This evening (2nd March 2023) was the annual Parish Meeting of Abingdon-on-Town Council. Chairs of committees sat at the front of the Roysse Room to report on what had been done by their committee to residents. There was also a presentation by Simon Hills, who chairs the steering group for the Neighbourhood Plan, and short presentations by Abingdon Carousel, Abingdon Citizens Advice and the Abbey Buildings Trust. There were also questions from the public. About 40 people attended the first in-person parish meeting held since the lockdown. Most of the reports can be seen at https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/town-council/meetings-and-committees/parish-meeting.

Community Committee
This committee report started and ended with a bun throw. A bun throw was part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations in Abingdon. There will be another bun throw for the coronation of King Charles III. The provisional date is Sunday, 7th May.

A questioner afterwards stated that the original bill for the jubilee celebrations was £52K, which was already much more than comparable councils, and that the final figure was £118K. Cllr Neil Fawcett said the town council was seriously reviewing the overspend. Costs came in significantly above estimates, and income was far less. Cllr Fawcett said, ‘it is for us as a council to decide what an appropriate level of funding is for such an event. The council wanted a big event as a celebration after Covid.’ He went on to say if they’d known the final costs, they could have planned differently.

Town Infrastructure Committee
The Town Council agreed to join Oxfordshire County Council’s 20mph initiative with a blanket 20 MPH over Abingdon. Bus companies have raised objections during a consultation because it will increase their journey times through Abingdon. The committee chair will meet with Oxford Bus Company to listen to their concerns.

The residents parking scheme is no longer managed by the town council because Oxfordshire County Council has moved the management of all Oxfordshire residents parking schemes to a specialised company and, at the same time, introduced civic enforcement.

The jubilee plans for the refresh and extension of the Stratton Way mural were delayed after the death of her Majesty.
Environment and Amenities Committee
The committee had received a report that outlined some potential new cemetery sites. It has been agreed that the consultants will be commissioned for further work to assess the new sites as cemeteries.

There are plans for new equipment for younger residents at Caldecott Recreational Ground to be added alongside the adult fitness equipment put in last year (above).  There has also been new equipment at Box Hill.

The report showed many pictures of Town Council workers looking after recreation grounds, Market Place (removing chewing gum etc.), allotments, and cemeteries.

A Community Woodland and an Active travel map are also promised in the near future.

Green Forum
Abingdon Town Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019. Since 2022 there have been quarterly environmental forums, each with a different environmental focus. The latest is sustainable food from January-March 2023. The picture shows the Changing Plates initiative. Its aim was to show people what good vegan food could be like.

Neighbourhood Plan
The Neighbourhood Plan enables the people of Abingdon to set a future vision for the town, looking forwards over 10 to 15 years. Since 2021, a lay steering group, chaired by Simon Hills, has developed the plan. Once the town council completes and approves the plan, there will be a 6-week consultation for residents. After any updates from the public consultation, another draft will be examined by the district council and an external examiner to ensure it meets legal requirements. After passing that stage, it will then go out for a referendum on a yes / no basis. There is still work to be done by volunteers. Work so far can be viewed at https://www.abingdon-neighbourhood-plan.org/.

Both the Neighbourhood Plan and Green Forum have been led by community volunteers, and a couple of councillors said the town council is most successful when working with other community groups.

One questioner asked about the delayed delivery of town council projects, naming the proposed Market Place noticeboard, agreed upon over 4 years ago. They said it has led to a council underspend, but the council is still putting up council tax. Cllr Sam Bowring, the council leader, answered that Covid was partly to blame and difficulty finding the right labour. They had ambitious projects that took time (Magistrates Court revamp, Abbey Hall roof, Community Woodland, New Cemetary, bigger play area refurbishment (£200K), Bandstand, Museum Lift). Money has been earmarked for those projects when they do go ahead, so revenue income from a council tax increase is still needed.

Lots more was said during reports and questions, including some remarks about the Monk on the Marcham Road Roundabout. The questioner claimed nobody had taken responsibility and it had not been a good advert for Abingdon, lying there for months. I did not know that Abingdon Town Council purchased the monk for Britain in Bloom over twenty years ago. That was before it was sponsored by the Abbey Press, and in the past, the town council have cared for it.

Nominations for candidates start on 20th March. So you have about a month to decide if you want to stand. I was an independent candidate for the town council 4 years ago but didn’t get in. It was an interesting experience.

New for 2023 – you must show a photo ID when voting at a polling station. If people have not got a photo ID, they can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by 25th April. It can be applied for online and needs a National Insurance Number and a digital photo. See https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id

The voter ID scheme was agreed upon by parliament last year. According to opendemocracy.net, between 995,000 and 3.5 million people do not have the required ID. It will affect some age groups, ethnic and gender groups more than others. Voter turnout in local elections is low in any case, and this could reduce it further.

The Central Abingdon Regeneration Framework (CARF) has been published to guide future town centre development. It includes options for redeveloping three sites owned by the Vale of White Horse District Council (VWHDC): The Charter, Abbey House and The Upper Reaches.

It is called a framework and not a formal plan, but it can be used by the Local Plan to 2041 that VWHDC is beginning to consider. (The local plan to 2031 was adopted in 2016. That allowed all the new housing in North Abingdon, currently being built. The plan to 2041 will take account of the Oxfordshire Strategic Vision adopted in 2021 that aims for a more sustainable future.)

CRAF Options for those VWHDC three sites were in CARF_Final_Document_LR_Feb23.pdf

59% of people responding supported Charter and Bury Street (North) proposals. Options included the potential to redevelop the site to include restaurants, shops, new housing (including homes for the elderly), a health hub, potential employment/office space and a new and improved public library/tourist information centre to replace the existing facilities.

55% of people responding supported the proposals for Abbey House. Options included a mixed-use building with office space, residential accommodation, a hotel, a health hub and other community uses.
70% of people responding supported the proposals for Upper Reaches. Options included redeveloping part of the Site to potentially provide a hotel and function space, restaurant and other leisure uses, and possibly new homes. There could also be recreational space. (Any change would be subject to the leaseholder agreeing or giving up their lease.)

The CARF also included a more general survey on central Abingdon topics.

Q5. What are the top three things you like about central Abingdon? Those with the most support (over 5%) were:
The River (frontage and access) 15%
Access to green spaces, including Abbey Meadows and playground space 15%
History / Character of Place / Aesthetic 13%
Market Place 12%
Great variety of shops and independent shops 12%
The coffee culture 7%
Great pubs and restaurants 6%
…

Q6. What are the top three things that need to change or could improve central Abingdon? Those with the most support (over 5%) were:
Better retail, food and beverage offer 25%
Address traffic volume/control 15%
Improve parking and accessibility 12%
Address empty/vacant shops 9%
Improve leisure and community facilities (incl. improving the opening hours of Abbey Meadows Outdoor Pool) 8%
Better and safer cycleways and pedestrian routes 8%
…

The report and survey answers are at CARF-Consultation-Report-FINAL.pdf

It is too big to try to summarise here but I have had a go.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council held a special town council meeting this evening. The only thing to be discussed on the agenda was a confidential property matter. The town council say on their website ‘Abingdon Town Council has been negotiating with the Abbey Cinema regarding a new lease for the cinema for some time.

The Council meeting on Thursday 25 August has been called so we can give matters our speedy consideration.’

On the other hand, the Abbey Cinema has said

‘The current situation is that both we and the council appointed our own professional negotiators to agree terms and to commission jointly financed reports on the state of the building prior to lease. This identified that considerable investment is required (c.£345k on roof and regulatory compliance and a further c.£280k over the next 5 years). We have offered to take on £400k of this investment.

We thought things were going well, if very slowly. Or we did until we received from the council’s solicitors on 4 August an unexpected communication containing notice that if we did not sign by the end of August, they anticipated instructions to give us notice of termination. The lease provided for signature was in draft form and bears no relation to preceding negotiations. We cannot understand this.’