Stuart let me know that work is beginning on a second field in North Abingdon. The site entrance has been started at the field between the Dunmore Road and the Oxford Road. This field is part of a larger development for 900 dwellings and 50 retirement homes, together with a local centre.

Work has also begun on widening entrances to the Dunmore Road / Wootton Road Roundabout.

This is being done as part of the development of 200 houses between Dunmore Road and Wootton Road.

There are a couple of developments in Abingdon as we head through another new year.

Fairacres Phase 2 is nearing completion. The shells of the buildings with windows are complete. The carpark area has been painted. The Lidl looks finished outside apart from signage. Shop fitting could well be proceeding inside.

Kings Gate is at the beginning. There is one muddy area bounded by the A34, Wootton Road, Dunmore Road and play area, and Tilsley Park. Earth movers are piling earth and creating the outline of tracks.

New pedestrian lights have been put in across the Dunmore Road.

Yesterday morning a lorry brought steel beams and transferred them onto a barge at Wilsham Road in Abingdon.

They ended up at Abingdon Lock. You may still be wondering  ‘What are those steel beams for?’

An Environment Agency notice has a full explanation. A new steel structure is to replace the timber boat layby. There is also going to be a canoe portage.

This is the old timber layby. The timbers are now broken up – discarded.

A couple of weeks ago there was a report on this blog about some contractors opening up access to the new development of 200 dwellings alongside the Wootton Road. Their orange digger can be seen in the background of this picture. In the foreground, in the Circus Field, a yellow digger is making ditches – probably for archaeology reports.

Meanwhile a lot of the trees, that have been a feature of the Wootton Road entrance into Abingdon, are being cut down.
Looking at the access design plans (https://data.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/java/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P20/V2254/DIS#exactline) it can be seen that about half the trees were planned to be removed.

The existing entrance to the field has already been built up and will be used until a new entrance is built at the place where most of the trees have been removed.