Action on language school students

We received a complaint that huge numbers of language school students with red bags were waiting for buses at the Latimer Road stop and have investigated further. The school in question appears to be Academia Britannica and we have contacted the London-based organisation Find Digs to express our concern.

They reply:

These students did indeed study with us. 

These groups are part of an Italian Government sponsored scheme to study and visit the UK, we at Find Digs provide the college and accommodation for them. We further aid them with operations organising such things as excursions, airport transfers and buying travel cards for them so as to make their entry on to the bus as smooth as possible. However the groups with their own leaders take the students on afternoon excursions. 

In all honesty this is the first year we have had these groups in Oxford as they normally stay in London. Looking at the photo you have sent I can see that the group is too large for bus stop and is something we need to address. 

Our centre has closed now but we will endeavour to action this for next summer. The most obvious thing I can suggest at this stage is that we will split the group into smaller groups and they will stagger their departure time into Oxford which should minimise the impact on local residents. 

If you wish to discuss this further then please do not hesitate to contact me.

We have given them advice on how to join the Language Schools Forum which can assist such organisations with advice on how to buy pre-paid tickets, where to get maps of Oxford, how to stay safe in Oxford etc. We shall monitor the situation again next year as it appears they will be using Dorset House again.

Thames Water – further response re Brookside sewer

Here is our latest update sent to us this morning.

I am writing to update you further to my email of 4 August.

Our team attempted to clean the sewer in Brookside on 8 August but were unable to completely clear it of fat and grease. As a result, our Technical Specialist reviewed all the work we had completed so far and extended the scope of the clean to include a section of the foul sewer in London Road.

I am pleased to confirm that the first section of this new clean was completed on 16 and 17 August. Our team removed large amounts of fat and scale from the sewer and left it free flowing. The final section of the clean has been planned for 24 August. Once all sections have been cleaned and surveyed, the footage will be assessed again by our Technical Specialist to decide if further work is needed. I will contact you with a further update by 5 September.

Headington Waitrose offers coffee grounds to local shoppers

Thanks to Waitrose for taking up a request we forwarded for making spent coffee grounds available for use on gardens and allotments. The manager writes:

After your email I asked the question and we went to visit Wantage to see how they displayed their grounds. We are in the early stages of doing something similar in Headington, we’re not quite at the finished article yet but have begun the process of making the grounds available. 

Here is an article that can tell you more…

Works at the Plain roundabout overnight 14/8/16

We have received the following advice from the County Council as follows:

On the night of Sunday 14th August 2016, Oxfordshire County Council will be carrying out roadworks on The Plain roundabout. Temporary 4-way signals will be set up at 21.00 until 05.00. Buses and bus stops will remain operational. We anticipate that there will be some delays on the network and to minimise disruption, the signals will be manually controlled.

Please be aware that we have also planned a diversion route through Circus and Temple Streets off Cowley Road to accommodate for any unforeseen events instead of the temporary 4-way signals.

The roadworks consist of remedial works to the coloured surfacing on the approach to The Plain and the installation of additional road markings.

Don’t flush toddler wipes – Brookside sewage spill weekend update

There have now been three sewage spills in four days in the area around the top of Brookside and London Road. All blockages in the line have been cleared, the latest was completed Friday night.

The line has been jetted upstream and cleared but the underground flow is so strong that it is currently not possible to get a camera down to make a closer inspection of the pipe.

This problem is complex in that there a number of factors that need to be taken into account.

  1. All the blockages have been caused by ‘rag’, a term which includes a number of possible items including baby wipes. Baby wipes have often been visible when the line is unblocked. We have found out that confusing and misleading product labelling can lead to people flushing toddler wipes and sanitary items which can take a number of years to break down. The Thames Water website comments:

There are currently no restrictions in place to prevent these products being sold as ‘flushable’. 

The only product to pass water industry ‘flushability’ tests so far is toilet paper. Manufacturers have their own tests, which are more lenient resulting in a greater number of products being labelled ‘flushable’. 

To resolve this, the water industry and manufacturers are working together to develop a shared protocol. This project is also hoping to influence product labelling.

2. The frequency and volume of blockages seems to indicate that the diameter of the pipe may not be big enough or that the pipe has got too old or is damaged.

3. The timing of these blockages coincides with works to replace part of a sewer on the northern side of London Road and engineers want to find out if the two are related.

The situation currently is that a network engineer is making a site visit today to make an assessment. Hopefully a camera can be used to determine the state of the pipe below. A cleaning up operation will be done by contractors next week if the all clear is given. The work has priority 1 status. Engineers need to assess whether any pollution of Boundary Brook has taken place – tests will need to be done and if found positive, the Environment Agency will be informed, but we have no information on this yet and it may turn out that tests will be negative.

Your local councillors are in contact with both Thames Water and their contractors. It would help us if residents could express concerns over whether the diameter of the pipe is big enough whenever they speak to TW or to contractors.

Actions for councillors

  • We are pressing for updates and actions from Thames Water
  • We have agreed with Thames Water that they will carry out a leaflet drop to residents in the surrounding area about what can and cannot be flushed away
  • We have agreed with Thames Water that we shall publicise this web page to the wider area
  • We have obtained a Headington sewer map so that residents and councillors can see where the pipes run to and from in the area
  • We are in touch with Trading Standards to find out how best we can get movement from manufacturers on the shared protocol for product labelling and will consider how best to take this forward nationally

 

 

 

 

Noise nuisance – how to report it

You can report the following noise complaints to the City Council:

  • Noisy neighbours (loud music, parties, alarms, DIY at unreasonable hours)
  • Anti-social neighbours (shouting, arguing, door slamming)
  • Noise from commercial premises (entertainment, ventilation systems, alarms).
  • Noise from industrial premises (factories, construction sites, demolition, alarms)
  • Noise in the street (car alarms or loud stereos, ice cream vans, busking and street entertainment)
  • Animals (barking dogs or other noisy animals)
  • College Balls

1) Report it online at any time or ring the main City Council number on 01865 249811 if it is office hours. The night-time noise nuisance team works at the following hours and will pick up reported complaints:

Monday to Wednesday – 11pm to 1am
Thursday and Sunday – 11pm to 2am
Friday and Saturday – 11pm to 4am

2) If the complaint is related to Oxford Brookes University, please ring the Community Engagement Office and leave a message on 01865 484451 with details regarding the incident or send an email to community@brookes.ac.uk; the office will respond in the morning (or Monday if called/emailed during the weekend) If an incident occurs during daytime on weekdays, they can contact us directly (using the same details as above).

3) Contact the PCSO’s (Police Community Support Officers) calling 101 unless lives are at risk, in which case ring 999.

 

Next ward focus meeting – parking permits and speed limits

NEXT WARD FOCUS MEETING

Our next public meeting for residents who live in Headington Ward will be on

Tuesday 28th June

at 6:00-7:30 pm

at the main hall in Headington School (use main entrance)

  • Find out more about changes to the way to apply for Parking Permits
  • Would a 20 MPH limit improve the quality of life for residents living in Windmill Road and their neighbours?
  • Plus the latest on the energy pipe and up to the minute latest local news

An Open Session for your comments too! Free of charge. All welcome! Bring your councillors to account!

Ward Focus meetings are run on a drop in and out basis and are free of charge. There is an open session where residents can raise issues of concern. There’s no need to book.

If you would like to contact your Lib Dem city councillors for advice on any issue please contact