Local School Strike Action

There are some local school closures tomorrow due to industrial action by some of the teachers.  Please take a look at the County Council website here.  I note that Millbrook Primary School will be closed all day, some other schools have partial closures, but make sure you check first.

BBC Radio Oxford Coming to Grove!

I was delighted to join Clare Woodling (see photo above) in Millbrook Square this afternoon to talk about the hot topics in Grove.  The BBC are coming to the village this weekend for their Big Tour of Oxfordshire which will be launched LIVE from Millbrook Square this Saturday morning 22nd March between 8am - 10am.  The Tour’s visit will culminate with Malcolm Boyden bringing his show live from  Wheelers Butchers on Friday 28th March.  I do hope that residents will come along to have their say about our community here.

There are huge challenges on the horizon with all the extra housing developments which are planned around us, and I know that residents are rightly concerned about the delivery of infrastructure and how this will change our area.   We discussed the Grove Airfield and Monks Farm proposals, public transport (and lack of!),  the re-opening of the rail station, the effects of the works on the A338 bridge due to the rail electrification project, better broadband, our local businesses and community and voluntary groups.  There are lots more stories to tell, but please get in touch with Clare at her email: clare.woodling@bbc.co.uk or telephone her on 01865 889099 (mobile 07850 785849) if you have any local issues you would like to discuss.

New Layby in Charlton estate Wantage

I was pleased to see that the above lay-by has now been completed at Harcourt Road in the Charlton estate, Wantage.  Residents may recall that Cllr. Jenny Hannaby and I funded one of these from our Area Stewardship funding last year, and it was so popular that people asked for more!  The verges on the estate get so churned up by the parking of vehicles on the grass that it makes the whole area look very unsightly.  We are hoping that these lay-bys help with this by moving vehicles off the road and helping with road safety for those driving through.

Consultation on Public Rights of Way

The County Council is currently consulting on its draft Rights of Way Management Plan (Rights of Way Improvements Plan 2014 - 2024).  The consultation ends on 19th April 2014, so there is plenty of time to respond, but there are a lot of documents to look at so it will take some time to peruse them all.  The full list can be found here.

There is also a local consultation taking place on the Letcombe Regis Footpath No. 2 and West Challow Footpath No. 14, which is due to a diversion order request by the local landowner.  This particular consultation ends on 4th April and can be viewed here.

With the advent of the beautiful springlike weather over the weekend, I am sure that many of us will feel like heading for the countryside for the fresh air and sunshine.  Hopefully, any suggestions and improvements that can be made to our footpaths and bridleways will be looked at as part of the consultation exercise.

New Housing Strategy for the Vale

I attended a local stakeholder event to hear about the new housing plans for the Vale this week.   This is a result of the latest govenment requirement to undertake a Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) to assess the amount and type of housing needed in our district and across Oxfordshire.   This has identified a need for up to 20,560 new homes in the Vale between 2011 and 2031.  There is a need to find sites for another 7,430 more homes than originally planned in the previous Local Plan 2013. 

There is now a consultation exercise taking place for the Local Plan 2031 where you can have your say here.  There are a number of exhibitions next week at the following locations:

                        Tuesday 11 March - Abingdon Guildhall exhibition 4pm - 6pm

            Tuesday 11 March - Abingdon Guildhall public meeting 7pm - 9pm

            Wednesday 12 March - Cornertsone, Didcot exhibition 3pm - 7.30pm

            Saturday 15 March - Harwell Community Primary School exhibition 10am - 3pm

            Monday 17 March - St Blaise Primary School, Milton Heights exhibition 4pm - 6pm

            Monday 17 March - De Vere, Milton Hill House public meeting 7pm - 9pm

            Saturday 22 March - Abbey Shopping Centre, Bury St. Abingdon exhibition 10am - 3pm

            Monday 24 March - Shrivenham Memorial Hall exhibition 4pm - 6pm

            Monday 24 March - Shrivenham Memorial Hall public meeting 7pm - 9pm

           Tuesday 25 March - Faringdon Corn Exchange exhibition 3pm - 7.30pm

I hope residents will have a chance to see what is proposed for the area and make comments where necessary.  Fortunately, there has been no additional housing added in the Grove and Wantage area other than the developments already put forward.  I think it is acknowledged that we have reached saturation point!  Concerns were raised at the meeting about the ability of the infrastructure to cope, in particular our roads and schools.  It will be interesting to see the figures for the other districts in Oxfordshire, in particular, Oxford City, where much of the demand for housing is, but very little being built.