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Headington News Met Office: Weather       Events Guide  

Public Transport - due to extreme weather it is advised to check with Oxford local buses

and National Rail Enquiries for state of services.

Oxford PLAYHOUSE Visits Old Headington's Rookery.



In a performance DEVISED and by OXFORD PLAYHOUSE
RESIDeNT YOUNG COMPANY 16|22

Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 March 2010

Oxford Playhouse series, Playhouse Plays Out, brings you another live performance in an unexpected place. Devised and performed by its very own resident young company, 16|22, don’t miss To and Fro from Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 March at the charming and atmospheric The Rookery in Old Headington.

Oxford Playhouse Director, Michelle Dickson says – “Playhouse Plays Out is about bringing shows right to the heart of our community across Oxfordshire. We are leaving the theatre for a few days and moving into the Rookery in Old Headington, where we'll be taking over the building and staging a rather dramatic party. To and Fro stars our resident young people's company, 16|22, who last entertained audiences with their white rabbit appearances across the city on Alice Day. This time around they've been busy devising a production for audiences who will wander around the house, and come across unexpected scenes in different rooms. Safe to say we'll all be in for a wonderful night out; dancing, singing, performance and even the odd cup of tea if you're lucky! With grateful thanks to The Foundation for Sport and the Arts and CHK Charities Limited for financial support to make this production possible, and to Ruskin College for hosting the show.”

Aged between 16 and 22, the Playhouse’s resident company 16|22 come from all over Oxfordshire to create, rehearse and perform theatre. The piece, To and Fro, is inspired by T S Eliot’s poem, Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock. You are invited to a party at The Rookery in Old Headington, where you will enjoy an intimate and enticing journey into the bustling and secret world of the characters and images inspired by the poem. As a party guest you will move around the house encountering the evening’s events.

Jo Noble, Youth Theatre Director at Oxford Playhouse says – “The party hosts, the young and reckless, prostitutes and mermaids, party mutterers, Michelangelo Women, fools and café workers plus Prufrock and his footman are all waiting the spectator in this investigation of TS Eliot's Lovesong of J Alfred Prufrock. The 16/22 young company have relished exploring all manner of characters, plots, sub-plots, ideas and concepts in the wealth of material that Elliot's poem offers. The results range from the hilarious to the disturbing and as it is presented as a party, with ticket holders being guests, there is the opportunity to wander to and fro experiencing it all. Pathos, dancing, scandal, ethics, - this piece has it all.”

The Rookery in Old Headington (a grade II listed building, owned by Ruskin College), lends its own voice and historic characteristics to the piece, making To and Fro a completely unique experience. The group will devise and perform the production themselves, with professional design, direction and support.

Tickets for To and Fro at Oxford Playhouse are available from the ticket office on 01865 305305 or book online at www.oxfordplayhouse.com 

 

Thornhill Expansion Plans Questioned

 

On first sight these proposals look like a good idea, anything to encourage
people to use public transit more. However, it does have its drawbacks, these
include:
1. More traffic congestion on the existing access roads, including increased
delays for buses to Barton, Headington and its hospitals, Risinghurst, Forest
Hill, Thame, Wheatley, Oxford Brookes University buses, Oxford City Centre and
the Park and Ride express bus services.
2. Less usage of existing public transit services to Thornhill Park and Ride.
3. Increased operating and capital costs.
4. No doubt generate opposition from such groups as the CPRE.
5. Draws potential traffic away from the new Chiltern Trains service to London
that is due to start operating from the new Kidlington rail station at Water
Eaton Park and Ride from 2012.
6. Nor does this proposal seem to take into account the potential impact the
construction of High Speed Two will have on traffic demand pattern in the
county.

Would it not be a better as an alternative and more environmentally friendly
solution to improve public transport services to Thornhill Park and Ride for
potential users living in nearby towns and villages, so that they do not need
to use their cars to gain access to express London bound coach services?
Improved bus services to Thornhill would:
1. Reduce the need to expand site.
2. Reduce traffic congestion on access roads and improve bus service
reliability.
3. Cut potential increases in air and noise pollution.
4. Reduce demand for parking at Thornhill for London bound commuters. Thus
create new parking capacity for Oxford bound commuters and shoppers.
 


Council to pursue Thornhill expansion plans


February 15, 2010

Oxfordshire County Council is moving ahead with plans to increase capacity at the Thornhill Park and Ride site.

Cabinet members have given planning officers the go-ahead to draw up a planning application to expand the site by 540 parking spaces to meet growing demand for use of the facility.

Officers will also begin investigating the possible introduction of a charge for customers using the site for travel to London and the airports, to help protect the core use of the site, which is travel into Oxford.

It is unlikely that any expansion would be feasible without the introduction of such a charge. This charge would also help cover the extra running costs of an expanded site.

Use of the Thornhill site for coach trips to London has grown steadily over a long period of time, and while it is now an important feature of the facility, it is not the primary purpose of Thornhill.

Current pressure
While there is increasing demand at all five Park and Ride sites, Thornhill experiences the greatest pressure, with the car park filling up to capacity almost every weekday by around 9.30am.

Recent assessment work indicates there is currently high unmet demand and this rises to around 540 if demand up to 2026 is taken into account.

The county council hopes to be in a position to apply for planning permission during spring 2010. The total cost of building the extension, should the application be successful, is estimated at around £3-4million.

Clear need
Oxfordshire County Council's Cabinet Member for Growth and Infrastructure Ian Hudspeth said: "Anyone who regularly uses Thornhill will tell you there is clearly a need for more parking spaces. Today's decision means we can start the ball rolling to address that need by putting together a proposal aimed at balancing the needs of our customers as well as we possibly can.

"Thornhill is unique among Oxford's Park and Ride sites in terms of the high demand for travel into London, and while this has become an important feature of the site, our priority remains to protect core use for travel into Oxford at all Park and Ride sites. As such we feel that introducing a small fee for motorists travelling to other destinations represents the most viable option.

"It's not clear at this stage exactly how that charging system would work or what the costs would be, but it makes sense for our officers to start looking into this in addition to preparing a planning application."
 

Police News

14/02/10]

A recent police operation during January and February to target offenders in Oxford has reduced crime overall across the City.
Offences from mid January to mid February 2010 compared in percentage terms with the same period in 2009 are as follows:-


Burglary Dwelling = 56 15% reduction;
Robbery = 23 92% increase;
Theft from vehicles = 44 51% reduction;
Theft of vehicles = 32 45% reduction;
All crime = 1,549 10% reduction.


Please bear in mind that although the percentage increase in robbery is high the number of offences, less than one a day, is relatively low compared with other crime in the City. The police will continue to focus attention on robbery offences and provide crime reduction advice through the Neighbourhood Teams.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Headington Cycle Repair - Bob Williams
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
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