Yellow Shades of Grove

At springtime each year, the daffodils that line the A338 as you enter Grove are always a welcome sight. I think this year the daffodils have been a bit confused by the mild winter, but they seem to be coming into their prime now. Over the last few months, the replacement gas pipes have also provided a "yellow" entrance to Grove and I was struck by the contrast of the two photos above!

Exhibition on Proposed Grove Airfield Development

Today, I went along to the exhibition in St. John's Church Hall on the proposed Grove Airfield development that is eventually supposed to accommodate a total of 2,500 homes. There is a vast amount of information on the outline planning application already on the Vale of White Horse District Council planning website (see here), but the large format displays made it a lot easier on the eyes! For those who could not make it, the photos above give an idea and show (clockwise from top left) the illustrative masterplan, a plan of building heights, a drainage/feature plan and an access and movement plan.

At the moment, on the Vale website it says "The consultation process will begin once the officer has been allocated" and I know there has been some confusion about how/when people can send in their comments.  Some residents like me, would have received a letter towards the end of February from the Vale saying "ensure that we receive your comments within 21 days of the date of this letter" - i.e. before any of the exhibitions. My understanding from this exhibition, however, is that residents will have until at least the end of April to make comments/objections. It is certainly very unfortunate that, for such a major development, the consultation process has still not been made crystal clear. I hope that this all gets clarified very soon! A further exhibition is also planned in Grove for 20 and 21 April, which will be jointly managed by the District Council planning officers and the developers.

Exhibition on Plans for North Grove

I visited the public exhibition in Old Mill Hall this afternoon on the proposal for up to 150 homes on land at Station Road in North Grove. Along with other residents, I filled in a feedback questionnaire on this development. Naturally, there was a lot of concern about the huge expansion that Grove is facing in the future with the airfield development also on the horizon. For those who could not attend, the above photo gives you an idea by showing an illustrative plan that was on one of the exhibition boards. The closing date for feedback is Thursday 5th April and I assume that you can just send these without the form to Savills, Wytham Court, 11 West Way, Botley, Oxford, OX2 0QL.

Housing Exhibitions This Weekend

Today, I found a leaflet pushed through my door advertising a public exhibition of plans for up to 150 homes on land at Station Road, North Grove.  It is short notice as this will take place on Friday 23rd March 3.30pm - 8.30pm at Old Mill Hall in Grove.  I assume that this has been arranged by the developers although there is no name on the leaflet.

There is also an exhibition taking place on the plans for the proposed Grove Airfield development, which is also on this Friday afternoon and during Saturday 24th March at St. John's Church Hall.  The timings are 2 - 4 pm on Friday 23rd March and on Saturday 24th March 2012 (10am - 4pm). This exhibition will be managed and attended by Grove Parish councillors only.

I hope that residents will find time to go and have a look at these developments proposed for the village and will be able to make comments.

King Alfred's - Les Misérables Success!

Last evening, I was invited to the final performance of the West End musical Les Misérables at King Alfred's College at centre site hall in Wantage. It was an excellent production and I was impressed by the sheer scale and organisation that is required to put on something like this with four evening performances plus an afternoon matinee. Apparently, the planning and casting started back in September.

In 2011, you may remember, I went to see the school's impressive production of We Will Rock You (see here). Well done to the Creative Arts Department and all others at KAs for yet another great success.

Celebrations at Grove Library

It was a great day today for Grove Library as it celebrated 40 years in the village.  This photo shows me leaving at midday as I had to be in County Hall this afternoon to attend a Cabinet meeting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the morning talking to old colleagues and new as we reminisced amongst the photos and press cuttings, and the lovely displays of children's artwork were on show for all to see.  Here's to another 40 years - and who knows what Grove Library will look like then?

Happy 40th Birthday to Grove Library

Grove Library celebrates its 40th birthday tomorrow - Tuesday 13th March 2012 - and, as shown in the middle photo, there are celebrations and activities organised throughout the day. I hope to pay a visit in the morning and it would be great to see as many as people as possible showing their support.

On the right, is a 13 year old cutting from the archives when the Friends of Grove Library (FROG) were celebrating their own first anniversary in 1999. As you will see, the issues were much the same as they are today - how to defend the library from threats of closure and how to raise funds and support it.  Yours truly is on the left (I was group secretary at the time).

Denchworth Barn Destroyed by Fire

This morning, many of us in the north of Grove woke to find black pieces of burnt debris on our cars and the road between Grove and Denchworth closed with a barrier across (left photo). This was because of a fire which destroyed the long thatched barn (Brook Lane Barns) next to Denchworth Manor and reports have appeared in the media here and here. I have just visited the scene of the fire tonight (right photo) and talked to the fire officers. Apparently, the alarm was raised by a passing motorist in the early hours of Sunday morning and 10 fire engines from across the county were used to bring the blaze under control. There are a number of nearby thatched properties so, whilst it is a great shame that this old barn has been lost, we should be thankful that the officers managed to prevent it from spreading further.

The road is now open to traffic, but please take great care as you approach Denchworth as there will be a continuing presence of fire vehicles and firemen through the night and tomorrow. I understand there has also been an accident at The Volunteer bridge, which has meant that more traffic than normal has been going through Denchworth tonight.

Spring Clean for Old Mill Hall

It was my monthly surgery in Grove Library this morning. This meant that I could observe the start of a spring clean of the exterior of Old Mill Hall. As shown in the above pictures, this involved some gymnastics with a pressure washer to remove the accumulated grime. Good to see this happen as the building was looking a bit shabby and a clean was long overdue.

Tour of Didcot A Power Station

Last evening, I visited Didcot A Power Station.  This tour was arranged for councillors in the area to see how the power station operates at first hand.  The site hosts two power stations - the 2,000MW dual-fired A station and the 1,360MW combined cycle gas turbine B station.  The photo on the left shows the cooling towers for Didcot A and the photo on the right shows the grid for the electricity generated on site.  Together, the two power stations are capable of producing enough electricity to meet the needs of over 3 million people - equivalent to the demand of three counties the size of Oxfordshire.

Didcot A began commercial operation in 1970 as a coal-fired power station and it now has the capability of dual-operation with other materials including biomass.   We visited the control room, the turbine room and the coal store where the trains come in daily to offload the fuel.  However, the station is due to be decommissioned in 2015.  There has been some discussion recently about what will happen to the site.  The other question has to be - how will these cooling towers be demolished?

Chief Constable's Awards Ceremony

I had the pleasure of giving the closing speech as member of the Thames Valley Police Authority this afternoon at a presentation of the Chief Constable's Awards held at Drayton Golf Club.  There were 22 awards given out, some for long service (one police officer had 32 years service), commendations for actions of bravery and also one award for a member of the public from the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire for a heroic rescue of young people from a motor accident.  Four PCSOs also received awards for 'acting with courage and integrity'.

I think it is excellent that we recognise the exceptional work, commitment and loyalty of individuals who work for their communities as part of Thames Valley Police.  This ceremony provides a unique opportunity to reflect on moments of bravey, inspiration and dedication.   I enjoyed speaking with many of the officers and families there this afternoon who were very proud of their achievements.