Author Archives: Backstreeter

Town Council Meeting – Part 2 (Upper Reaches Hotel, Charter Carpark, Diamond Interchange at Lodge Hill, More New Homes )

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Catherine from the Community Safety Team at the Vale of White Horse District Council came to speak to the Town Council on the situation with the Upper Reaches Hotel. The tenant (hotel owner) has put some measures in place in December and the Community Safety Team want more done since behaviour issues are still happening. With that in mind they are looking to put in place a Community Protection Notice ( CPN ) to get the tenant to properly secure the site against the people with problem behaviour.

Town Councillors asked for timescales. Some were angry that nobody had come along to talk on longer term strategic issues of the site. The Town Clerk had however spoken with the latest personnel at the Vale Property team. The Town Clerk was told this matter is to do with the relationship between the landlord and the tenant and can’t be shared in the public domain. They property team said when they can share these things, they will.

Charter Carpark
The Town Clerk had also asked about progress at the Charter Carpark. In the upper levels there are concerns regarding structural issues and fire safety.  The district council will provide an update  for the Town Council meeting on the 30th March.

Diamond Interchange at Lodge Hill
There followed a report from Councillor Neil Fawcett of Oxfordshire County Council.

He said in response to his report on the progress of the Diamond Interchange at Lodge Hill that the first plan had been unfriendly to pedestrians and cyclists. An updated plan was more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists. The new plan would be a compromise as the Highways Agency are not going to allow a plan that causes traffic backing up from the Diamond Interchange along the A34.

A question was asked about the design being constrained by the existing bridge and its life expectancy. This question was asked because the bridge at Kennington, nearby, has failed and is being rebuilt. Councillor Fawcett responded that he was sure the bridge was inspected regularly and as it was built in the 1970s it should have a very long life still. But he would check they had taken that in consideration in the plan.

Town Councillors had been given a presentation by Bellway Homes on developing the land between the Oxford Road and Peachcroft Farm. More information and details of a webinar are available at https://www.bellway-northabingdon.co.uk/. The proposals will deliver 371 new homes, 35% being affordable, a new sports pavilion and playing pitches – along with significant areas of open space, including the central St Helen’s Park.

Councillor Jim Halliday asked that since Bellway Homes are putting a planning application in for a housing development, it would be useful to have a clue when the Diamond Interchange would be completed.

Councillor Fawcett said ‘Every stage of the process has taken longer than they’ve said at the previous stage. All I can say on the positive side is we are working our way through the steps…’

To be Continued…

Dementia Friendly Abingdon at Town Council Meeting

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There was a Town Council Meeting this evening. The meeting begins with the chance for people from Abingdon to ask questions, and community groups to make presentations. There were no questions but there was a presentation by Dementia Friendly Abingdon. I will begin with a summary of that. I will summarise the rest of the town council meeting tomorrow.

There are 900,000 people in the United Kingdom with a diagnosis of dementia. In addition, there are many people who have mild cognitive impairment which in many cases will lead to a full diagnosis of dementia. The full diagnosis happens at a memory clinic run out of Abingdon Community Hospital by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.

A dementia diagnosis allows access to services provided by Dementia Oxfordshire. Those without a diagnosis have no access to those services.

The speaker told a story about a friend whose mother had dementia and went into a shop in Abingdon. The lady with dementia said to her daughter, What are we in here for? She was told three times patiently. The lady with dementia asked again and a shop assistant said, Oh, for goodness sake you! Why can’t you just listen!

Dementia Abingdon is there to raise awareness on how to recognise, and to react to people with Dementia. It is led by a group of people with experience of living with people with dementia, or with dementia themselves. Dementia Abingdon leads training sessions and have given them to community groups, to individuals, to businesses, and the fire service. They offered the same for the Town Councillors and the offer was accepted.

A number of councillors asked questions, but Councillor Charlie Birks put it in a way that made it relevant to everybody, ‘None of us are immune from dementia, nor are any of our relatives and it is not age specific.’

SESRO

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The Abingdon reservoir, also known as SESRO (South East Strategic Reservoir Option) is being consulted on as part of a raft of measures in the South East of England, across six water companies, to ensure future water supplies. A lot of the measure got through the gate 1 decision process in January 2022, as tested by OFWAT (the UK Water Services Regulation Authority), and now go towards gate 2. You can have your say on the WRSE website. WRSE stands for Water Resource South East.

Maybe they thought by calling it SESRO nobody would notice, but the Abingdon Herald have already produced a detailed report: Plans for huge reservoir near Abingdon explained/.

The Abingdon reservoir was proposed on two occasions since this blog started in 2006 and been turned down. It would cover a large area of farmland, south of Abingdon, across the A34 from Drayton, so about three miles from Abingdon.

This picture shows the A34 bordering the flat farmland with Steventon in the distance.

Just to mention that the new layby on the A34, built last year, should have a view over the reservoir if it ever gets built.

Quiz night and Car Sharing

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There is a quiz night at the Crown and Thistle raising fund for the Abingdon DAMASCUS youth project and Yellow Submarine.

Next Saturday at the Local Excellence Market there is a stall wanting ideas to help make Abingdon a Greener Town. They are initially looking at Active Travel and Sustainable Transport. Car sharing in the town centre would be an interesting initiative.

Later on in the year they will be looking at biodiversity, reducing consumption, and reducing carbon.