Some residents have commented recently about the smell in the underpass. Ruth and I have asked the Council to get to grips with this problem and officers have responded by agreeing to a daily disinfecting of the underpass. So, hopefully, it will return to being a pleasant route avoiding the dodgems of London Road! If you have any other concerns about the underpass, do drop us a line.
Planning applications re Starbuck’s
I have been asked why the planning applications made by Starbuck’s are no longer on the Council’s planning website. This is the information I have been given by planning officers.
The original Starbuck’s planning applications have been made invalid.
The original applications were served on the owners of the building but
incorrect details were quoted. When this was realised, Starbucks
withdrew the applications, and submitted new ones with the correct
details. These are currently being processed by planning officers and will be added to this week’s list
This means that the applications get logged all over again and won’t come up before North East Area Committee till November.
Important notice for residents who have sent in comments about the original applications
You will need to send in new letters quoting the new applications.
Letters quoting the old applications will not be considered with the new applications.
Disabled Access for Bury Knowle House?
It seems for ever that disabled access has been talked about at Bury Knowle House. It ic certainly needed for access to the library which, at the moment, is by the steep stairs facing onto the park. Now, at last, we can report some action or, at least, preparation for action. Plans are actually being drawn up, finally, to provide a lift to the left of the entrance (looking from the park). The plans are being drawn up by the agents of the County Council. They will be submitted as a planning application and probably discussed at a future Area Committee — if, by then, we are still allowed to make any decisions at Area Committees (read elsewhere about that scandal). In the meantime, don’t hold your breath but we may, at last, see action.
Improvements to Oxford’s play areas massively overdue
|
The Labour administration on Oxford City Council has announced significant new budget for improving and maintaining Oxford’s play areas, but the Lib Dems are asking who will lose out.
Said David Rundle, Lib Dem leader on the City Council: It’s all too true that refurbishing Oxford’s play areas is massively overdue. Under previous Labour administrations, they were left to rot. It was the Lib Dems in 2006 who highlighted the problem and started a programme of refurbishment.
He added: “What Labour has announced may sound good, but it would be wise to ask a few questions. It is claimed that more money will be spent but who will pay for it? Even on the most optimistic forecasts, there’s going to be at least £500,000 to be found. We know that Mr Brown has put the thumbscrews on local council and there’s no money to spare, so what’s going to be cut to make up the shortfall?
Lib Dems want to know how the communities are going to be involved in the decisions. Labour say they will consult – but, as the Conservatives have shown repeatedly at County Hall, consulting is not the same as listening. Much better than consulting is actually making the decision in the local communities which are affected.
Latimer Road surgery
Many thanks to those who attended our street surgery this evening, we enjoyed meeting you and are taking up the issues you raised. Over 25 people attended and the event was very worth while. We shall be repeating our street surgeries in areas across the ward. Please watch out for details of our next surgery by clicking the box in the left hand margin
Some of the issues you raised included: the future of the Dorset House site, uneven footpaths, the site of the old tree stump, the drains in Latimer Road, the delivery lorry at 4 am to St Luke’s Hospital, parking problems, rubbish problems at a site in Beech Road, RPZs for disabled constituents and their carers, green waste, replacement tree planting, cycling on pavements, affordable housing, and health and safety incidents involving buses in Osler Road
We are on the case!
Programme of construction work on the London Road
The Site Agent for Oxfordshire Highways has contacted residents living near the London Road to let them know the schedule for roadworks. I thought it would be useful to reproduce this information below.
North side from Pullens Lane to Headley Way 21 July – 20 October 2008
- diversion of underground services
- carriageway widening
- drainage works
- reconstruction and re-paving of the footways
- installation of new traffic signs
North side from Headley Way to Osler Road 21 July – 13 October 2008
- diversion of underground services
North side from Headley Way to Osler Road 18 August – 17 November 2008
- carriageway widening
- drainage works
- resonstruction and re-paving of the footways
- installation of new traffic signs
- preparation work for changes to traffic signals
South side from Brookside to opposite Pullens Lane 20 October – 11 December 2008
- diversion of underground services
- carriageway widening
- drainage works
- reconstruction and re-paving of the footways
- installation of new traffic signs
- preparation work for changes to traffic signals
South side from New High Street to Brookside 17 November – 19 Jan 2009
- diversion of underground services
- carriageway widening
- drainage works
- reconstruction and re-paving of the footways
- installation of new traffic signs
- preparation work for changes to traffic signals
Oxford Brookes University public space area 18 December – 13 January 2009
- installation of new kerbing
- drainage works
- installation of high quality paving materials on the footways
- re-positioning and upgrading of the Pelican crossing outside the Gipsy Lane Campus
- installation of new traffic signs
Headley Way to Osler Road 19 January – 9 February 2009
- installation of traffic lights and pedestrian islands
- re-surfacing of the road
- installation of new road markings
Pullens Lane to Headley Way 26 January – 23 February 2009
- installation of traffic lights and pedestrian islands
- re-surfacing of the road
- installation of new road markings
Regular scheme updates will be posted on the County Council’s website
The Oxfordshire Highways Enquiry Line is 0845 310 1111
Old Road cycle route
At a meeting of stakeholders this morning at Cheney School, many people expressed frustration that developer money still had not been spent to improve cycling routes in this area.
There was widespread support for a 20 mph speed limit on Old Road, possibly enforced by a time over distance speed camera.
Another suggestion was made to remove the central white line from the middle of the road which reduces the sense of certainty that encourages drivers to speed.
Everyone wanted to support Cheney School’s cycling to school policy.
The suggestion to put in speed cushions or raised tables was not so popular.
Another suggestion was to enable cyclists to bypass the queue at Windmill Road junction by using a cycle track painted on the footway which would drop away to the advanced stop line marked on the road.
County officers were asked to look into ways of obtaining extra funding for improvements along this busy stretch of road which serves the Churchill Hospital, Cheney School, the University of Oxford, and Oxford Brookes University.
Uneven pavements
At Thursday’s meeting of the CNHRA, residents told me that the repair and maintenance of uneven pavements is even more important than the repair and maintenance of roads.
Certainly, if there is any question that a pavement is so uneven that it is causing a tripping hazard, it is really important that the Council is notified about it.
In Headington, we have a lot of problems with “root heave” which is damage caused to pavements by the roots of nearby trees. A resident recently let me know about a case of root heave in Latimer Road (top end near the old Dorset House Site on the corner of London Road), and I contacted the officers to arrange for this section of pavement to be ‘ramped’ – that involves putting a layer of tarmac across the top to make sure the pavement surface is even.
DO YOU THINK IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO SPEND MONEY ON REPAIRING PAVEMENTS OR REPAIRING ROADS?
I would be interested in your comments!
If you know of a particularly unsafe stretch of pavement that we need our City Works managers to investigate, please let me know by clicking the REPORT A PROBLEM button on the left hand menu .
Are you a high hedge victim?
Click on the left hand tool bar for the latest guidance!
Do you want a parcels collection point in Headington?
There have been a lot of emails on this issue lately on the Headington and Marston e-Forum. People are saying that they are having difficulty collecting undelivered parcels from Sandy Lane, Littlemore, and would like to be able to pick them up from Headington Post Office instead.
Do you think this would be a good idea?
Have you had problems contacting the Collection Centre in Sandy Lane? If so, I’d like to hear about it, please!
If a significant number of people are concerned about this issue, we will try to facilitate a public meeting
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 11
- 12
- 13