Londis has applied to extend its opening hours for the sale by retail of alcohol. For more details click the Licensing applications menu option on the central orange toolbar
Tree officer wants your views
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.
Planning alert website under threat
As some of you may already have spotted in the news, Planning Alerts has
been effected by legal action by the Royal Mail: see this link.
Tom Watson MP has tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament calling on
the Royal Mail to allow non-profit organisations to use the postcode
database for free. If you feel strongly about this, please write to your MP asking him to sign this Early Day Motion (number EDM 2000) and protest at the actions of The
Royal Mail.
You can write to your MP here
–You can also sign the petition —
Nearly 1,200 people have so far signed a petition on the Prime
Minister’s website, if you wish to add your name, please click here
I have!
Proposed changes to Margaret Road junction
The County has proposed to make some alterations in Margaret Road: they are asking for comments on proposed changes to the junction of Margaret Road and Wharton Road, and also on a build-out in Margaret Road.
County Cllr Roz Smith and City Cllr Ruth Wilkinson are making a site visit at 6 pm tomorrow Friday 2 October to discuss these proposals with local residents. If you would like to come along and give us your views, you will be very welcome.
If you cannot come to the meeting but would like a copy of the proposals, please email Ruth for details
Brookes submission to the Core Strategy
As you may know, Brookes are objecting to the present phrasing of section CS 26 in the City Council’s Core Strategy, and want more specified sites listed for student accommodation.
We are surprised and frustrated by Brookes’ approach. The sites mentioned are relatively small and can hardly be called ‘strategic’ (which is the point of that part of the Core Strategy). What’s more, they include parcels of land which should be preserved as green space. No councillor has come out and said that allotment space in the city should be slashed. Brookes should realise that asking to be allocated an allotment site will be highly contentious and counter-productive for them.
Because of the procedure, David and Ruth can not now speak at the Inspector’s hearing but we are making it clear to the officers that they have our support in opposing the Brookes proposal which we believe is both wrong in principle and in its specifics.
If you wish to see the Brookes submission in full, click brookes11.pdf
If you are interested in looking at all the submissions and seek more information about the Core Strategy DPD examination phase, please click here
Change to proposed Brookes Student Centre plan
Oxford Brookes University has rethought its plans for the proposed student centre. If you would like to see the revised plans, please click here
If you would like to make comments on the plan directly to Brookes, or ask the University questions about the plan, you can email spacetothink@brookes.ac.uk
If you want to lodge any comment or concern with the City Council, you will need to contact Planning Officers (see Planning website for City Council on the central orange tool bar)
Headington’s newest buildings: what do you think?
In the past few weeks, the wrapping has come off Headington’s newest buildings — the flats and offices at the top of Lime Walk. It’s the site where the Royal Mail sorting office used to be and I suspect that you, like us, would prefer that to have stayed. But, in their wisdom, Royal Mail closed it down and sold it off and now we have a new addition to Lime Walk’s street-scene.
The buildings are designed by Douglas Riach, who was also the architect for the elegant London Road building used by Scott Fraser, and for John Leon House, further up on the corner of the main road. When the plans were first presented, I must say I was worried by the design, particularly the arch of the metallic roof curving down half the height of the building. So, it was a surprise to me when I saw the building and thought it was actually an interesting arrival in the street…
…But I expressed my opinion the other day to one of the residents of Lime Walk whose reaction was ‘how can you? It’s the worst building I’ve ever seen.’ As another person present commented on our difference of opinion: tastes differ. But Ruth and I would both be interested to hear your views on the Lime Walk building — and on the architecture of Headington more generally. Do leave us a comment!
Delegated planning decisions
Permission has been given for a certificate of lawfulness to erect a telecomms mast on Rock Edge, and permission has been refused for an application to extend property in St Anne’s Road this week ending 27 February. Please click on Planning decisions on the centre orange menu bar for details
Lime Walk Appeal continues
Many residents in the Lime Walk area will remember the planning application for 91 Lime Walk, demolishing the house and replacing with a set of houses and flats. Many people understandably felt that this was cramming far too much onto the site. It was rejected by the planning committee and the developer took that decision to appeal.
I offered to represent the Council in this case. This morning saw the site visit of the Inspector. The applicant, his consultant, a Council officer, two residents and myself were present. It’s one of the curiosities of the system that you are not allowed to raise issues there, only to point out physical features ot the Inspector. But I made sure that he noted various aspects of the site, and the relationship of the site to Cecil Sharpe Place.
So, no significant news at this point. We should expect a result in a couple of months. We’ll keep you posted!