Parking permits in Lime Walk

Objections to the proposal to exclude two properties in Lime Walk should be made to the County Council no later than 10 December –  the address is given below

THE OXFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL (HEADINGTON CENTRAL)

(CONTROLLED PARKING ZONE AND VARIOUS RESTRICTIONS) (VARIATION No.10) ORDER 20**

 

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Oxfordshire County Council proposes to make the above mentioned Orders under Sections 32, 35, 45, and 46 of and Parts III & IV of Schedule 9 to the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and all other enabling powers. 


The effect of the proposed Orders will be to amend

 

1. The City of Oxford (Headington West) (Controlled Parking Zone) Order 2000 (as amended) and revoke the Oxfordshire County Council (Headington West) (Controlled Parking Zone) (Variation No. 6) Order 2009, effectively replacing Schedule 7 Part A; and;

 

2.  The Oxfordshire County Council (Headington Central) (Controlled Parking Zone and Various Restrictions) Order 2005 (as amended) revoking the Oxfordshire County Council (Headington Central) (Controlled Parking Zone and Various Restrictions) (Variation No.8) Order 2009, effectively revoking and replacing Schedule 4 Part A.

 

 The effect of the proposals is to:

 

1     exclude the following properties from eligibility for residents and visitors permits in Headington West : Acorn Cottage (2A Finch Close), 50 Grays Road (Flats A, B, & C) and 1A and 1B Old Road.

                            

2.   exclude the following properties from eligibility for residents and visitors permits in Headington Central: 50A and 50B Lime Walk, 119A, 119B, 121A, and 121B London Road.

 

Documents giving more detailed particulars of the proposed Order are available for public inspection at County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND from 9.00 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday during normal opening hours.

 

Objections to the proposal, specifying the grounds on which they are made, and any other representations, should be sent in writing to the Director for Environment and Economy (ref. MJR/TRO) at the address given below, no later than the 10th December 2009. The County Council will consider objections and representations received in response to this Notice. They may be disseminated widely for these purposes and made available to the public.

Dated:     15th August 2008

 

Huw Jones, Director for Environment and Economy, Oxfordshire County Council, Speedwell House

Speedwell Street, Oxford, OX1 1NE.

Tree officer wants your views

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David and I respond to a large number of enquiries about trees, and appreciate that residents are very concerned and upset when a well-loved tree is felled because it is diseased.

As you may recall, I asked at NE Area Committee if we can have tree matters discussed on a forthcoming agenda. This is to let you know that one of the Council’s Tree Officers will attend the NEAC meeting in December to respond to any questions about tree-related planning issues which have arisen in our local area.

The officer would like to know what information we would like him to bring along to the meeting. If you have a planning-related concern about trees that you would like to raise, please can you let David or me know by 30 November so that we can alert him in advance?

Margaret/Wharton Rd proposals shelved

Cllr Roz Smith and I made a site visit to Wharton Road/Margaret Road recently and a number of local residents came along gave us their views. We sent the feedback we’d had both from the site meeting and from emails sent to us by residents of nearby roads, and the County has decided not to proceed with the proposed works.  

A substantial number of people we spoke to felt the proposed build-out in Margaret Road would not be a cost-effective use of money which could be better spent on infrastructure improvements elsewhere.

Having analysed the responses from local people, the County Officer has said they will be undertaking an improvement to the Margaret Road/York Road junction instead, and are hopeful that this will take place in this financial year.

Your local councillors are pressing for a lollipop crossing person in Margaret Road following discussions with parents of children who attend Windmill School – at the moment this is looking promising, but we must wait and see.

Council contact numbers for City Works enquiries

PLEASE NOTE the contact numbers given in the Labour Party propaganda leaflet are WRONG

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The Oxford City Homes Contact Centre is now able to deal with your bin collection, recycling, bulky refuse and street services enquiries on the Oxford City Homes freephone number – tel 0800 227676.

For out of hours emergency waste, recycling and street services enquiries, call the duty out of hours officer on 07802 904000.

Police alert: theft of property from cars

During the last fortnight there has been a spate of thefts from vans in the Oxford City area.  On each occasion a spare wheel has been removed from either the rear or the underside of the vehicle. This type of theft requires the use of tools, so the offenders(s)would probably be with the vehicle for a few minutes or so.
If you see anyone acting suspiciously around parked vehicles, please call the police on 999 or if you have any historical information relating to these offences please call the Neighbourhood Watch Office on Oxford 335133.

County Tories turn down 10:10 energy saving programme

10:10 logo

Logo of the 10:10 initiative

Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg MP yesterday announced at the Core Cities conference in Liverpool that every city in the group under Liberal Democrat control has signed up to the 10:10 campaign. Bristol, Liverpool, Newcastle and Sheffield make up half the Core Cities group of England’s major regional cities. But on the same day, the Conservative group on Oxfordshire County Council voted out a Lib Dem motion which would have committed the council to achieve the same 10% reduction in carbon emissions during 2010.

The city regions represented by the Lib Dem run city councils together have a population of over five million people, contain over 50,000 businesses and emit 40,406kt of carbon (or 7.8% of the UK total). The Liberal Democrat councils’ commitment therefore shows real leadership in these major cities. Oxford City Council has also signed up to the 10:10 campaign, with cross-party support. (There are no Conservatives on Oxford City Council.)

Oxfordshire County Council committed during 2006 to reduce carbon emissions in its own buildings (including the county’s schools) by 18% by 2012. In a media event at Oxford Castle with Conservative Party Leader David Cameron in attendance, the county administration invited people to judge their commitment to the environment by their achievements in energy reduction. Recent reports indicate that despite a 4% reduction in carbon use in the first year, current levels are falling well short of target. There is now no clear programme for achieving the 18% target by 2012.

Oxford East’s Labour MP Andrew Smith recently voted against the Lib Dem parliamentary motion calling for the Government to sign up to the 10:10 campaign, though he turning up to climate change demos lobbying on the campaign! Lib Dem spokesman in Oxford East Dr Steve Goddard said: “It is a shame that our MP‘s principles have deserted him at the crucial moment. Sadly this is not the first time – he also voted to close several post offices in Oxford despite posing with campaigners trying to save them. It’s clear that if you want real action on climate change the only party to support is the Liberal Democrats.”

The motion and voting record can be seen here, on Public Whip

Police surgery on 10 November

The next Headington North drop-in police surgery will take place on Tuesday 10 November at 4.00 pm in the Baptist Church, Old High Street. Please do come and speak to the team about any issue that is troubling you about quality of life in your area

These surgeries are very popular, and many people have benefited from advice on how to protect their property from burglary, which is one of the priority issues local residents have raised.Do drop in, even if it’s just to say hello!

Beware doorstep crime

A company from Swindon are leaflet dropping in the Oxfordshire area. They follow up with a knock on the door and explain they have a number of builders from the Swindon area looking for work. (Beware they are from Swindon however they give an address in Oxford) The trader will then quote a cheap price for anything from small jobs to a house extension. We have had a number of complaints and an expert is of the opinion that some of the work is of poor quality.

If you are unsure then Trading Standards advice is not to deal with anyone who cold-calls and to get several quotes and references. Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards also have an approved list of traders in Oxfordshire. A list of traders can be obtained from Trading Standards calling 0845 051 0845 option 1 or 2

However if anybody leaflet drops and inform you they are from Swindon area and match the above scenario please contact Martin Woodley Doorstep Crime Team Leader for Thames Valley Police on 01865 815331.

Pushy mothers..

Natalie Lella is organising a programme for young mothers to get out and about and take some exercise. Her Headington class takes place at Bury Knowle Park, Thursday mornings, 9.30am-10.30am.   If you want to contact her, here are her details and you can also find information on Daily Info, Gumtree and Netmums/Baby Directory.

Her web page is here.  Her class in University Parks is oversubscribed, so sign up quickly!


Road accidents …and what happens next…?

 I have asked the county officers to explain the procedures they take when a road accident is reported, and I thought you might be interested…

When accidents are loaded onto the system, they keep a track on whether there are any developing problem sites requiring investigation. These are identified taking account the number and severity of accidents, the type of accident  (e.g. if there are common patterns in terms of vehicle movements or road users involved) and the traffic flows.

They currently have around 200 problem sites where at least 5 accidents over a 5 year period have been recorded, and these form the focus ofthe County’s  accident remedial programme. They will of course also review possible safety measures at sites with a lower accident history, and also – in the case of new schemes – monitor closely their safety performance to confirm that they are operating acceptably.

I have found out that the County logs only those accidents reported to them by the police, and this can take up to four weeks. David and I would be interested in your views…