Community

Work starting on Agritech Building, Common Leys Campus

Work is scheduled to start on the Agritech Building on the Common Leys Campus on Monday 2nd July for approximately 20 weeks.

If you have any concerns, the site manager, Gavin Carter will be available on Tuesday 10th July from 10.30am-11.30am to explain their scope of works and to ensure the project is carried out causing minimal disruption.

The site office is located off Whitings Lane at the rear entrance to the College campus.

Please see attached letter for more details.

 

 

3 July 2018 in Community Comments (0)

Decision on Application for Occupation Lane to be Designated as a Bridleway

NOTICE OF DETERMINATION OF AN APPLICATION FOR AN ORDER TO MODIFY THE DEFINITIVE MAP

Modification sought:
To add a bridleway in the Parish of Hailey from New Yatt Road to the A4095 Witney to Woodstock Road. The route is known locally as ‘Occupation Lane’.

DECISION:
Oxfordshire County Council hereby gives notice that the above application to modify the Definitive Map and Statement, dated 27th September 2016, has been determined.

The County Council has consulted with every local authority whose area includes the land to which the application relates.

The County Council has decided that the modification sought is justified, because:

Documentary evidence shows that the route was set out in the 1853 Hailey Inclosure Award as a public bridleway, and that this route was physically set out and accepted by the public. No legal order has been discovered which would have extinguished these rights. Therefore there is sufficient evidence to suggest that public bridleway rights subsist or can be reasonably alleged to subsist over the route.

The County Council will make a Definitive Map Modification Order under section 53(2) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in consequence of events specified in sub-section s53(3)(c)(i), to add the route as a bridleway.

The decision report and supporting documents are available for inspection at County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND. Usual opening hours are: Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm, Fri 9am-4pm. Please telephone the office on 01865 810808 to make an appointment.

Date: 20th June 2018

Tom Scholes
Group Manager, Asset Data and Systems
Authorised by the Strategic Director for Communities
to exercise his duly delegated power in that behalf.

25 June 2018 in Community Comments (0)

Planning Application for 50 homes – Land South West of Charlbury Road, Hailey

Application for 50 homes by Sharba Homes has been sent to appeal.

Please see attached for more information.Planning appeal Notification Letter

All representations made on the original planning application have been forwarded to the Planning
Inspectorate and to the Appellant. These will be considered by the Inspector when determining the appeal,
unless they are subsequently withdrawn.
If you wish to make comments, or modify/withdraw your previous representation, you can do so online at:
https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk. You can also do so by contacting the Planning Inspectorate quoting
reference number APP/D3125/W/18/3202562.

1 June 2018 in Community Comments (0)

Consultation on Occupation Lane

Hailey New Yatt Road to A4095 to Woodstock Road (Occupation Lane) to add a Bridleway.

A consultation to give interested parties the opportunity to make comments on the proposed addition of a bridleway in Hailey parish is now open.

If you would like further details please contact the Case Officer, Gillian Ghosh, on 01865 328949 or email Gillian.ghosh@oxfordshire.gov.uk .

Any objections/ representation must be made in writing to the Definitive Map & Commons Team at the Countryside Access address before the end of the consultation period.
From 12 March 2018  to 12 April 2018 

Click here for the link to the consultation

2 April 2018 in Community Comments (0)

Have your Say at Hailey

HAVE YOUR SAY

MEET YOUR LOCAL

OFFICERS

An opportunity to meet members of your local policing team and raise any concerns you may have in your community

HAILEY

SATURDAY 14TH APRIL

1400 – 1600

 IN THE LAYBY ON MAIN RD

 

16 March 2018 in Community Comments (0)

RAF Brize Norton Consultation for Airspace Change Proposal

RAF Brize Norton Consultation for Airspace Change Proposal

As a stakeholder of RAF Brize Norton, we write to inform you that we have today launched our Public Consultation in respect of our proposal to make changes to the airspace arrangements around RAF Brize Norton.

The airspace arrangements to protect the aircraft operating in and out of RAF Brize Norton are no longer fit for purpose.  The airspace was first designed many years ago, and since then the fleets have changed, and the regulations regarding the instrument flight procedures and containment have also altered.  RAF Brize Norton is also updating the Instrument Flight Procedures by introducing satellite based procedures.  The new airspace is required to protect the procedures, which have been designed collaboratively with London Oxford Airport.  The aim is to enhance the levels of safety for RAF Brize Norton aircraft, protecting not only the procedures, but by connecting the Airport with the UK Airways network.

We have completed a document outlining what the proposed changes are, and how you can comment on the design.  We invite you to visit our website where you can download the document.  We would appreciate comments from aviation and non-aviation stakeholders.  If you have no comment to make, then we would still love to hear from you.

The consultation period will commence on Friday 15 December 2017 and will finish on 22 March 2018.  To see the plans, and to find out how you can comment, please visit our webpage at:

https://www.raf.mod.uk/rafbrizenorton/flyinginfo/bznacp.cfm

Should you have any questions or comments about the proposed changes, please use the following email address that will be monitored by Osprey Consulting Services Ltd, who are managing this process for us.

           rafbrizenortonconsultation@ospreycsl.co.uk

Yours Sincerely,

The RAF Brize Norton Airspace Change Consultation Team

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9 January 2018 in Community Comments (0)

December’s Oxfordshire Matters newsletter – from the county council

December 2017

Welcome to our latest newsletter

We hope you enjoyed reading last month’s edition of Oxfordshire Matters, the county council’s newsletter for our stakeholders.

In this edition:

  • New County Library opens on Monday
  • Views wanted on county council 2018/19 budget proposals
  • Keeping Oxfordshire on the move `whatever the weather`
  • 95% Superfast Broadband target reached
  • Nominations open for High Sherrif’s awards
  • County council’s Christmas opening arrangements
  • Major transport projects latest
A walk through of the new County Library at Westgate Oxford – filmed just under a fortnight before its opening on 18 December.

New County Library opens on Monday

County council staff are currently putting the finishing touches to the new County Library which opens to the public on Monday (18 December) at Westgate Oxford, close to the Bonn Square entrance.

More than 100,000 items will have been transported, catalogued and arranged by the time of Monday’s opening at 9am – the library had been temporarily housed at Oxford Castle following its transfer from the old Westgate shopping centre when it was known as the Central Library.

New features include ‘Makerspace’ and a children’s library. ‘Makerspace’ is an informal area for groups to carry out digital, art and craft activities, where people can learn new skills and make new connections. With a slightly space-age feel, it is a flexible space that has dozens of power points, a 3-D printer and ‘maker’ tables.

While an enlarged children’s library will be a key attraction for families with young children. With soft furnishings, ‘book nooks’ and safe Internet access, it is ideal for school visits, book talks and fun activities.

Investment and commitment

The main library areas have been opened up, with curved shelving to make browsing easier, and plenty of spots to settle down for a comfy read. The layout, fixtures and fittings are all new, with 70 public computers, information screens and areas for reading, working and learning new skills.

It is all part of a vision for the County Library to serve as a ‘front door’ to access county council services online, and for visitors to get the support they may need to do this – with staff on hand to assist.

The council’s Cabinet Member for Property and Cultural Services, Lorraine Lindsay-Gale, said: “Unlike other parts of the country, all 43 of Oxfordshire’s branch libraries have remained open and we’re underlining our commitment to libraries by putting them right at the heart of the communities they serve – the new County Library is for the Oxfordshire community as a whole.”

Before the old Central Library closed it was ranked as the third busiest council-run library in the country.

Opening events

A week of special opening activities and events is planned at the library from Monday. Full details can be found here
In 2017/18 Oxfordshire County Council is expected to spend £791m, of which £238m is destined for schools.

Views wanted on county council 2018/19 budget proposals

The county council has begun consultation on its proposed budget for 2018/19 and planning for the years up to 2022, with the message “the council’s finances are in a resilient position.”

At the heart of its proposals and planning is the newly agreed vision `Thriving communities for everyone in Oxfordshire` and the priorities of supporting `thriving people`, a `thriving economy` and `thriving communities`.

Although the proposed budget changes for the next financial year are not as extensive as in many previous years since 2010, like any organisation the council still has rising financial pressures that need to be matched by new savings, so that a balanced budget can be proposed.

The county council has therefore identified £21m of new financial pressures. These are detailed through a list of improvements, pressures and savings described in a news release issued last week and found here

In January the county council’s Cabinet will formally recommend a budget to the annual budget-setting meeting of full council which will be on 13 February.

The Local Government Settlement Day is due this month when the council will hear about its levels of grant funding from Government for the coming year and indications for future years. When published, officers may need to revise the forecasts used to inform the budget proposals in time for the January Cabinet discussions.

Council tax

On Council Tax the county council has already agreed, as part of its Medium Term Financial Plan, that there will be a 4.99% Council Tax rise in 2018/19.  Three per cent of this represents the “adult social care precept”.

Take part in the consultation

Meantime, consultation on the budget proposals has started and will conclude on 8 January. Here is the link to have your say
The county council’s Emergency Planning team was hard at work putting its 4×4’s to good use – including bringing in critical paediatric staff to the John Radcliffe hospital on Tuesday.

Keeping Oxfordshire on the move `whatever the weather`

That was the challenge for the county council during the recent snow and freezing conditions which forced many of Oxfordshire’s schools to close and planned events to be cancelled or postponed.

For such `trying` conditions, the county council provides a range of services as the highways authority to help keep the county on the move. For example:

  • From 3am last Sunday to 3am on Monday gritting vehicles went out five times with snowploughs attached and covered 6,000 miles in that 24 hour period alone, deploying 1,200 tonnes of grit.
  • They had already been out on Saturday in preparation and went out twice more on Monday evening – all in addition to those five trips.
  • The county council covers all A-roads, B-roads and C-roads on one run which is 1,200 miles – the equivalent of going from London to Iceland (Highways England is responsible for the A34, A43 and M40).
  • As reported in the national media, a gritter lorry with a snow plough was also sent to clear a road so a grandmother could make it to her husband’s funeral. The council also sent a 4×4 car to allow Becky Aries, 71, to make it to the service in nearby North Leigh after her cul-de-sac was covered in up to eight inches of snow.

Behind the scenes a lot of work goes into preparing for the winter months which, of course, have only just begun; not least the highways staff who keep the county’s gullies cleaned to avoid delays and keep motorists safe – 57,600 gullies cleaned each year, in all  –  blocked gullies can cause flooding on the road network and considerable disruption to motorists.

Gritty determination
To read more about how the county council deploys its gritting, salting and snow clearing services click here

95% of county now has access to Superfast Broadband

The county council’s Better Broadband for Oxfordshire (BBfO) programme has reached the 95% superfast broadband coverage target set by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport ahead of schedule, in combination with private sector investment by network businesses such as Openreach.

The target date had been set as the end of 2017.

Pictured above (l to r) are four of the latest small businesses to benefit from having superfast broadband: Lucy Collins of Mill View Garden Centre and Coffee Shop at Wheatley, Ann Voss’ soft furnishings business at Cuxham, Helen Scott and Kurtis Crowhurst at the Herb Farm at Sonning Common, and Chris Shallis at The Bell Inn in Adderbury.

Meanwhile, the latest communities to benefit from the BBfO roll-out include Cookley Green, Pyrton, Balscote, Baulking and Waterperry.

Take up above 50%

The November Take-Up report confirms over 50% of connected premises have subscribed to a fibre broadband service, meaning over 37,000 households and businesses (around 100,000 people) are using a service they would not have been able to without the programme.

Read the growing list of case studies  that demonstrate the real difference this has made for both businesses and residents in Oxfordshire.

Nominations open for High Sheriff awards

The award that recognises people in Oxfordshire who have made outstanding contributions to the communities in which they live and work is now open for nominations.

Nominees will usually have had a high impact on the lives of others over a sustained period of time and will be recognised by other people working in the nominee’s area as inspirational and as setting an example for others to follow.

The award will not normally be made to people whose work and commitment has already been recognised by the award of a national honour or by bodies such as the Police, the Fire and Rescue Service, and Oxfordshire Charity and Voluntary Action.

Nominations are welcome for people who have made outstanding contributions to any aspect of community life, but this year nominations in the following area will be particularly welcome:

  • Individuals who are, or have been, involved in crime reduction projects, whether in prevention, rehabilitation or support for the vulnerable
  • Individuals who have helped the homeless into work and/or accommodation
  • Individuals who have helped turn around the lives of addicts

Click here to download a form.

Nominations should arrive with the High Sheriff before Thursday 11 January 2018and sent via email to ella@organisationunlimited.uk or by post to High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, c/o Organisation Unlimited, 25 Littleworth Road, Benson OX10 6LY.

County council’s Christmas opening arrangements

County council offices will be closed for the Christmas and New Year break on Christmas Day (Monday 25 December), Boxing Day (Tuesday 26 December) and New Year’s Day (Monday 1 January). Emergency services including the emergency duty team will be available as usual.

Information on the council, its range of services, and the latest news and social media posts can be found at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk, Twitter @oxfordshirecc, Facebook @OxfordshireCountyCouncil

We wish all our stakeholders a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Oxfordshire County Council consultations

The county council believes it is important to consult its stakeholder groups and residents when planning, managing and delivering its services.

To view all of Oxfordshire County Council’s current consultations, the results of consultations that have closed; consultations by the city and district councils, the clinical commissioning group and central government please visit:https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/public-site/consultation
Work underway at Harwell Link Road (pictured last month).

Major transport projects latest

Access to Headington Phase 3 was pushed to the New Year to account for the Thames Water works in St Clements. The programme is being staggered to manage the traffic impact on the highway network. The works are also being coordinated with third-party projects to minimise the impacts on road users.

Harwell Link Road construction continues to progress well and is currently two months ahead and scheduled to open in January.

Further updates on all road schemes can be found at www.roadworks.org including progress, road closures, diversions and expected completion dates. Just type in the location you are interested in. You can also set up email alerts.

Furthermore, you can sign up for updates to all county council transport projects currently in construction. We have also added the facility to sign up for quartlery updates on specificfuture planned projects.
Thank you for reading. New readers can register here to receive this monthly newsletter.

If you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve it, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at stakeholders@oxfordshire.gov.uk
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15 December 2017 in Community, Lifestyle Comments (0)

Snow and West Oxfordshire District Council services

Snow and West Oxfordshire District Council services

Due to snow and icy road conditions, there is a limited bin collection service in West Oxfordshire today, Monday 11 December.

West Oxfordshire District Council hope that any outstanding collections will be completed by Wednesday but this is dependent on the weather conditions.

Please can residents whose bins have not been emptied leave them out for collection.

Nasreen Ullah, Environmental Services Manager at the Council, said “We will be trying our utmost to reach as many areas as possible but the roads are very icy and dangerous. Collections have been suspended for the safety of our residents, their property and bin crews”.

There will be no bulky household waste or clinical waste collections today and households will be contacted to re-arrange.

Oxfordshire County Council has also closed Dix Pit Recycling Centre temporarily.

For more information and the latest update visit: www.westoxon.gov.uk, follow West Oxfordshire District Council on Facebook or Twitter or call 01993 861025.

11 December 2017 in Community, Lifestyle Comments (0)

HAVE YOUR SAY ON YOUR DOCTORS SURGERY AND FUTURE OF GP SERVICES

Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group

Locality place based plans across Oxfordshire

You’ve been invited to participate in Locality place based plans across Oxfordshire by Oxfordshire CCG

This is open from 4 Dec 2017 at 00:00 to 17 Dec 2017 at 23:59.

Dear All

The draft locality plans for GP practices and primary care in Oxfordshire are now published and available for comment until 17 December. Each Plan identifies the priorities of the local area and outlines ways to make GP services more sustainable and responsive to patient’s needs. With health and care services under significant pressure no single GP practice or provider organisation has one solution. However the draft plan maps out how GP practices can work together and with other providers to ensure sustainability and improvements in patient care.

We are grateful for all the patient feedback and to those who have engaged and helped us to develop the plans thus far.

We would now like to hear your views on the ideas and proposals in each of the Locality place based plans for Oxfordshire. To read the place based plan for each of the Localities in Oxfordshire and to take part in the surveys, please click on the link below:

Oxford City: https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/OxfordLocalityPlan/consultationHome

North (Banbury, Chipping Norton, Bloxham and surrounding villages): https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/NorthLocalityPlan/consultationHome

North East (Bicester, Kidlington, Woodstock and surrounding villages): https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/NELocalityPlan/consultationHome

South East (Wallingford, Henley-on-Thames, Benson, Thame, Chinnor, Sonning Common and surrounding villages):https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/SELocalityPlan/consultationHome

South West (Faringdon, Wantage, Abingdon, Didcot and surrounding villages): https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/SWLocalityPlan/consultationHome

West (Witney, Carterton, Eynsham and surrounding villages/towns): https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/WestOxonPrimaryCare/consultationHome

If you would prefer to comment on Locality place based plans across Oxfordshire as a whole, please email OCCG at cscsu.talkinghealth@nhs.net or write to:

Freepost OXFORDSHIRE CLINICAL COMMISSIONING GROUP

Following this second phase of engagement we will collate and analyse all the feedback and input into the final plans. A final engagement report will be published alongside the plans in January 2018.

Have your say – Participate now!

5 December 2017 in Community, Lifestyle Comments (0)