Proposed extra money for Westway Centre defeated

At the February Vale council meeting, the following amendment to the Tory budget was proposed by Councillor Tony de Vere and seconded by Councillor Debby Hallett:

“This Council wishes to increase its funding to support the vitality of our towns and main shopping areas, including an increased expenditure on Botley. The revenue expenditure should be increased by a one-off figure of £100,000 for the year 2012/13.”

Cllr De Vere said:

The amendment seeks to increase the financial support to the vitality of our towns and main shopping areas by making an additional £100,000 available – in particularly supporting the retail sector. I am not going to be too specific about what and where, although would highlight previous examples where this Council has supplemented projects undertaken by other authorities in improving the retail and community environment in our shopping areas. I know that my colleague Cllr Hallett will draw your attention to the Botley Westway shopping area and we acknowledge the development plans currently in discussion. There is a £30,000 budget proposal for strategic property advice, but I think this Council must also acknowledge the important community facilities element that goes alongside this development and we must make plans now for the relocation of the parish council’s and community activities at the Seacourt Hall. So I would propose that some of this increased expenditure is used for this cause.

No doubt there are other projects in our three main market towns that would welcome support from this Council and I am convinced that with the advent of New Homes Bonus money, which seeks to reward Councils for their progress in housing growth, we should take the opportunity to plough a small fraction of this money back into our communal shopping areas.

Cllr Hallett said:

North Hinskey and neighbouring Cumnor are about to begin a period of rapid growth, with development expected soon on hundreds of new homes now that Thames Water is addressing the sewerage capacity problems. The Westway Centre is to also have major new development, and to make way for it, the buildings housing Seacourt Hall and our beloved library will be demolished. This amendment would provide money that would go some way to putting in place real plans to ensure the community gets replacement library and community hall.

Council has previously made clear its commitment to the revitalisation of our town centres and retail areas. Westway Centre didn’t benefit from the new free parking scheme, because parking was already free there.

This year, the rate of deterioration of West Way precinct has increased:

two units are long-term vacancies, one has serious internal damage that makes it hard to rent;
a storm brought down large parts of trees which were found to be diseased and so were removed;
police ejected squatters from the flats above the Co-op;
outdoor light fixtures have broken and fallen onto the pavements in the precinct.

Shoppers report they no longer feel safe there. In Botley!

North Hinksey is doing its share to meet the Vale’s housing needs. In order to revitalise the main shopping area for thousands of residents, I’d like to see some extra money targeted to bring this shopping area up to the standards the Vale council holds for other shopping areas.

The vote:

All district councillors from Cumnor, Dean Court, Appleton, Kennington, Radley, North Hinksey and Wytham voted for this proposal, except for Cllr Eric Batts of North Hinksey & Wytham, who voted against.

Warm Home Health People Project

Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils are part of the Warm Homes Healthy
People project which has recently been awarded £160,000 from the Department of Health to help
vulnerable people who are struggling to pay their fuel bills.

The project, led by NHS Oxfordshire, brings together a wide range of organisations including all of the Oxfordshire local authorities as well as the Citizens Advice Bureaux, Age UK and the Oxfordshire Rural Community Council. The funding, which has to be spend by the end of March, is being used to provide the following assistance:

• small energy saving home improvements (e.g. draft-proofing) for over 60s;
• benefit entitlement checks for anyone;
• free membership to the ORCC oil bulk-buying scheme for those struggling to afford the cost of heating oil;
• fuel vouchers for benefit recipients and those in fuel poverty;
• food boxes for those struggling to afford or unable to get food.

For more information about the Warm Homes Healthy People project and the help that is available can call the Warm Homes Healthy People Helpline on 0844 887 0005.

Or contact Synthia Sullvan, Energy Officer, 01235 540537, cynthia.sullivan@southandvale.gov.uk

Reprieve for petrol station?

Word from the Vale’s planning officers is that the Seacourt Retail Park redevelopment is proceeding along the lines of an earlier application, approved in 2008, rather than the newer 2010 application that was met with so many objections to the closure of the last petrol station in the area.

The project will see three stores (those once occupied by Allied Carpets and Habitat, plus Homebase) re-vamped and sub-divided into seven stores. It has minor car park changes, but keeps the same overall footprint and traffic flow. The really good news is that they have no plans to close the petrol station.

The approved plans can be seen on the Vale’s planning portal http://bit.ly/wOOSoh).

Win your Council Tax for a year!

Residents are being encouraged to sign up to receive their council tax bill by email to help save money, and those who do will be entered in a draw to have their entire 2012/13 council tax paid for them.

Council has agreed to pay the entire 2012/13 council tax bill for one resident drawn randomly from the e-billing list. To enter the draw, council tax payers need to sign up by Tuesday 31 January. Send an email to vowh.counciltax@secure.capita.co.uk

Vale House change of use Planning Application withdrawn

After my urging for the owners of Vale House to hold an open community meeting about their planned changes, Ede Builders and Botley Alzheimers Home hosted a Q&A session on 2 Dec 2011. It was well-attended by members of the community, as well as community leaders: I spotted county councillor Janet Godden, district councillors Eric Batts and John Woodford, a Cumnor parish councillor, but I didn’t see any North Hinksey parish councillors.

The atmosphere was somewhat heated, as many people expressed their strong concerns and fears about the intended use of the building as an HMO. Most of these concerns can also be seen in the letters posted on the Vale website.

On the 9^th of December 2011, Ede withdrew their application. Their withdrawal letter, which can be viewed on the planning web page, http://bit.ly/sYfMne , says they plan to re-submit quickly, and that they’re likely to request permission to convert to flats.

Once a new Planning Application is received, I’ll post details on this site, on the page called Planning Applications.

Report to North Hinksey Parish Council – 24 Nov 2011

The Vale now stocks some 360 litre green recycling bins, which are half again as large as the standard green bins. At the moment, they are only for households of 6 or more, but that policy is to be reviewed soon. If you’d like a larger green bin, contact the Vale 01235 520202, or waste.team@southandvale.gov.uk
You can have a Collection Reminder sent to your mobile phone when your rubbish or recycling pick-up date changes due to holidays or bad weather. It’s easy to register: send a text message with the word “waste” and your collection day to 07797 870371. For example, “waste Thursday”. This is the best way to keep up to date throughout the winter.
The Vale hosted the first ever Town and Parish Council Forum on 23 Nov 2011. Town and parish councillors were invited to meet with other parish councillors, councillors and officers from the district council and local public sector representatives. I know that a few days before the event, no one from North Hinksey had signed up. If someone had a chance to attend, I’d like to hear how it went and what you learned.
From 9 Dec 2011, there is free two hour parking in Vale owned car parks in Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon. (Ours in North Hinksey are already free all the time.)
The Vale plans to bring free Wi-Fi to Botley. Dates aren’t announced yet, and I understand we’re in the queue behind the town centres. But we’re definitely on the list!
County Cllr Janet Godden and I hold a Get It Sorted Session every other month in a different part of the parish. Our next session is 29 Nov 2011, 6-7pm at the Westminster Sports Centre. This is particularly handy for residents of Harcourt Hill and the upper part of Elm’s Rise, but everyone is welcome.

Reminder: You can see all the current North Hinksey planning applications on my blog. I’ve tried to make it simple to find out what applications are currently under consideration in North Hinksey and Wytham ward. I add info as soon as I receive notice of the planning application from the Vale. I include the consultation period, targeted decision date, and a link to the Vale Planning site so readers can see what information about the application has already been received. See them at www.DebbyHallett.MyCouncillor.org.uk

A34 Wytham Embankment Maintenance

I received a notice from the Highways Agency. It says:

…We will be undertaing essential safety improvement work on the A34 southbound embankment, approximately 50 metres south of the Wytham Godstow Flyover. Badger excavations have destabilised the area adjacent to the existing safety barrier, and to ensure continued road user safety, we will be carrying out embankment strengthening work over a distance of approximately 30 metres along the southbound carriageway verge in order to protect the badger sett and stabilise the embankment.

To ensure work is carried out in accordance with the badger licence issued by Natural England, an ecologist will be supervising the works each night.

The work is programmed to start on Monday 17 October 2011, and should take approximately one week to complete, weather permitting. For the safety of our workforce and other road users, work will be carried out at night between 9pm and 5am, when traffic flows are at their lowest. During these hours there will be a lane closure on the southbound carriageway.

I would like to apologise in advance for any disturbance or inconvenience cause by the works. I would like to emphasise, however, that the Highways Agency and its contractors work to strict procedures to ensure minimal noise at night.

Should you require any further information regarding this scheme, please contact the Highwys Agency Information line on 0300 123 5000 or email them at ha_infor@highways.gsi.gov.uk

Get It Sorted Sessions

Talk to your County Councillor Janet Godden or your District Councillor (me) at our sessions, held every other month. We’re planning to hold one near you!

Tues 29 Nov 2011, 6-7pm, Westminster Sports Centre Lobby

Tues 10 Jan 2012, 6-7pm, WI on North Hinksey Lane
Tues 13 Mar 2012, 6-7pm, Seacourt Road Rooms
Tues 8 May 2012, 6-7pm, venue tba

In the run-up to each session, we’ll deliver flyers and residents’ surveys to homes nearby.

Please drop in!

Free Town Centre Parking – Consultation

This was circulated to local councillors today. When it says ‘towns’ it particularly refers to Abingdon, Faringdon and Wantage. Parking at West Way Shopping Centre in Botley is already free. There’s a link at the bottom to more information.

A consultation has been launched on proposals to changes to council parking in the Vale of White Horse District Council area.

Residents, businesses and visitors to the area are being given the chance to have their say on plans that could see a free period of two hours being introduced to help boost the local economy in the Vale’s towns.

Councillor Matthew Barber, leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The big change being proposed is the two hours of free parking – this has the potential to benefit both residents and businesses in the area’s towns.

“If things go to plan we will be able to implement the changes by the start of December which will be great news for anyone shopping or doing business in the run-up to Christmas.

“For many people two hours is enough to go shopping or attend appointments. Very few places in the UK are this generous, but we need to know what people locally think.

“There are also some other detailed changes being proposed that are needed to help us run the car parks efficiently but, again, we are asking for people’s views before anything is decided.”

The 21 day consultation period has now begun.

To find out more about the proposed changes and to submit your views visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/haveyoursay, email carparks@southandvale.gov.uk or you can view the documents at White Horse District Council’s offices, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX14 3JE or phone 01235 547665.

Planning Applications – introduction

Many residents want to know about planning applications under consideration for properties in their area.

From today, I’ll post planning application information when I receive it.

There’s a spearate page for Planning Applications. In the cntre column, under What’s Inside, see Planning Applications.

If you have comments or objections to what is being planned, they must be received by the Vale within that period. More info on how to submit comments is very clearly displayed on the Vale website (using the link inside each area).

I’ll review these Planning Applications postings periodically and take them down after the decision has been made by the Vale Planning department.

Please let me know if you’d like to see anything else.