Category Archives: News and Articles

Election of councillors to Oxfordshire County Council

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A reminder that on Thursday 4th May 2017, you will be able to vote for your county councillor.  For all those within Dorchester, you are likely to be part of the ‘Berinsfield and Garsington’ area.

To check your candidates, you can view the list on the official county council voting page (I believe this page will also list the results afterwards).

As of 17th April 2017 though, the candidates you have available to you are:

Robin Francis Bennett Green Party
Evelyne Godfrey Labour & Co-operative Party
Elizabeth Lorraine Lindsay-Gale The Conservative Party Candidate
Simon Geoffrey Davenport Thompson Liberal Democrats

Temporary Road Closure (Berinsfield, A4074) and diversion on 24th April 2017

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On 24th April there will be some roadworks happening on the stretch of road from the H-Cafe/Berinsfield roundabout up to the Nottcutts roundabout. This is so that a new crossing can be installed to make the bus stops safer, at the same time, there will some resurfacing work being undertaken (for more details, see attached documents).

We ask all those that normally use this route to honour the detours, and not take unnecessary other routes, as this could increase dangerous traffic near schools and residential areas.

Neighbourhood Development Plan – Request for input

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Dorchester Parish Council and the Neighbourhood Development Steering Group are
pleased to announce the release of the Final Draft of the plan for a six week consultation
period starting from Monday 27th March until Monday 9th May. This is your chance to
make comments on the current plan before it is presented to SODC for their official
assessment, comments and amendments so please use this opportunity to let us know what
you think of its contents over the next six weeks.

The plan has been closely reviewed by Planning officers in SODC on a continuous basis
over the years to ensure it follows best practise and conforms with the necessary local and
national planning directives. This began with the NDP workshop held in February 2012 to
gain the views of all residents and organisation who attended on what needed to be done.
It was conducted under the guidance of Anton Nath of the Oxfordshire Rural Community
Council and since then the plan has evolved to incorporate all the needs identified from
that original research.

After we finalise the plan it will then be formally presented to SODC as a Final draft and
they will conduct a statutory sic week consultation and after due publicity will make their
own amendments. They will then forward it to a Planning Inspector. If the Inspector is
satisfied that the plan conforms with all statutory requirements and is passed it will then be
presented to the village at a referendum. Everyone eligible can vote to accept the plan inits
entirety at an election that will only be open to parish residents. If a simple majority of
those voting are in favour then the plan becomes adopted and SODC Planning use it when
determining any future developments in Dorchester.

Previous plans have been displayed on the Dorchester on Thames village website and this
plan replaces all previous versions. A link to the new plan is: https://www.dorchester-on-thames.co.uk/information/neighbourhood-planning/

Make sure you click on Current Plan Downloads. A paper plan can be obtained on request.
Please forward your comments preferably via email marked as NDP consultation to
parishclerk@dorchesteronthames.co.uk or to Geoff Russell, Clerk to the Parish Council
c/o 5/7 The Pigeons High Street Dorchester on Thames – Next to the Fleur de Lys.

Dorchester Abbey Museum: Opening Times 2017

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The Abbey Museum will be welcoming visitors for the 2017 season from Easter Saturday until the end of September. Please note that the Opening Times have changed and are as follows:

Monday and Tuesday CLOSED

Wednesday and Thursday OPEN 11am – 5 pm

Friday, Saturday and Sunday OPEN 2pm – 5pm

BANK HOLIDAY MONDAYS OPEN 2pm – 5pm

(Group visits will be by appointment only)

Anne-Marie Joffrin and the Museum volunteers look forward to seeing you during the season. If you would like to become a volunteer do come into the Museum when it is open and find out more about what we do.