Anybody travelling along the Marcham Road will see the large crane in the grounds of the soon to be expanded Oxford Abingdon Hotel.
The first thing that struck me is that the long jib sticks out as far as Homebase. It is a wonder it does not topple over.
I will be back in a couple of months time to see how the building has started to grow.
There is more building work going on… Just around the corner from there that not many people have noticed… And hasn’t been mentioned on here. But for weeks they have had heavy digging and destruction equipment in the back of the old Beales store. The upper floor has been taken out, and lots of other work has been carried out
Good chance to study the crane yesterday with the massive traffic jam in Abingdon. Worst I have ever seen.
The traffic jam was because of road works at the Drayton Road end of Ock Street. I thought that the new hotel building was going to be a Hilton. I miss Beales it was a good shop and the cafe was very popular.
This is whats going on at Beales. The new stores are hardly ground breaking, bring nothing new IMHO, but at least it won’t be empty…
http://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/java/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P18/V0373/A#exactline
You’ll see the ballast on the shorter end of the crane arm – remember doing moments in physics? I don’t like having to drive under that ballast though…
And still the pink Range Rover is parked on double yellow lines outside the owners salon in West Saint Helens !
I see also that the new Papa Johns pizza shop has their own personal parking slot for its delivery vehicle? Outside the shop squarely across the pavement!
Anyone else notice the welcome arch across the walkway from the council offices through into Stert st has disappeared?
What does the Mayor do?
Hopefully they are considering the proposals offered for a cinema etc in the Abbey Hall.
Regarding the development at Beales: since I could not open the planning documents in the link provided ( on my phone), what exactly are the details of the plans? Which shop(s)/type of business is going to be replacing Beales at this site?
The traffic jam offered me an interesing route from Ock Street to Mill Road.
Back to town centre,
Take Bath Road and out to Shippon.
Congestion into town on A415; so out to Marcham and Frilford.
Take A338 to East Hanney.
Turn left to Steventon.
Back via Drayton.
40 minutes!
Next time I’ll go via Argentina….
Ppjs, if, on the return journey, you go from Drayton, towards Steventon, then turn right to East Hanney (where, incidentally I hear the roads are really good), then take the A338 to Frilford and then towards Marcham, then turn left towards Shippon, round the top of town to Bath Street, and then left on to Stratton Way….well there, on the corner, the flowers are really lovely.
ppjs – I remember one evening a couple of years ago approaching from the south with the A34 shut at Milton, using Google traffic to avoid the ensuing gridlock in Steventon/Drayton, then ending up having to go as far out as Kingston Bagpuize to avoid a queue half way back to East Hanney from Frilford on the A338… only added 20 miles and 45mins to the journey 🙁
Thanks, guys – think what I missed!
I say bring back Transport Planning Guru, David Dimmo Smith. He’d sort out this problem during his coffee break!
ppjs – Indeed, all the hours scrubbed off people’s lives just waiting to get around this stagnant town. In the future of course the route you describe will circumnavigate Thames Water’s planned inland sea, there won’t be any view to enjoy though due to the hundred foot high embankment around it 🙁
Cassandra Its Hammonds Furniture
Thank you Simon. It is not a store that I have ever visited but I have heard of them at least. I wonder if they will be able to rival Vineys and Lee Longlands?