If you didn’t see it on BBC2 this evening then you can catch it on iPlayer at James Mays Man Lab Series 3 Episode_3/
Thanks to Councillor Iain Littlejohn who wrote a letter describing the plight of the people at the back of the Market Place who rarely get buns, James May came to Abingdon and introduced some technology and planning into throwing buns
during the Diamond Jubilee bun throwing last year.
Mr Tim Oates, from North Abingdon, brought a neighbour to Abingdon Community Hospital, but could not find a parking place and so parked at the trading estate, nearby. Other people have parked on the grass and possibly in spaces allotted to Marcham Road Health Centre – alongside.
There is a petition in the waiting room at Marcham Road Health Centre asking for the organisation running the hospital (namely Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust) to find a solution to the parking problems so that people going to the Health Centre can use their alloted parking places.
It is good to see the Community Hospital thriving even if it has become a victim of its own success.
The AGM of Abingdon-on-Thames Chamber of Commerce took place tonight and I believe Paul Townsend from E & R Goff will be chairman for a third year. Congratulations to Paul who has made lots of things happen.
Also tonight there was a meeting of South Abingdon Residents Plan to go through the final draft questionnaire that should soon be dropping through doors in that part of town. Volunteers to help drop off and collect questionnaires are still needed. Contact sarp@sarp.org.uk or neil@neilboston.co.uk .
There will be questions on the questionnaire about future housing in the area, but possibly before all the results are collated the future of the 160 homes in a field will need to be decided by an outside planning inspector. There is another public meeting this Saturday at the Guildhall at 10am to keep people informed. I believe comments can be left for the Inspector at this link.
And tomorrow the Abingdon Hydro are doing a presentation about their project. They have withdrawn their planning application in order to do more studies to minimise disturbance during the construction of the turbines near the weir. Somebody did ask whether they had put black bags round trees to stop birds nesting near the site and if so whether they can be withdrawn.
In November, the Vale of White Horse District Council asked people to respond to a survey of what services are important to them.
137 people responded.
20 people (15%) thought public toilets an important public service.
There were lots of other services but for comparison …
36 people (26%) thought council car parks an important public service.
As a result it appears from last weeks Abingdon Herald that council officers have suggested that the council could save money, by closing the public conveniences.
The superloo in the car park near West St Helen’s Street has already been decommissioned and is waiting to be taken away. It was probably the least used.
The superloos near the cricket club could follow.
As could the normal loo near the Abbey Meadows
And that at the Charter.
Another question in the survey asked which services are in most need of future investment.
37 (27%) said public toilets.
24 (18%) said Car Parks.
Approximately £40,000 a year can be saved by closing the remaining three public conveniences in Abingdon,
Have Abingdon Public Conveniences had their day?