This evening at Wantage there is Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC) Meeting where the updated draft local plan (2013 – 2031) will be discussed.

This evening’s Council Meeting will be the first chance for most Abingdon District Councillors to challenge the change from 610 to 1000 houses for North Abingdon.

In the original draft plan put out for public consultation in February 2013 there were no major housing developments planned for Abingdon.

After that the UK Government told Oxfordshire to take many more houses.

And so in February 2014 a new plan was published with 610 new houses in North Abingdon, removing that land from the Green Belt. They are the westerly 3 red areas on the google map above.

They included the circus field,

and fields either side of Tilsley Park – very close to the A34 in places.

Now in October 2014 the new draft plan has proposed removing more land from the green belt for housing and is offering a Lodge Hill A34 Diamond Interchange to help take the additional traffic. That does depend on the UK Government allowing such an interchange.

The Draft Plan says “One site, North Abingdon, has been extended east of the A4183 into land not initially recommended for Green Belt release in the Green Belt review. An expanded site at North Abingdon would better support provision of a new primary school and help fund the A34 south facing slips at Lodge Hill, as well as helping to meet needs arising in the largest settlement where there are limited alternative opportunities for sustainable growth.

The plan has already been recommended by the VWHDC Cabinet, who met on 3rd October, and if agreed by this evening’s meeting will go out for 6 weeks public consultation and then to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

The turf-cutting ceremony marked the official start of works just before the end of the Summer Term. Now in Michaelmas Term the Abingdon School Science Centre has sprung up in leaps and bounds.

The other major new building in Abingdon this autumn is Mayott House – where one centralised care home is being transformed into lots of modern care homes.

If the decision by the Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Environment at 10:30 on 9th October is to allow the replacement of one badly sited Pelican Crossing with two badly sited Pelican Crossings, on Marcham Road and Ock Street, then 159 houses will be allowed to be built on the field off Drayton Road, and that could be the end of the 2 year battle between the developers and local people.

If he decides against the pelican crossings there is likely to be another legal challenge by the developers and the battle will go on.

At the first hearing to decide these Pelican Crossings, there were 11 speakers against –
4 residents,
2 Abingdon Town Councillors,
3 Vale District Councillors,
2 Oxfordshire County Councillors.

They argued that the issue was one of safety of school children and air quality for all. The decision went their way but Oxfordshire County Council failed to present enough evidence for their decision and so it has gone for a re-hearing.

This time there will be 12 speakers against:
5 residents (one also being a Town Councillor),
2 Abingdon Town Councillors,
2 Vale District Councillors,
3 Oxfordshire County Councillors.
and 1 speaker for – an expert witness for the developer wanting to build the 159 houses.

At the last minute, and too late to go in the Officers Report, the developers have presented a raft of new evidence, including legal opinions, and safety audits etc. Presumably this is ammunition so that if the decision does goes against them they will have grounds to appeal again.

P.S The Cabinet Member for Environment was minded to allow the pedestrian lights. The developers were delighted. Local people felt let down again by another decision that ignored what local people wanted.

The 3 southern cooling towers of Didcot ‘A’ Power Station got blown down at 5am this morning. The other 3 will get taken down more slowly. Here are views during and after the demolition. The same views were shown on yesterday’s blog before the event.



1. From a field just outside Drayton

2. From the Entrance to the old Didcot ‘A’ Power Station.

3. From Milton Road, Didcot

4. From the new nature area on the reclaimed landfill near Peep-o-day Lane.

5. From Margaret Brown Gardens.