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.)
If those are the key aims which need to be addressed one can but wonder what has been motivating the current and past lot of incompetents.
Easy to keep knocking but wish some of the vocal critics of the council would at least try for election rather than just being negative about our town!
I understand the Town Council are also meeting tonight to discuss the future of the Abbey Hall. I’m told there’s something on their website but I couldn’t find it.
People who value the Abbey Cinema may wish to lobby their councilors to reach a decision which will retain this fantastic cinema.
For some reason the meeting was cancelled, but the future of the cinema is still in doubt.
The owners are prepared to become responsible for repairing & maintaining the building and to comply with current and future regulations and to remove the financial and legal responsibility for the upkeep of the building from the council in return for the freehold of the building, or a long lease. They have been negotiating this for many years, to no avail, despite the overwhelming public support so often expressed to the council.
If you would like the Abbey Cinema to continue operating in Abingdon, please email the Town Clerk Cherie Carruthers cherie.carruthers@abingdon.gov.uk the leader of the council Jim Halliday jim.halliday@abingdon.gov.uk
Thanks Janet.
Have the council (Specifically Jim and Cherie) satisfactorily explained WHY they won’t or haven’t done this deal?
If there is already overwhelming expression of support then it may be useful to hear the reason for their reticence?
This post is full of assertions without evidence.
Perhaps Kelly would enlighten us:
“For some reason the meeting was cancelled.” I did not see a meeting advertised anywhere. Was such a meeting ever scheduled?
Negotiations over the freehold have been going on for years. Never heard of this one, any evidence?
Overwhelming public support for the cinema? Again no evidence. A nice facility no doubt but I am not sure you can say there is overwhelming public support.
Most Council taxpayers do not use the cinema.
People should remember that the council is there for all of us.
Easy enough to criticise the council.
I would imagine that The Upper Reaches saga would fill any councillor with dread when the words ‘freehold’ and ‘long lease’ are associated with any property in a prime Town Centre position. A freeholder/long lease-holder can make demands while letting a property lie fallow and a council be open (rightly) to allowing an eyesore to develop through neglect.
I’m not suggesting that the people who run the cinema are the sort who would think of putting the Council in such an invidious position (Heaven Forfend), and I’m not suggesting that the current councillors are so insane as to give out a massively over-extended deal, or freehold, with unlimited allowances for change of purpose (sorta like TURs). No, just drop the ‘commercial confidentiality’ farago and get down to the nitty-gritty and declare what you REALLY want. In public.
Forget the smoke ‘n’mirrors. Tell the public. Surprise us all. Be Brave.