Neighbourhood Plan to 2041 – the next step into an uncertain future

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In 2019, the Town Council initiated a neighbourhood plan. A steering group of residents, chaired by Simon Hill, has been developing this plan to help plan Abingdon’s future in several key areas: heritage and town centre, green spaces, families and young people, walkable neighbourhoods and transport, and business and economy.

The draft Neighbourhood Plan is available and will soon be submitted for examination by an independent planning inspector. Before this, the plan is open for public consultation until February 10, 2025, to allow final modifications.

The consultation can be found by following the Town Council’s link https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan

Key aims of the plan include:
* New developments should not add to congestion or flood-risk
* Enhance pedestrian and cycle routes through town
* Improve the sustainability of conversions and new build homes
* Preserve Abingdon’s unique character, historical sites, and scenic views
* Protect, maintain, and enhance the natural environment
* Protect existing, and deliver new easily accessible, community infrastructure

For more detail, refer to the full 80-page plan. While some sections, particularly the policy documents, seem to be written for planning professionals, other parts offer interesting insights into Abingdon’s past, the challenges it faces, and the proposed future direction.

If approved by the inspector, the plan will be put to a referendum. Should the plan receive majority support from Abingdon voters, it will become a formal part of the planning policies used by the district council, alongside the district council’s own plan.

Both plans look forward to 2041. That is so long as the district council exists up to 2041. (There are early discussion in parliament about new unitary authorities that could supersede the current district councils. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gjz2lpj1po.)

Seasonal Visitors to Waitrose and Changing Priorities

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Abingdon Town Band was playing carols outside Waitrose last night. The Town Band has been out and about far more in recent months.

This morning, donkeys from the Donkey Sanctuary were outside Waitrose. They are regular visitors to Abingdon and can often be seen at the Christmas Extravaganza. They also sometimes help out during Palm Sunday. But it’s not just Abingdon — they were in Didcot on Saturday.

The Waitrose store appears to have moved past the Christmas Tree stage and will soon transition into the Turkey collection stage.

The removal of Waitrose Unwrapped, their unpackaged section, and its replacement with the Christmas Shop, a highly packaged section, was another recent change.

Market Monday

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The Monday Market remains relatively unchanged year after year. As Christmas approaches, the plant stall had lots of wreathes and the vendor was calling out ‘Olly, Olly, Olly’.

The fish van had a long queue. The baker and the fruit and veg were busy. More people come to Abingdon on Monday.

Several customer gathered round the butchers van where hanging from hooks were large cuts of meat, such as joints and ribs, while the counter below was arranged with sausages, steaks, and other packaged cuts.

But some things have changed. The post-box no longer gets a crochet topper, and I read in the news, Royal Mail takeover by Czech billionaire approved.

Given the latest posting dates for Christmas and the price of first class stamps (first-class stamps are £1.65 and second-class 85p) our main batch of Christmas Cards, most of them going to the northern counties of England, were sent second class, with some time to spare, from the Market Place post box.

The stamps have pictures of the King and not the Queen. And year by year, we send and receive fewer. But at least we don’t have to rig up a series of lines to peg them all up the wall. They can all be displayed on the top of a sideboard.

A walk by Abingdon Lock

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These discoveries on the walk round by Abingdon Lock may be old news to some, but here they are anyway …

On Wednesday, November 27th, a narrowboat broke free and sank near Abingdon Lock. The vessel remains submerged against the weir wall, its hull held in place by the river current and ropes.

The boat owner and their dog are safe. A large tree branch is entangled behind the boat as the river flows around and through it.

I did hear that the lock keeper provided temporary shelter in the lock house until alternative arrangements could be made for the boat owner.

In an update, the lock keeper has written on a board that insurance and recovery companies  must wait for the river flow to subside significantly before removing the boat.

Apart from what must be a sad episode for the boat owner, there was a beautiful winter sunset this evening at the lock.

A second discovery on the walk was the opening of the new Sushi takeaway on Bridge Street.