Monthly Archives: March 2014

Abingdon on Thames Annual Parish Meeting

4 Replies

The Roysse Room hosted the Annual Parish Meeting this evening. This is a chance for the Town Council to report back to the people of Abingdon, and for people to ask questions. There were only 14 in the audience and some of those were Councillors, but it was still an interesting meeting.

Topics Mentioned by the Leader of the Council…
Annual Parish Meeting
A government loan for £30K to set up a Abingdon Business Improvement District (BID) Project has been approved. This would allow local businesses to improve the local economy by paying a small increase to business rates (1-2%). A BID Company could be set up by April 2015 if the majority of local businesses vote for it, and would probably be the end of the Choose Abingdon Partnership in its current form.

From September 1st 2014, running the Outdoor Pool will be part of a much larger VOWHDC and South Oxfordshire DC management contract.

The Isis Open Air Theatre on Nags Head Island has been proposed by some enterprising local people as a new complex, but has a lot of planning work still to do.

Amenities Committee
Annual Parish Meeting

  • The Town Council took over full control of planting the flower beds in town last year.
  • Adult play equipment was added to Box Hill Recreation Area, and improvements to surfacing were made at Masefield Crescent Play Area.
  • There have been fewer people entering gardens for Abingdon in Bloom, so this competition will not run this year. Instead there will be a competition to design a floral display for the town.
  • Fun in the Park and Music in the Park were very successful last year and will be on again on June 7th.
  • The MG garden is just awaiting display boards and then will be officially opened.

Guildhall Committee
Annual Parish Meeting

  • More activities are being put on like Comedy and Vintage Fairs, and Atom (see tomorrow’s blog) to increase the range and number of people using the Guildhall.
  • The committee are waiting the outcome of the HLF bid this month. If successful the plan for improvements to Guildhall including a cinema will progress to the next stage. If unsuccessful more fund raising will be needed.
  • Town Council Offices will soon move to Roysse Court, and the Information Centre will move to the Guildhall Reception area.

County Hall Museum Committee:

  • 30,000 visitors in first year. Targeting 25,000 in the second year. They want to encourage more repeat visits.
  • Educational activities and additional exhibitions were highlighted. There is an MG exhibition from 18 March
  • There is still the will to put in a lift to the sessions hall, but not currently the money.

Planning Committee:

  • Disappointment that the planning inspector did not listen to local opinion about the 160 homes in South Abingdon.
  • The Radley Road scheme was stopped.
  • The committee are yet to discuss the latest proposals for 610 houses round the town, and even more in the surrounding area.

Proposal for 7,430 more houses in the Vale area

28 Replies

More Houses
The draft local plan, written in 2013, is having to be revamped to include 7,430 more houses in the Vale area. The Vale of White Horse District Council had an exhibition in the Abingdon Guildhall to start the consultation on these additional proposals. Unfortunately there was some mix up and the Vale planning department had to use the Cloakroom for the exhibition.

The Vale and South Oxfordshire area is predicted to have lots of new jobs and so more houses will be needed.

80% of the houses could go in the South East Vale area: that is Harwell, Milton Heights, and the outskirts of Didcot. 8% could be built in Abingdon.
More Houses
410 of those could be in North Abingdon.
More Houses
A further 200 could be in North West Abingdon. This housing would be so close to the A34 they will need noise mitigation measures.
More Houses
There followed a public meeting. Unfortunately the Roysse Room, was over capacity, and so people had to be turned away. I could not get in so will be interested in comments about the meeting.

There is more information about this consultation at VWHDC Local Plan Part One. You can provide your comments on the updated proposals there until 4pm on 4 April 2014.

A Posh Skip in West St Helen Street

11 Replies

Temptation in West St Helen Street
A skip, parked in West St Helen Street, is causing quite a few people to stop look and even take some of the contents. Our son keeps bringing things home. We have a wooden tray, a Christmas wreath, a game, and a garden flower container which I took back. It is going to take them much longer to fill up the skip at this rate as our house gets more and more cluttered.
Danger in West St Helen Street
The pavement near the skip was cordoned off by the police today, not to stop people stealing from the skip, but because a length of guttering, loosened by wind and rain, has been dangling loose and in danger of falling on a car or person beneath.

The Sun is shining on Abingdon-on-Thames

3 Replies

Glorious Weekend
It felt like the start of spring with two sunny days this weekend.
Glorious Weekend
Blossom has been enticed out on many trees. There was even a butterfly fluttering in our garden this morning, and another in church.
Glorious Weekend
The River Thames is still flowing fast but the land, although wet and muddy, is no longer inundated.
Glorious Weekend
Green shoots of spring are now appearing after a very mild winter -when the demand has been for sandbags and not grit.