Author Archives: Backstreeter

Work begins on M&S Foodhall at Fairacres

1 Reply


Yesterday, a crane was lifting cabins from lorries into the yard at the rear of the former Homebase store at Fairacres Retail Park in Abingdon.

Somebody was measuring for a replacement of the Homebase sign at the entrance to the park.

Lights were on inside the building. Work had begun.

Fairacres is an out-of-town retail park, originally intended for bulky, non-food retailing. Under planning application P25/V1108/FUL, the Vale of White Horse District Council considered Marks & Spencer’s proposal to redevelop the former Homebase store, which was restricted by earlier planning conditions to non-food sales only. Because of the potential impact on Abingdon town centre, the application was reviewed by the council’s independent retail adviser, Nexus Planning.

The owners of the Bury Street shopping precinct argued that the M&S Foodhall should be located in the town centre. However, the council’s independent retail adviser concluded that the Charter Area would not be realistically available within a reasonable timescale, and that the Bury Street Shopping Centre does not contain a large enough store for a modern M&S Foodhall.

The retail adviser also had to determine whether the new store would cause significant harm to Abingdon town centre or to planned investment and regeneration in the Charter Area. They concluded that any loss of trade to Waitrose would be modest, that the town centre was healthy, and that the Foodhall would not undermine regeneration of the charter or future investment.

As a result, the council granted M&S permission, and the M&S Foodhall project is moving ahead and the M&S website has a place where people can express an interest in jobs.

The proposals also initially included a mini roundabout at the junction of Nuffield Way with the Fairacres Retail Park access road. Oxfordshire County Council, the Local Highway Authority, judged that the mini roundabout was not required and it has been dropped.

Road Closure at St Helen’s Wharf as Gas Works reach central Abingdon

Leave a reply


The rolling programme of gas-pipe replacement has now reached Caldecott Road and St Helen’s Wharf. The road at St Helen Wharf has been closed and that could last up to 20th January.

At Caldecott Road, the pavement has been dug away right down to the services. Bright barriers come between pedestrians and the excavation, closing some footways. Nearby residents, at Cygnet Court, some of whom use wheelchairs or mobility scooters, have been warned that access will be difficult.

Beside St Helen’s Church the disruption is more dramatic. The road is completely blocked by barriers. There are warning cones, and Road Closed signs back to the Iron Bridge. Quite a few motorists miss the first Road Closed sign and then turn back.

As a result, West St Helen Street is much quieter this morning, after a night when digging could be heard until about 9 pm.

Final two days to respond to SESRO reservoir consultation

2 Replies


There are now only two days left to respond to Thames Water’s statutory consultation on the proposed South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) — a large new reservoir planned to the south-west of Abingdon, between Drayton, Steventon and East Hanney. The consultation closes at 11.59 pm on 13 January.

The proposal is for a 150-billion-litre reservoir to serve around 15 million customers. Thames Water says the scheme is needed because the South East is ‘water-stressed’ due to climate change, population growth and limits on river and groundwater abstraction. Thames Water also loose water through leaks.

The company expects to submit a Development Consent Order in autumn 2026, with the reservoir planned to be operational by 2040.

Preparatory work has been under way to find out how they can best use material found on site. Clay compaction trials are being carried out to test how the local clay — taken from different depths and in different combinations —  can be best used for building the reservoir’s earth embankments.

Since the consultation began in October, Thames Water has held seven in-person events, including one in Abingdon.

The scheme remains controversial. Vale of White Horse District Council continues to oppose it, having concerns about its scale, environmental impact, rising costs, carbon emissions and flood risk. The campaign group GARD (Group Against Reservoir Development) argues that the project has grown substantially in cost and land take, and that alternative ways of getting water supplies should be reassessed.

Local MPs have also been raising questions in Parliament, particularly about Thames Water’s recent record.

Layla Moran, MP for Abingdon and Oxford West, said, ‘I would not trust Thames Water to run a bath, let alone deliver a project of this size.’

Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, said ‘Concern about some of Thames Water’s plans is widespread and impossible to ignore, because of Thames Water’s performance and track record.’

With the consultation now in its final two days, this is likely to be the last opportunity for the public to influence the proposals. Even brief comments are counted, and you do not have to answer every question.

The consultation can be found here:
https://thames-sro.co.uk/public-consultations/south-east-strategic-reservoir-option-sesro-statutory-consultation-2025/

The brochure I used when responding is here:
https://thames-sro.co.uk/media/k40ndnes/statutory-consultation-brochure-2025-interactive.pdf

The GARD website for an opposing view and a guide to responding to the consultation is here:
https://groupagainstreservoirdevelopment.org/2025/12/06/consultation-response-guide/.

The New Shed Space at Ferry Walk

Leave a reply


Most people visited the new Shed Space at Ferry Walk in Abingdon earlier in the morning.

Someone was explaining bike maintenance, while others were inside the shed furnishing it. A representative from the Vale of White Horse District Council’s Active Communities team was also present, offering coffee and cake and taking details from people interested in getting involved. Active Communities run a range of projects that promote activity and wellbeing, including the nature trails around South Abingdon.

The painted sea container, beside the shed, was decorated by young people from the DAMASCUS Youth Project. The mural includes a hedgehog and a dragonfly, both used as symbols on the local nature trails. Inside were bicycles donated through the Ride Revolution scheme. These bikes have been refurbished and will be given to families or individuals in need.

The Shed Space offers a place for woodwork and metalwork, bike maintenance, and other hands-on activities.

The site was previously overgrown and unused for some time and has now been cleared. There could be plans for the area in front of the shed to be marked out so children can learn road safety away from traffic.

Thanks to Nathan for three of the pictures.