Thankyou to Daniel for these pictures of the new Fairacres Phase 2 and Lidl store as viewed from the air.

When the construction of Fairacres Phase 2 began I was considering visiting the revamped Hilton Garden Inn (on the left) to get some pictures from the top floor. I gave up on that idea because of the pandemic. However Daniel’s view is even better with his drone.

This views shows Fairacres in the centre, and Miele to its left, with the 50 acres of  Abingdon Business Park behind, and behind that the houses of north Abingdon.

Abingdon Town Centre remains mostly quiet in the evenings. Pubs and restaurants are closed for consumption on the premises

Food and non-alcoholic drinks can be bought on a takeaway basis (between 5am and 11pm). Food and drink (including alcohol if the license allows) can also be delivered.

The government have announced a slow roadmap to reopening. They say this is possible because of the success of the vaccination programme; and how the public have obeyed the law and stayed at home to help suppress COVID-19.

The roadmap includes a number of steps. As part of Step 2 hospitality venues will be allowed to serve people outdoors from 12th April. Then as part of Step 3 indoor hospitality will be allowed no earlier than 17th May. Step 3 includes cinemas.

There are bright lights at St Helen’s Wharf. This evening they included the flashing lights of a police car. I hear that the police went from door to door investigating a disturbance.

Development of the Lidl Store on the Fairacres Estate has been cracking on and four large Lidl signs have been mounted.

They include one on each side of the store itself and one overlooking the Marcham Road, at the far end.

By searching, using a well known search engine, I found Lidl advertising for Customer Assistants and Shift Managers in Abingdon. ‘As a Customer Assistant at Lidl, no shift is the same and you get out what you put in. Starting at 5am some days to set up the store bakery for the day or finishing at 11pm on others to close the store and ensure the store is ready for another day of customers, you’ll keep moving and keep business booming. Every day is different, so you won’t just be working deliveries or working on the till; you’ll be doing all of it and more. You could even train to be a freshness specialist, non-food specialist or a bakery specialist…’

They have an online aptitude test before an application passes to the interview stage. My impression of Lidl and Aldi is the terrific speed items are scanned at the till.

Meanwhile the time is over for responding to the Planning Application for an Aldi Store at the top end of the Circus Field, opposite the new development off Wootton Road.

Both neighbouring parish councils have concerns about the traffic modelling and siting of the proposed entrance.  Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council have objected to the plan. St Helen Without Parish Council have put in a holding objection. See https://data.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/java/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P21/V0024/FUL#exactline.

Expect a decision round about 16th April.

It must be a tough time for retailers. The Peacocks store in Abingdon is now empty. The closing down sale only got down to about 20% off, then lockdown happened and now they have cleared the store.

The proprietor of Abingdon Sports retired and the premises has been showing as Under Offer for a few weeks.

One shop in West St Helen Street has been empty for a year. It was a nail salon before moving to Stert Street, and will now become a different nail salon.