Thanks for the comments while we were away. Now, back in Abingdon, there is a chance to catch up with some of the happenings …

Preliminary work has begun on the development for 158 dwellings off Drayton Road. The first of the new pedestrian lights, funded by the development, on Marcham Road is underway. This is intended as a traffic mitigation measure.

10 Lime Trees have also been cut down to make an entrance to the Morland Gardens development.

Resurfacing work on Drayton Road from near Caldecott Road to Marcham Road has been completed. That was funded by Oxfordshire County Council not by the development.

A new independent living complex is opening in Summer 2015 at Mayott House, in Abingdon. The first people will move in very soon. For anybody interested in joining them try this link

The external facade of the new Abingdon School Science complex is also near completion.

Scaffolding is coming down, and the crane will soon be off.

The conversion of town centre offices into flats has been going on for a while, but is becoming more and more common. The Solicitor’s Office in West St Helen Street are advertised as being ‘To Let’, or having been Let. So their conversion is nearly complete.

While the conversion of Publishing House, at the bottom of the Vineyard, is just beginning. There is agreement to turn the offices to flats. Work has already started, before the detailed plans are approved by the VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council). Details still to be approved include adding balconies to the first and second floor windows, and creating a small amount of amenity space to the rear for bins and cycles.

P.S. The Abingdon Blog reported in November 2014 that exploratory work was underway by Oxfordshire County Council to allow work to progress on reinforcing the River Stert in February / March 2015. The barriers are still there, and we are at the end of May.

Next to the Wootton Road shops there is a new development of 8 apartments. (see Hester’s comment 1 for correction about what it replaced.)

Work on the Abingdon School Science Centre continues.

Much of the scaffolding has been removed from the new care apartments on Ock Street that replace Mayott House. The roof is on, and most of the windows are in.

Regarding the Old Gaol it is difficult to tell how things are progressing. It is the 40th anniversary of the Old Gaol opening as a leisure centre, and Abingdon Music Centre.