The county council is planning to make improvements to
You are warmly invited to a public exhibition in Headington, where you will be able to view the plans, talk to planners and designers, and tell us your views
Friday 27 March, 12 noon until 8 pm
Saturday 28 March, 10 am until 3 pm
There are two licensing applications in process as follows, select licensing applications on the central orange toolbar for the website link
09/00227/PREM
Waitrose
9 – 11 Old High Street
Premises Licence for Waitrose supermarket, 9- 11 Old High Street, Headington. Licensable activities are recorded music and sale of alcohol.
Deadline for representations: 3/4/09
09/00223/PREM
Oxford Brookes University
Helena Kennedy Centre, Headington Hill, Oxford OX3 0BT
TIME LIMITED Premises Licence application for Oxford Brookes Student Union, Helena Kennedy Student Centre, Headington Hill Campus and Grounds, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BT. Licence is for Student Union Ball on 23/05/09 19.00 hrs until 03.00 hrs on 24/05/09. Application contains the following activities: Films, live music
Deadline for representations: 31/3/09
Here are some of the things we’ll be discussing at Tuesday’s area committee meeting at Wood Farm School at 6 pm. Don’t forget that all residents can come along and join in the debate:
See you there!
Then please report it online to the County Council’s Report a Problem site. I have set up a sticky link to this from the central orange toolbar. Do let David and me know if your complaint is not dealt with.
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!
David has been pressing the NOC and I have been pressing the Highways Technical
Officer in a sort of co-ordinated pincer movement on getting a seat installed next to
the bus stop at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Windmill Road.
I thought you might like to see the latest communication we have received on this:
I’ve been checking with the NOC as it is still their property. [This] hasn’t been adopted as Highway yet but this rests with the County. In any event, it would have to perform through a 12 month maintenance period.
This notwithstanding, subject to the approval of the NOC I expect to
get a seat put there soon.
Several residents have contacted us with their concerns about the lack of seating at this bus stop. Many of the patients visiting the NOC have mobility problems so we hope that this work progresses as quickly as possible. We will keep lobbying hard for this!
Headington residents will have noticed that the crossing introduced next to Osler Road was removed today. It’s not a surprise: the crossing was always intended to be temporary, to be there during the roadworks further up on London Road. But was perhaps a surprise to those at the County who put it there was the popularity of the crossing. Ruth and I have certainly had several messages saying how pleased local people have been with a crossing that links the road to the Manor Surgery with New High Street and the district centre.
It begs the question: would people like to see it stay? I believe London Road deserves another crossing and it seems to me that the logical place is where this crossing was placed, helping to link the shops on the corner of Osler Road in with the rest of the district centre. What do you think?
The whole issue is, of course, tied up with plans for the ‘improvements’ to London Road. The suggestion is to close the underpass (the one local residents painted 7 years ago) and to replace it with a crossing at the same spot. But wouldn’t it be better to have a crossing AND an underpass? It doesn’t have to be ‘either / or’, it could be ‘win / win’.
Ruth and I, as your local councillors, are sending out a survey to you on the next phase of the London Road development, including questions on the issue of crossing. Please do let us know your opinions. If you would like to see the e-copy please click on
The Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach share many of the objectives of Oxfordshire County Council’s Transform Oxford vision, but do not agree with their proposals for how the bus network should serve the city. Their joint proposal can be found at this site
David has been given this assurance in writing by the Principal Engineer – Design and Implementation, Oxfordshire Highways
The contractors programme shows a finish date of 5 May 2009. This will
be subject to his progress on site but he is making every effort to
comply.
Oxford Brookes and Stagecoach have confirmed that the Gipsy Lane bus stops have been moved due to the roadworks. Wheatley bound, the stop is nearer the gates to Headington Hill Hall, and City/Harcourt Hill bound it is nearer the entrance to the new Buckley building .
Signs have been put up but passengers are still getting confused. On a couple of occasions people have been seen jumping the orange barriers, this is not safe, and Oxford Brookes University has asked us to pass on this information to anyone we know who travels on the Brookes bus.