Abingdon border moves south

brick by brick
New houses are rising out of field that was used for horses. The houses of Virginia Way, that marked the southern-most border of Abingdon for thirty years, are no longer the border.
brick by brick
One row of houses are nearly built. Another row of houses are growing behind them.

16 thoughts on “Abingdon border moves south

  1. Daniel

    Running past these houses they look like the cheapest, pre-fab, cardboard boxes I’ve een in a while; still…I’m sure these 3, 4 and 5 bedroom houses will help out all those first time buyers.

    Out of interest…whilst the houses are going up, how’s all the community recompense coming along?

    Off topic, Has anyone else heard about TTIP; and have concerns?

    Reply
  2. Janet

    We were told that by moving the crossing in Ock Street this would elevate the queue of traffic down the Drayton Road. It has not made one jot of different. On several occasions during the last week I was in a queue that started at the Preston Road traffic lights. It seems to be just a ploy to allow the planning permission for the housing. I drive along the Drayton Road a lot and the exit for the development seems dangerous to me for the traffic coming out on the Drayton Road. Not only that but housing is being built on the outskirts of Drayton and more in Steventon. Soon we will have not just the 250 more cars from the Morland Gardens development but the vehicles from the other developments. Traffic iis not a consideration in granting planning applications.

    Reply
  3. Geoff Bailey

    Housing is undoubtedly needed but I agree the OCK Street lights have not made a jot of difference to the traffic flow.If anything it has made it slightly worse.In twenty years time no doubt Abingdon will have joined up with Drayton,Radley etc.

    Reply
  4. Captainkaos2

    I hear there’s a commotion there today because Thames Water have pulled lots of trees up because they were in the way of them laying the water service to the site ?

    Reply
  5. Liz

    Exactly the same thing happened on the Kings Field development in Marcham. Of course they can’t be replanted, so a few saplings may be put in their place which will take years to grow into mature trees ( as at the hydro site) The comment was” They were removed accidentally!” Really?!

    Reply
  6. BenW

    I live at this end of town and was (still am) completely against this development. Surprised to hear people saying the lights made no difference though? I thought like everyone else that the suggestion was a bad joke. However, on the handful of occasions I’ve needed to give the boy a lift to school at 8am I’ve been surprised at the speed of getting up to the Spring Road roundabouts. This isn’t the most scientific of surveys of course but I think it has halved my time to get through from Preston Road.

    Reply
  7. Captainkaos2

    Just had an evening in town and noticed the entrance porch for the Olives restaurant ( ex kit sons above cafe aroma) has gone, the gates bared and the lights are out! Has it closed down?

    Reply
  8. Houdini

    I live just off the Drayton Road and agree, the moved traffic lights have made no difference, as we knew they wouldn’t – dare I say ‘we told you so’? Perhaps they could have provided us with someone who could stand at the lights 24/7 and press the button every few mins.

    Every day we have to queue along the Drayton Road, sometimes taking 15-20 mins just to reach Marcham Rd / Ock St mini roundabout ….. and last week it was even more horrendous.

    We’re stuck this end of town – there’s no other way out unless we use the iron bridge at St Helens, but that’s usually no different.

    With the new houses being built in Drayton, this will get worse. It’s been said before and I’ll say it again – the exit onto the A34 at the Drayton/Steventon end would help alleviate this problem.

    Hey ho ……

    Reply
  9. Daniel

    Hey ho indeed!

    Mustn’t grumble. All is great. Mustn’t whinge. Write to the council.

    I tried not grumbling, and I wrote to the council. I got told, metaphorically, to stick it up my fundament.

    Hey ho. Mustn’t grumble.

    Reply
  10. Steve

    Agreed Daniel,

    I have written to the council many times and they either ignore you, or say it’s someone else’s problem and we can’t help. It’s a complete waste of time. The developers run the show and we have to just be grateful for what little we receive. Such a shame when you see the old photos of what a beautiful town Abingdon was and then compare to how it is now.

    Hey Ho……

    Reply
  11. Daniel

    Careful Steve….you’ve only just started posting and if you aren’t more upbeat you’ll get branded a whinger and cast out…

    Sweetness and light….sweetness and light….

    Reply
  12. ColinB

    Traffic rerouted ?. I live on Radley Road, the amount of traffic at the roundabout, (Audlett Drive/Twelve Acre Drive/Radley Road/) is on the increase, especially mornings. Is it traffic finding alternative routes to the A34. The long way round, So true Steve, it seems to be not only allowing large scale development, but small scale as well. In the past so much red tape to make small alterations to property, now wide scale extensions/garage conversions, all you have to do is submit electronic plans, and away you go.

    Reply
  13. ColinB

    I took a Walk along the paths (sustrans), The amount of development in tucked away areas, Large houses with gardens being demolished to build flats/houses on. Seem able to remove everything, including what is supposed to be protected. With ease, Arrived in Town, before 9am, deserted of people. The vans in front of the old Harp Pub, a flurry of activity. Shopfitters/Air Conditioning units, and making access to the flats above, property maintenance crews… Change of office space into apartments ‘town centres’ making way for housing..

    Reply
  14. Daniel

    But think of all that extra council tax all those extra properties bring in…

    How do you think the council pay for all those consultants to tell us we need more houses, or there isn’t a traffic problem!? Money doesn’t grow on trees you know….

    Reply
  15. Chuffy

    Captainkaos2 – I walked past there in the day and there was a chalkboard outside saying a Mexican restaurant was coming.

    Guess the Olives has closed.

    Reply
  16. Eric Clark

    I lived in Saxton Road until 1970 lived in town for 3 years then moved to Radley Road until 1984 when I moved to Drayton Road moving close to Preston road junction in 2000. And have seen the desecration of Abingdon in the guise of improvements over the years.
    I remember when the on ramp in Drayton was open, but wonder how much help it would be reopening it as the traffic on the A34 going to Oxford at peak times is often at a standstill, however this would relieve the congestion along Drayton road as the queue would then be between Steventon and Drayton. The only way to alleviate congestion in Abingdon would be to have a southern ring road from the Tesco’s/B& Q roundabout to the NoCuts roundabout near Newnam courtny with a new bridge over the Thames near the Marina and Culham This was proposed before Didcot power station was built but apparently had planning permission for the bridge refused as it would spoil one of the prettiest views of the Thames in Abingdon. Ironically this view was spoilt when Didcot power station was built, although you only see three cooling towers not six. I understand the need for more housing and facilities to meet the requirements of a growing population but what is the point if that population cannot move, or are the planners working on the assumption that in the future most people will work from home.

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Captainkaos2 Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.