Andy emailed me to say …

It looks like a restaurant chain are interested in the old New Look shop. They could also use upstairs, and knock through into Hallmark cards – whose future is currently under consideration.

The planning application for a change of use to a restaurant is Vale of White Horse application P15/V0055/FUL. (VWHDC website not currently working 15/01/2015 possibly because of the fire at the council offices in Crowmarsh)

The company is called Tasty Plc. They have two chains: Wildwood and Dim T.

There are already a number of restaurants in Abingdon, and more planned at the Old Gaol, but none in the Market Place / Bury Street area.

Work has begun to fit out the shop making up the west side of 15 High Street, in Abingdon.

15 High Street was The Lion Hotel until the mid 1940s. The premises was wide enough to make 2 or 3 large shops with restaurant or offices above. The west side of number 15 became Woolworths until about 1970. Since then it has been a Home Charm Ltd, Texas Discount Store, FADS, B-Wise and lately QC.

The new shop proprietor, called ‘Savers’, say on their web site “we aim to be the most competitively priced health & beauty products and household goods retailer on the High Street.”

They are recruiting: Sales Assistant and Assistant Manager.

Anybody who has tried adding points to their Choose Abingdon Loyalty Card in 2015 will have found they can’t.

The initial scheme has run its course, and a replacement scheme using mobile phones is being investigated. You can still redeem points but not add new ones to the card.

In the mean time the loyalty card is more than a nice souvenir; it will still allow discounted entry on event tickets.