Headington Community Dog Day Sat 14 April

Following various concerns about dog fouling in some parts of our ward, and other feedback from residents in our ward spend survey, we asked the community response team for help, and they suggested we could hold a community dog day event. We applied to the lead member for financial support and it was agreed that the Council would fund it without raiding our ward budgets!

Dog - a man's best friend

We now have a date for this.  The Community Response Team will be holding a Community Dog Day in Headington to promote the responsibilities of dog ownership. The day – Saturday 14 April – will also be attended by Oxford City Council’s Dog Warden, a vet providing free advice of a variety of issues and various stalls provided by organisations.  Free micro chipping will be provided to the first 40 dogs whose owners contact the Community Response Team on 01865 252080 and book an appointment before the event. Chipping will also be offered on the day at a discounted rate of £10.  The Headington Community Dog Day takes place from 10am until 4pm at the Headington Community Centre, Gladstone Road. This will be a useful event for dog owners and will provide them with lots of information about owning and looking after their pet. We hope that people find the micro-chipping useful as it is the most effective and secure way of permanently identifying a pet.  A unique identification number is registered to the animal and the owner’s details are placed on a national database.

Can you assist the Police with info about attempted burglaries?

On Wednesday night the 28th March a burglar attempted to gain entry to homes in Bickerton Road and Beech Road, Headington, at both locations the home owner disturbed the intruder.

Shortly afterwards in Woodlands Road a patrolling Police officer noticed a security light come on at a property and went to investigate.

He was able to alert the occupiers to the fact their home had been broken into and shortly afterwards Police detained the intruder and an accomplice nearby. Both are now in custody.

If you do see anyone suspicious lurking around your neighbourhood, dial 999, and let the police know, if an officer is in the area he/she can easily check out the situation.

If you have any information which could assist the police with their investigation please contact the Non Emergency number 101 and leave a message for the Oxford Burglary team.

Latest on sewage spills

Sewage spill in Old Headington

Sewage spill on Saturday lunchtime

There were two sewage spills from a manhole in Osler Road near the junction with St Andrew’s Road on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The sewer in that part of Old Headington is a combined sewer rather than two separate systems for fresh water and for sewage.

Residents were understandably concerned, not least about the possible public health implications of sewage on the road. These are the latest in a whole series of spills from the same location over a decade. Thames Water contractors jetted it out on Sunday morning at 00.05 but it was only a short term fix and a second spillage happened on Sunday. This prompted a second visit by TW contractors at 02.30 this morning.

Ruth contacted Thames Water twice, and has also got onto Environmental Health at the City Council to see if they can exert some influence on Thames Water to dig up St Andrew’s Rd near Laurel Farm Close and put a camera down to see what is causing the blockage. Following our phone calls and emails, the Council’s Executive Director for City Services is now  in communication with his counterpart at Thames Water to try and find a longer term solution to this problem.

263,300 in Oxfordshire to get Tax Cut

As part of the Budget, the Chancellor has announced that from next year, the Income Tax threshold will be raised further, ensuring that no one pays any income tax on the first £9,200 they earn.

In Oxfordshire that means that 15,820 people will be lifted out of paying Income Tax all together and a further 263,300 will receive a £220 tax cut. This is on top of tax cuts of £200 last year and a further £130 next month.

The Chancellor has listened to Liberal Democrat calls for the Income Tax threshold to be raised further. When the Coalition came to power in 2010 the Personal Tax Allowance was £6,475.

Update on 29 Old High Street

Those of you who already attended our Ward Focus Meeting have already raised this issue with us, but here is the update again

We know that like us you have been very concerned about the state of 29, Old High Street. At nearly all meetings in Old and New Headington that we have been attended in recent years, we have been asked about what’s happening. We have given updates at those meetings and now we want to let you know the latest developments.

We have been as frustrated as anyone at the slow pace this issue has taken but we should also pay credit to City Council officers who have worked hard to use the legal routes possible to get some action — but those legal routes are notoriously slow. The basic situation is that the house is privately owned. It is up to an owner how they deal with the property, of course, but in this case its decline is having a sad impact on the public realm and on the Conservation Area. So, the Council has repeatedly been in contact with the owner, urging fairly modest improvements to be done. As they were not done, there had to be recourse to law and an injunction requiring the works to be carried out was given by the courts. The owner appealed and lost that appeal. The owner then had a six month period in which to carry out the works but they have not taken place. To take this further, the City Council now has an option to take the owner to court for non-compliance.

A planning application for an extension to the existing building is expected but has not yet been validated by the Planning Department.  It is too early to say what the officers’ recommendations will be on any valid new application. In the meantime, the owner still has the duty to carry out improvements outstanding.

As you can tell, this is a long, involved and sensitive issue. We have at all times worked with the Council to ensure that what was an attractive house can be brought back into use. The Council has, rightly, been concerned to follow the law to the letter. It is taking a long, long time but we can anticipate some progress in the near future. And it won’t be a moment too early!

Temporary road closure at St Andrew’s Road on Tuesday 27 March

Temporary Road Traffic Order – S14 Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984

Temporary Road Closure at St Andrew’s Road, Headington, Oxford 

A request has been received from Oxford City Council for a temporary road closure to apply to the above road whilst urgent Carriageway repairs are carried out.  A Temporary Road Closure Notice has been made to implement the closure, and will operate from Tuesday 27th March 2012.  The estimated duration of the works is 1 day.    Access will be maintained for emergency service vehicles and for residents within the closure area, subject to the progress of the works.

How to report ASB (antisocial behaviour)

There have been a number of posts on the Headington and Marston Forum about how to report concerns about anti-social behaviour, often referred to as ASB.

There are a number of agencies dealing with ASB, and it is sometimes difficult to work out which agency to complain to.

Anti-social behaviour is behaviour or behaviours likely to cause nuisance, annoyance, alarm, harassment or distress to one or more people not of the same household as the perpetrator.

If you want to find out whether an incident would be classed as ASB, take a look at this City Council web page This page explains how quickly you can expect a City Council response to complaints about different types of ASB.

The City Council’s Community Wardens can provide a same day response to incidents of anti-social behaviour reported by local residents. They have a CCTV-enabled vehicle which enables wardens to video ongoing incidents. You can report an incident online here or ring the Oxford City Council customer services number on 01865 249811.

Noise nuisance

If you have a noise complaint, report it to Oxford City Council using the form on the website or by telephoning Oxford City Council on 01865 249811

Thames Valley Police

TVP has a web page that gives the answers to frequently asked questions about ASB, you can find it here.

They hold Have Your Say and Coffee with Cops meetings, at which you can discuss any concerns you may have about ASB in the Headington area from the Green Road roundabout down to Gipsy Lane and Divinity Road. The details of the next meeting is as follows:

Type: Have Your Say Meeting
Date: Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Time: 11:00 – 12:00
Venue: Gipsy Lane Reception, Gipsy Lane, Oxford Brookes

The Headington Neighbourhood Police website can be found here.  It shows photos and gives the names of our local neighbourhood team.

The TVP site gives information on what you can do to stop anti-social behaviour here.

In trying to collate all this information, it has become evident that there is some blurring of responsibilities over tackling ASB and also some confusion about how to report it. Ruth is contacting the Safer Communities Manager at the City Council for clarity on this. If you have reported ASB in the Headington Ward and have not received a response from the agency you contacted, please contact David or Ruth and we shall follow it up for you.

Update on Latimer Road traffic works

David and I have asked the county transport planning team for an update. We are concerned about continuing corner cutting by drivers turning into Latimer Road from London Road, and the lines of sight for drivers past the Dorset House hoardings when waiting for pedestrians to cross. We have received the following report from County Council officers.

They intend to mark two sets of give-way markings for traffic approaching the junction along Latimer Road, this will be in common with other junction entry treatments installed along London Road, and indeed as the junction was marked prior to the recent work to increase the height of the hump.  The first set of give-way markings drivers will encounter encourages them to give way to pedestrians and cyclists waiting to cross the side road.  The second set of give way markings are a standard treatment for side road junctions. In terms of visibility, the first set of give-way markings drivers encounter (when travelling along Latimer Road approach the junction) will offer good inter-visibility between drivers/pedestrian/cyclists at the immediate junction area. When drivers wait at the give-way markings closest to London Road good visibility is available both to the left and the right. 

The County Officer has contacted the developers of Dorset House and asked for date when the hoarding boards will be taken down.  He has also asked them to confirm if the existing stone wall currently hidden behind the hoardings will remain in place.

The build-out trial at the junction of Latimer Road and All Saints Road was installed on Monday 20 February and was in place for 5 days.  The transport planners are currently reviewing the feedback from residents they have received and are assessing the implications of installing a feature at this location.

If you have any comments about the potential buildout in All Saints Road near the junction with Latimer Road, please contact us as soon as possible. (see Contact Us! tab above)