- Friday 12 to Sunday 14 August, Hebborns Family Fun Fair, Croft Road Rec Ground,1pm to 10pm. Family Fun Fair including games, rides and entertainment. As a community aspect on Sunday all rides will be reduced to only £1 per person – per ride. www.hebbornamusements.co.uk
- Sunday 14 August, Cowley Classic Car Show, Court Place Farm, 10am to 7pm.Display of approximately 200 classic vehicles plus associated stalls, activities for children, charity stalls as well as food and beverage stalls.www.cowleyclassiccarshow.org.uk
- Friday 19 to Sunday 21 August, Hebborns Family Fun Fair, Botley Road Rec, 1pm to 10pm. Family Fun Fair including games, rides and entertainment. As a community aspect on Sunday all rides will be reduced to only £1 per person – per ride. www.hebbornamusements.co.uk
- Saturday 20 August, Play and Activity Day, Cutteslowe Park, 11am to 3pm. OPAs’ Play and Activity Days offer a range of activities to promote positive behaviours and activities, physical activities, healthy lifestyle and active and engaged communities. www.oxonplay.org.uk
- Saturday 20 August, Film under the Stars, Sunnymead Park, 8pm to 10.30 pm. An outdoor screening of a family film. www.filmoxford.org
- Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 August, Oxford Royal Regatta, Longbridges Nature Reserve, 8am to 8pm. The Oxford Royal regatta will be celebrating their 175thanniversary with a race taking place between Folly Bridge and Longbridges with boating from City of Oxford Rowing Club as well as colleges. The main spectator village will be at Longbridges Nature Reserve. www.oxfordrowingclub.org.uk
- Sunday 21 August, Film under the Stars, Rose Hill Rec Ground, 8pm to 10.30pm. An outdoor screening of a family film. www.filmoxford.org
- Sunday 21 August, Oxford Cricket Mela, Cowley Marsh, 9.30am to 4.30pm. A cricket themed event with opportunities to play short matches, have some coaching, use the nets, fun cricket based activities for children, face painting, music and dancing. It is a family event with lots to do for everyone and some food available.www.oxford.gov.uk and www.oxfordshire.cricket
- Sunday 28 August, Headington 5 Mile Road Race, Court Place Farm, 9.30am to 11am. An annual five-mile road race run mainly on tarmac footpaths adjacent to Oxford’s Northern Bypass and the Marston Ferry Road. The race will start and finish at Boults Lane Recreation Ground. www.hrr.org.uk
- Until Wednesday 31 August, World Vision Journey of Hope, Broad Street, 9am to 9pm. In this annual fundraising event people can walk through two African exhibition huts and learn about the struggles of life in Sierra Leone and what a difference World Vision makes to people’s lives through providing beds, mosquito nets, schooling, education, clean water etc. People also have the opportunity to sponsor a World Vision child. www.worldvision.uk
Works on The Plain roundabout
We have received this statement by the County Council
We would like to advise that on the night of 1st August 2016, Oxfordshire County Council will be carrying out roadworks on The Plain roundabout. Temporary 4-way signals will be set up at 9pm for approximately 3-4 hours. Buses and bus stops will remain operational.
The roadworks consist of remedial works to the coloured surfacing on the approach to The Plain and the installation of additional road markings.
We anticipate that there will be some delays on the network and to minimise disruption, the signals will be manually controlled.
Pollution fears by residents justified
The Brookside sewage spills were very upsetting for residents, and there were also fears about pollution to Boundary Brook.
We have received the following report from the senior case manager at Thames Water and will publish follow-up correspondence.
Dear Councillor Wilkinson
Thank you for highlighting the repeated external sewer flooding suffered by residents of Brookside. Sewer flooding is always a terrible experience and I fully appreciate residents’ desire for a solution to be put in place given the repeated nature of the problems and the pollution caused as a result.
I would like to reassure you that our investigations into the cause of the flooding are ongoing but our initial findings have not identified a lack of capacity in the sewers. The recent flooding incidents have all been caused by blockages of paper and toilet wipes, rather than hydraulic overload. Hydraulic overload is where the flows in the sewers are higher than they are designed to cope with and usually occurs after heavy rainfall.
I understand from your email that other residents in Brookside have experienced flooding which they have not reported to us. It is really important that they do report any flooding as soon as possible to our 24 hour Customer Contact Centre on 0800 316 9800. This allows us to investigate and help them as soon as possible and also allows us to build a full history of issues in Brookside, which our operational team then use to justify further investigations or improvements.
Our operational team have been working hard to identify and resolve the root cause of the blockages. If there is a defect or obstruction in the pipe this would cause items to catch and lead to flows backing up and causing the floods. Our engineer’s inspection of Boundary Brook on 13 July confirmed that floodwater had entered the highways drainage and then into the Brook causing a pollution. As a result he arranged for a full clean and camera survey of the 150mm foul water sewer in Brookside to be completed to check for any obstructions or defects in the line. When our engineer revisited Boundary Brook on 16 July he confirmed that the pollution has stopped but also arranged for our team to complete a clean-up of the Brook on 18 July.
Our camera team completed the clean and camera survey of the foul sewer in Brookside on 19 July. They cleared scale and debris from the line and left the pipe free-flowing and fully operational. The footage will be shortly viewed by one of our technical specialists to determine if further work is required. I will contact you with the results of the review by 4 August.
Enquiries about language school students
We’ve followed up concerns about impact on bus travel relating to language school students. Here is a response from the EF International Language Centre. We are contacting EF Language Travel too. The complaints were around packing of bus stops and of language students not having bus passes so slowing boarding time for residents.
Thanks for sharing concerns of local residents about disruption caused by language students. We appreciate that this can be a challenge for people going about their daily lives during the busy summer months and do work with the local bus companies to do what we can do ease the situation. I am sorry that some of your constituents are unhappy but would like to stress that whilst at times something of a nuisance, language students are generally well-behaved and do not present a threat.
I am the Director for EF International Language Centre, which is a school for older students running courses year round. Our students are aged 16+ and generally travel as individuals. We do not have a lot of large group activities or movement around the city, and looking at the details of times and locations from the complaints you have received, these are certainly not activities which we have been involved with.
However our sister company, EF Language Travel, does have more group focused operations in Oxford through the summer vacation period, in particular running courses at Oxford Brookes campus in Gipsy Lane. I will forward the complaints you have received to my counterparts there and ask them to consider ways which issues can be avoided as much as possible.
We are renting a small number of rooms at Dorset House, as noted in one email. Our students arrived there last Sunday 10th July and will be there just for a few weeks. Whilst there are restrictions on use during term time, student accommodation like Dorset House is available to any educational organisation during university vacations. I believe there are a number of schools renting accommodation there but I will also pass these concerns to the manager in order that she can discuss with all schools.
Renting out your drive. Is it legal?
We’ve been finding more out about this. There’s a lot of it about in Headington!
Here is the CLG Planning Policy Guidance
Is planning permission required to rent out a parking space?
The Government’s view is that it should be possible to rent parking spaces without planning permission, provided there are no substantive planning concerns such as public nuisance to neighbours.
There is a public interest from such renting, by providing more cheap and flexible parking spaces for people to park their car and taking pressure away from on-street parking.
The decision on whether renting out a parking space requires planning permission will depend on two principal factors:
- The first is whether renting out a parking space results in a material change in the use of the space. Determining whether there has been a material change of use will depend on whether a space is used in a significantly different way to how a parking space would normally be used (irrespective of the identity of the driver). For example, if by renting out spaces, it causes a notable public or neighbour nuisance. A local planning authority will make this decision based on relevant facts and on a case by case basis.
- The second is whether there are any other relevant planning considerations, such as planning conditions, which impose restrictions that prevent parking spaces being rented out.
If renting out parking spaces does not amount to a material change of use and if there are no other planning considerations that prevent parking spaces from being rented out then it would not require planning permission.
Planning problems
We are fielding a number of complaints relating to planning currently.
We recognise that there has been a recent decision to change the use of a property in Kennett Road which appears to have conflicted with advice from County Highways re exemption from RPZ permits. We are pushing for the decision notice to be amended.
There have also been some issues regarding length of time to resolve planning applications, particularly those affecting Conservation Areas. We are asking the City Council to improve communications with customers in this area to ensure they are kept informed if there is likely to be a delay in determination.
There is concern about acceptable noise levels and start and end times for works in Latimer Road. It appears that works are starting at 07:00 however we have found evidence to show that building works should not commence till 07:30 because of unacceptable noise nuisance to neighbours. We have asked for clarification on this.
Cuckoo Lane wall
The condition of the wall in Cuckoo Lane (inside Osler Road entrance, north side) is often questioned by residents.
We have received the following report from a council building control surveyor which may be of interest to residents.
I have visited the site and from my inspection consider the wall is not dangerous or in a position to collapse in its current state of repair.
The reason for the crack and bulge appears to be from a historic ivy covered tree stump located right against the retaining wall bulge which when the cut tree was alive and growing, pushed the wall out prior to its removal causing the bulge.
The large mature conifer close to the stump appears to be at full maturity and not likely to exceed in size which is unlikely to push the wall further out a couple of metre further down the pathway from the reported wall crack and bulge.
The other reason for the crack is from thermal expansion and contraction of a very long straight wall running along Cuckoo Lane with no expansion joints (typical of a wall of this age and construction) which in colder periods, the crack will increase in size and on hotter weather close up almost completely, hence would not recommend it to be filled either to allow for the thermal expansion.
Therefore in its current condition, the wall is not in a dangerous state of repair and no remedial work required at this stage.
I trust the above is of assistance and reassurance
Latest planning permissions
All the following have been granted planning permission
16/00928/ADV
Display of 1No. internally-illuminated fascia sign and 1No. internally-illuminated hanging sign.
112 London Road Headington
16/00985/FUL
Demolition of existing rear extension. Erection of a single storey rear extension. Insertion of 3No. front rooflights in association with loft conversion.(amended plans) (amended description)
66 Stapleton Road Oxford
16/01203/CPU
Application to certify the proposed formation of hip to gable and 1no. rear dormer is lawful.
12 Franklin Road Oxford
16/01202/CPU
Application to certify the proposed formation of hip to gable and 1no. rear dormer is lawful.
10 Franklin Road Oxford
Oxford events next week.
- Wednesday 20 July, Classical performance by Kyla Lingley, Broad Street, 9am to 3pm. Classical singing performance in aid of Breast Cancer Now. www.kylalingley.com
- Saturday 23 July, Oxford Eid Extravaganza, Rose Hill Community Centre & Recreation Ground, 12 to 7 pm. Oxford’s 2nd Eid event is an opportunity for all families from all communities to come together to enjoy and celebrate Eid. There will be a range of fun activities, entertainment and stalls for all ages. www.facebook.com/events/855315687930182/?ti=icl
- Saturday 23 July, Run the Oxford Parks by Thames Valley Orienteering Club, Headington Hill Park, 10am to 1pm. Orienteering event around Headington Hill Park and parts of the Oxford Brookes Campus. www.tvoc.org.uk
- Saturday 23 July, Film under the Stars, Hinksey Park, 9am to 11pm. An outdoor screening of a family film. www.filmoxford.org
- Wednesday 27 to Friday 29 July, BelVita Breakfast Biscuits Sampling and Promotion, Broad Street, 7am to 12pm.
- Saturday 30 July, Film under the Stars, Bury Knowle Park, 9am to 11pm. An outdoor screening of a family film. www.filmoxford.org
- Saturday 30 July, Play and Activity Day, Grandpont / SOAP, 11am to 3pm. OPA’s Play & Activity Days offer a range of activities to promote Positive Behaviours and Activities, Physical Activity, Healthy Lifestyles and Active and Engaged Communities. www.oxonplay.org.uk
- Sunday 31 July, Oxford Beach Volleyball Courts Opening, Cutteslowe Park, 12pm to 4pm. To introduce the new beach volleyball courts to the community with exhibition games and interactive demonstrations for kids and adults to try out.http://www.oxfordvolleyball.co.uk/p/obvc.html
- Monday 1 to Wednesday 31 August, World Vision Journey of Hope, Broad Street,9am to 9pm. In this annual fundraising event people can walk through two African exhibition huts and learn about the struggles of life in Sierra Leone and what a difference World Vision makes to people’s lives through providing beds, mosquito nets, schooling, education, clean water etc. People also have the opportunity to sponsor a World Vision child. www.worldvision.uk
Latest planning applications
…are in Sandfield Road (changed proposal), St Anne’s Road and across the ward. (energy pipe application) See Planning applications tab for details.