Plans were submitted for Old Abbey House to be converted into a hotel and the consultation period is over.
The original plans included a new retail building at the front near the trees. The retail building has now been removed from the plans following concerns for the trees.
Another concern is that heritage features are guaranteed before work begins.
A decision on the plans should not be far away. Meanwhile, creepers are taking over at one side.
Work began today on repairing a section of river wall at St Helen’s Wharf. The footpath has been closed and traffic lights installed.
Hoarding has been put around the damaged area and a scaffolding platform against the river wall.
The damage was noticed after flooding in March 2020. Work was planned to start today, 23rd August, and will take approximately four weeks.
A new sign has been erected on the other side of Tilsley Park from the Kingsgate development. It say Coming Soon – Abbey Fields. In reality, what are coming soon are houses – not fields.
Abbey Fields will be built on the field next to the A34, seen here from the footpath to Sunningwell . The footbridge over the A34 is a good viewing point, but not as good as Daniel’s drone. Daniel has managed to get another drone after the loss of the previous one.
Traffic was queueing back in the Oxford direction as I stood on the bridge.
After Kingsgate and Abbey Fields, the next field for development, off the Dunmore Road in North Abingdon, is the large field rising to Lodge Hill. At the moment that field has an entrance and metal fences all the way round.
This drone shot was taken from Daniel’s last video of the Kingsgate development, filmed two weeks ago. Since then the drone has been lost in the Oxford Canal.
I did ask Daniel how much a new drone cost and he said ‘too much’.
I cycled by the Kingsgate development this evening and was surprised how quickly and how green the grass has grown mid summer.
Traffic lights are still in place while the slip lane to the new entrance is laid.
The interactive sales map of the development shows that unit 5 is the first one to be sold. Units 1,2,4,6,7, and 192 are ‘For Sale’. The rest are for the future.