The ‘Road Ahead Closed’ sign has been there since last December. The yellow sign beyond says ‘Businesses are Open as Usual’. Lodge Hill Garage and Bagley Wood Saw Mill are open should you be looking for a second hand car or some timber.

Pictures from Meridian ITV showed the damage after last winter’s heavy rain. Repairs have been underway for the last month but it could be a year between closure and reopening of this important road. The road is the one alternative to the over busy A34 when it gets jammed.

For people who cannot face the A34 it is the only way.

A few weeks ago a group of residents took a petition to the Vale of White Horse District Council asking that the council appeal against the decision of the planning inspector to allow 159 homes to be built in a field alongside South Abingdon.

Legal advice has been taken and the 2 legal experts judge that The Planning Inspector’s decision could not be challenged on legal ground. He allowed the scheme to go ahead because the Vale of White Horse District Council did not have a five year housing plan in place as required by the the NPPF – National Planning Policy Framework, voted in by the coalition government as a way to quickly free up land for house building.

The Planning Inspector had also considered the main objection, traffic, and made sure that traffic mitigation measures go ahead before any development.

So now it is all down to whether the traffic mitigation measures (those extra pedestrian lights) suggested by the developers are allowed by Oxfordshire County Council. That is not a foregone conclusion given that it has to go through public consultation. So expect a story about that in the not too distant future.

Around 50 different plans, some very imaginative and speculative, have been put forward to the government’s Airports Commission looking at airport expansion in the South East, and the leading ideas will be chosen later in the year.

Pleiade Architects from Bristol have come to the conclusion that the best location for the airport would be on the same site, near Abingdon, where plans have already been put forward for a reservoir, and a Garden City.

Pleiade Architects have put some thought into rejigging some airport plans that were previously worked on in 2003.

It appears that not everybody has taken their work seriously. On twitter I have read …

“It should regenerate the local taxi trade”

“It would bring people to the Abingdon, but isn’t it a bit extreme!”

“A large price to pay for a Marcham bypass.”

Free Parking was introduced in December 2011 and for the first year or so there were temporary signs round car parks warning people to get a ticket for the two free hours. These are now replaced by permanent signs.

At each entrance into town there is now a Free Parking sign

Reynolds Way pharmacy have signs all round South Abingdon saying they have Free Parking. Parking was always free at Reynolds Way but it helps advertise a fairly new service – so clever marketing.

Recently Waitrose changed to have 2 hours free parking to fall in line with other carparks – they were 90 minutes.

And every morning along Wilsham Road you will see a long queue of cars who get all day Free Parking. People working in the town centre can save £5.30 (6 hour+) a day by walking the last half mile. But it is not always so popular with Wilsham Road residents.