It is nearly six months since the Upper Reaches Hotel and Restuarant was suddenly closed and boarded up. There is no planning application yet for a change or use. But Sue saw workmen there today …
Sue says, “While walking the dog this morning I noticed some activity in the car park of the Upper Reaches. One bloke was using one of those big hammer machines that rams down into the ground.
There were other workmen on the other side of the carpark, and others wandering around nearer the building. What is happening? Does anyone know?
I have heard a rumor that it may be turned into more housing? I think this would be a real shame. If run properly that site could be a wonderful venue and be a draw to the town.
With this closed, doesn’t give much incentive for tennants moving in the 3x Restaurants still vacant?, within the Old Gaol Complex does it?.
It’ll be a travesty if it’s tuned into houses. The town doesn’t have a decent town centre hotel since the Queens shut. If you’re staying then you have to stay up by Tesco, which is too far out of town and not the nicest location. I hope it is saved as a hotel. Also, any more houses and the town will be well and truly gridlocked!
Done deal I believe Steve ? I’m told the Vale own the site along with the hotel but a deal has been done or one is about to be where Abingdons favourite builders are going to build old gaol mk 2 on the car park? Hence these guys doing soil tests, if this is the case it will be another piece of the family silver that the vale have disposed of without offering it on the market, ( Tilsey Park)
Re the old gaol restaurants, the building they’re supposed to occupy is nowhere near finished and if the “golden nail” is part of the payment deal ? Ie they don’t pay for it till its completed, then one can see why they’re in no rush to Finnish the job?
It looks bore hole machines. They are probably doing a geotechnical survey to enable designs to be drawn up for a future building.
But surely captain…The Veil would be on this like a shot, fighting for the very best for the town. Surely, surely?
No application for a name change for the town, can’t be far off though. I must check to see if anyone has registered the web address http://www.cranbourneonthames.co.uk yet…
Cranberry-on-Thames sounds better for the restaurants.
cant imagine a goldmine of a hotel would have closed.
more likely that it wasn’t profitable.
Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t as profitable as Caparo Hotels (the last operator) wanted it to be but that doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t make a success of it.
My daughter worked there for a while a few years ago, she was convinced that it was being very badly managed and that the management did not care about the building or guests- they certainly did not care about their staff as she was very badly treated.
She told me that broken items were not mended or replaced….it cannot have been a nice hotel to stay in and she often heard customers complaining about things.
I do hope it has not been disposed of…I would hate a repeat of the Old Gaol fiasco.
My parents stayed there and were very disappointed. It was badly run unfortunately which is a shame given it’s a nice building in a great location
It is a great shame that the guy who has made such a good job of the Nags Head couldn’t take the place on, a hotel would compliment that business perfectly but seemingly it wasn’t even up for offer like whoever owns it just wants it gone to the highest bidder and in this day and age that’s a developer.
Surely no one is going to allow building on the car park and obscure the vista of old buildings and abbey buildings…….
Even our beloved Vale DC wouldn’t do that? There must be some sort of conservation order to protect the old feel of the area? It would be an act of vandalism to ruin this just so some ‘developer’ can make a few more bucks. Where do we find out about the plans?
Part of the Upper Reaches will be listed, most likely the Water Wheel and where the restaurant was, I doubt any other part is. If plans for development are submitted they should be published in the local press also the people who live near will be notified and given the chance to object, I’d guess they are in the planning stage at present deciding what type of monstrosity to erect, plans will be submitted at the end of this.
I think it was Angela ? Ex mayor and councillor who confirmed on this blog that the vale owned all of it? All be it on a very long lease to a third party who is doing a “deal” with our favourite builders to boil old gaol mk 2? While on the subject of disposing of “my” family silver, it’s all gone quite on the sake of old Abbey house ! Or is that another under the table done deal? I know I keep banging on about this and that and have inevitably upset the apple cart fr time to time, but this really stinks !
Guess l need my tin hat again, te he
Some facts:
Re Upper Reaches – the land belongs to the Vale but is on long lease to the Caparo group. There are lots of rumours about certain developers having acquired that lease and having intentions to build there, but I am not sure if they are any more than rumours. Various Councillors have asked the Vale and the Friends of Abingdon have just asked again – reply awaited. Certainly no planning applications have been published yet – but that doesn’t mean preliminary discussions aren’t going on. (Those who want to check planning applications can do so on the Vale website). The old part, by the mill wheel, is listed; the whole site is in the town centre conservation area and adjacent to a Scheduled Monument (the bridge) which will provide some – but only limited – protection.
Re Old Abbey House, bids closed a few weeks ago and we understand that the Vale Cabinet will be making a decision very shortly. No community bids were submitted, so Friends of Abingdon have been urging the Vale to keep the gardens available for public use and to use their powers to decide to sell to the bidder whose proposals are in the best interests of the community overall and will protect its historic features – not necessarily the highest bidder. We wait and see…
…is there anyone on The Veil cabinet that represents/is interested in Abingdon; or are they all from elsewhere?
It is heartening to hear what faith people have in The Veil planners…however I think we all know that The Veil planners only bare their teeth when Regular Joe wants to build a little extension for his granny.
When it comes to wealthy developers…we’ll get what ever makes them the most cash. It matters not whether that is right, or proper, or good for Abingdon.
When does M&S open in Didcot?
Sandy Lovatt is a councillor from Abingdon and sits on the Vale DC cabinet
There may be an Abingdon representative on the Vale council, there certainly is not anyone who has the towns interest at heart.
M&S are waiting for the car park to be enlarged to cope with the increase in foot fall of customers from Abingdon… meanwhile back in Abingdon on Thames, no one stirred.
Thanks. Let’s hope Sandy’s voice is heard loud and proud.
There was an interesting little market on the square this morning, as I cycled through on my way to work, today, a Friday, a working day; does anyone know what it is – the market?
Havent been into town yet but the Farmers Market is usually the third friday of the month so presume it is that one Daniel
Thanks Iain…looked lje a good little market. Is it successful?
I never understood why this market is not on a Saturday.
Good idea wrong day.
For those of us that work that is.
Just a thought but isn’t the Upper Reaches car park the site of the original Abingdon gasworks (correct me if I’m wrong) often land with such previous use require significant soil remediation before it can be used for residential use as there can be substances such as arsenic still present after many years.
Unfortunately Colin it has prooved an insurmountable problem to bring a weekly market to Abingdon on a weekend. People have been employed, on a full time basis, to make this happen and despite efforts over a number of years….it hasn’t.
We all know that Bill Gates’ spellchecker cannot spell but frequent references here to “The veil”.
Is that an inadvertent mis-spelling or an ironic barb ?
The Vale: The democratically elected body to transparently, honestly, openly and fairly administer the district. Accountable, expert, and for the People of [in this case], Abingdon
Veil: Cover, cover-up, conceal, hide, camouflage, disguise, mask, screen, cloak, shroud, obscure, block out, obnubilate.
The Old Gaol fiasco, the Planning mess, 65 Oxford Rd, AbITS, Scottish Widows and the Precinct, The Upper Reaches, Tilsley Park…money on consultants, listening to consultants getting it wrong, not listening to consultants getting it right, ill decisions made by unelected and unaccountable officers….I am sure there are plenty more examples….
Spike S….I’ll let you be the judge….
(ps, my spell chequer works just fyne).
Spike S: irony is what George W Bush thought came after laundry…
We’ll draw a veil over that – sorry, couldn’t resist it.
Hester – thanks for setting out the facts and moving the discussion forward.
Daniel that is a excellent explanation of of official and actual face of outer council !
Badger, according to the oldest maps I have the Upper Reaches site was first developed as a Hemp and Twine factory ( basically rope ) , and followed by the factory of Abingdon carpets, until it burnt down.
The council really should communicate far better with the residents of Abingdon. A simple email ( free ) to every council tax payer , once a month with updates on applications and results, or just a working link to the relevant pages would not be much to ask. We should not have to continuously hunt down any changes to our local environment. It is far too easy for important changes to be hidden from the people they affect with the current system ?
Daniel that is a excellent explanation of official and actual face of our council !
Badger, according to the oldest maps I have the Upper Reaches site was first developed as a Hemp and Twine factory ( basically rope ) , and followed by the factory of Abingdon carpets, until it burnt down.
The council really should communicate far better with the residents of Abingdon. A simple email ( free ) to every council tax payer , once a month with updates on applications and results, or just a working link to the relevant pages would not be much to ask. We should not have to continuously hunt down any changes to our local environment. It is far too easy for important changes to be hidden from the people they affect, with the current system ?
Thanks Roland. An interesting history lesson too, for us in-commers.
Sounds like the council may be getting money for old rope, while the rate payers have the rug pulled from under them…?
Very true Daniel. I should have also said that the site of the old Gas Works was just North of ‘Waitrose’, i.e.. near to the railway lines.
The U R site must indeed be sat on top of some interesting archeology, has the car park been dug before?
I believe the Gasworks followed the carpet factory and was presumably located there so the coal could be brought in by the river, it then moved close to the railway as I guess that was the preferred method of transport.
The area in and around Bridge Street is mentioned here :- http://www.aaahs.org.uk/doc/abingdon-yes-i-remember-when.doc
Badger. In the above document it confirms “a small bridge taking one over the stream to an island on which are 2 cottages, the Abingdon Carpet Factory, and the site occupied until late in the 19th century by the Abingdon Gas Works.”… so this was when the Gas Works was relocated to its final spot south of Oxford road at the Vineyard.
“Abingdon Past and Present” (available from local bookshops!) pages 120 – 125 has lots of photos of the area – including a great aerial photo from the 1960s – and a brief history.