rise to widespread anxiety among residents that may in the final event prove to have been unnecessary. I support the Expressway Action Group – WEST IS BEST!”
Councillor Lorraine Lindsay-Gale, Cabinet Member for Property, Cultural & Community Services, Oxfordshire County Council, Member for the Berinsfield & Garsington Division which includes Dorchester on Thames.

The following update was issued from the EAG yesterday – Friday 10th November
Oxfordshire Expressway Action Group Update – Fighting for Oxfordshire’s countryside – once it’s gone, it’s gone.

The Oxfordshire EAG consists of over 23 villages from across Oxfordshire representing over 25,000 people and more are joining every day. The Group is trying to find out more about the Oxford to Cambridge Expressway and the proposed routes to encourage proper public consultation before any decision is made. We are calling for a full public inquiry into this proposed new motorway route and development corridor for 100,000 houses because we believe that ten miles of Oxfordshire’s green belt, unspoilt countryside and irreplaceable wildlife havens are at risk of being concreted over without any proper public consultation or a democratic mandate

Peter Rutt, Co-ordinator of the EAG) commented, “Because these proposals have been kept so quiet or discussed behind closed doors, most people in Oxforshire have had no idea the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Growth Corridor and its Expressway motorway even existed, or that there was any opportunity to comment on these proposals. Oxfordshire deserves to be consulted on a project which would massively affect its residents’ quality of living. Without a full public inquiry to examine the environmental, housing and amenity impact of each Expressway route, we could end up with the worst of all outcomes. The thousands of Oxfordshire residents impacted by these huge changes deserve to have their voices heard.”

The Expressway Action Group -key points we are raising with potential influencers on the route decision – please help us by liking our page, writing to your MP, Councillors, local media and sharing our posts and press release.

The Routes: The EAG realised in August 2017 that there are basically two options for this new Motorway. Either, the A34 is sorted and enhanced with the £3 billion of government money being made available for this project OR a completely new motorway is built destroying 10 miles of the Green belt, countryside and wildlife havens of South Oxfordshire and the Thame Valley
The arguments for the Northern Route are compelling.
– The A34 has to be improved no matter what happens. However, only the Northern route will sort out the A34 problems properly with the full force of central government cash behind it.
– Only the Northern route connects the growth towns of Bicester and Buckingham and Banbury to the Expressway
– Only the Northern route links the new Expressway with the new East-West Rail link – It would be far less invasive than a brand new road and would cost £400 million less. (But money is not the only issue as another objective is for 100,000 more houses…)
A southern route …
– A southern route would separate the Expressway from the Rail Link and the new stations at Oxford Parkway and Bicester.
– The environmental, amenity and wildlife impacts of a Southern route would be catastrophic. It would destroy 10 miles of Green belt, causing massive damage to rural lands and
wildlife and will change the character of the area forever.
– It represents a huge danger to the Thame and Thames Flood Plains and associated rare wildlife and their havens
– The proposed Southern routes don’t achieve the aims of the Growth Corridor and ‘Knowledge Spine’ at all as they run along its southern edge. This route would produce more commuter-belt
housing and even more traffic into London and the Southern commuter towns.

Lorna Campbell/Arthur | e: lornacampbell1@gmail.com | t: +44 7836 625999 | twitter:lornacampbell | skype: lornac999

The Expressway Action Group are launching their Facebook Page later today – at

fb.me/expresswayactiongroup or https://www.facebook.com/expresswayactiongroup/

Hurst Water Meadow Trust News: December 2017

New Trustee appointment

We are very pleased that Chris Smith has agreed to become a trustee, with effect from 1st November 2017.

Chris moved to Dorchester from London in December 2011. When he retired from an IT career in the motor trade and in financial services he became a regular volunteer in the village: excavating for the Dorchester Archaeological dig, helping to build a database for the museum, and becoming Chairman of Dorchester Tennis Club.

Chris also joined the Hurst volunteer work parties and while working on the meadows became interested in all aspects of the management of the land. Since March 2017 he has been organising the Tuesday volunteer workers on the meadows and has acquired a loyal band of regular volunteers, planning the programme of work with great efficiency to meet our long-term land management goals.

The Trustees look forward to benefiting from the experience and skills that Chris can contribute to the work of the Trust.

Winter grazing

Horses, or more correctly polo ponies, are back on the Hurst for winter grazing. Providing that the meadow is not flooded they will remain as long as there is grass for them. The regime of grazing after the hay cut helps to encourage diversity of plant species and is a feature of traditional meadow management. Often cattle or sheep are used for grazing but they would be more difficult to contain in the Hurst and less compatible with the many canine visitors to the meadows.

The Trustees thank all who have given support to the work of the Trust this year and wish everyone a happy Christmas and New Year.

Gillian Johnson (Hon. Secretary)

on behalf of the Trustees

01865 340925

email: admin@hurst-water-meadow.org.uk

Oxford to Cambridge Expressway – response from our MP John Howell

OUR LOBBYING CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE Please continue to write to the MP’s and other Government officials on the Expressway lobbying list.

Dear Mr Hill
Thank you for your email concerning the proposed Oxford to Cambridge Expressway. I appreciate the concerns that the proposals are raising and indeed share some of them. However there is also much speculation at present.

I have had discussion with the Secretary of State for Transport to ensure that he is aware of the local issues and have also put these concerns in writing to him. I have also discussed the matter with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government due to the potential issues of housing to be built along the route.

I am of the firm opinion that the route should utilise existing roads wherever possible rather than carve a new path through Green Belt land to the south of Oxford. Given that there are alternatives I believe that it is inappropriate and unnecessary to use Green Belt land for this. Further with the requirement for housing to help fund the new road there is even greater reason to avoid a route through the Green Belt.

I have also raised concerns about the transparency of the work on this project. A project of this magnitude should have ready access to as much information as possible in the public domain. I accept that some competitive data needs to remain private but feel that the lack of information is adding to speculation. I have asked the Secretary of State to intervene so that as much information as possible can be immediately put into the public domain with explanation as to what is being held back and why. I have also asked him to ensure that there is full public consultation before a route is decided and not just on the preferred option.

With thanks again for raising your concerns on this project with me.
John