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Crime: Police News_ Money: MARCHS_£1_MILLION_PREMIUM_BONDS_JACKPOT_DRAW Service 15 - Roadworks Disruption 15th - 19th March 2010
Wood Farm Road will be closed from Monday 15th March for five days.
During this time, normal stops on The Slade, Wood Farm Road, Atkyns Road and Nuffield Road will NOT be served.
Buses will divert as follows:
From Oxford, normal route to Girdlestone Road then Left onto The Slade, Right onto Old Road, Right onto Titup Hall Drive, Left onto Wood Farm Road, Left onto Masons Road, Right onto Titup Hall Drive, Left onto Old Road, Left onto The Slade, Right onto Girdlestone Road - then normal route.
Full Council to debate Oxford Brookes University Development ON !8 March at 5 Pm For more details: OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY, GIPSY LANE, OXFORD – 09/02765/CAC AND 09/02764/FUL
Item 4.pdf
Item 4 - Appendix 1.pdf
Item 4 - Appendix 2.pdf
Item 4 - Appendix 3.pdf Wednesday 10 March 2010 Barton Swim Challenge - Launching Soon! The Barton Swim Challenge kicks off on the 19 March and every time you swim at Barton Pool, £1 will be donated to a local community cause. The target is to raise over £2,000 for local Barton projects and there are new sessions being put on to help as many people get back in the water as possible! The Barton Swim Challenge starts on Friday 19 March and runs until 15 April. Councillor Bob Timbs, Board Member for Leisure and Sport, says: “This is a great event for the community and I would encourage people to get involved. “There are plenty of extra activities that have been put on at Barton Pool to encourage people to come to the pool.” Children from Bayards Hill School have put their creative hats on and have created posters to celebrate the Swim Challenge. Keep your eye out in Headington and Barton for the winning design. Anneka Horne, from Bayards Hill School, says: “We jumped at the chance to demonstrate how much we enjoy using Barton Pool as well as encouraging the wider community to use the site. “We use Barton Pool on a regular basis for swimming lessons and we pride ourselves on our commitment to promoting the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including how exercise benefits our overall health and fitness. “We can't wait to get involved and get swimming, raising lots of money for community causes!” The day of the launch sees children from Bayards Hill School attending an Aqua Splash Festival at Barton Pool. And the following day there is an H20 disco at Barton Pool for children across Oxford in years 4-9. Then, every Friday night from 7pm to 8pm there will be an Aqua Youth Club including mini-polo, whacky races, flip ‘n’ fun and much more! There is plenty for adults to enjoy too. Barton Pool have teamed up with Swimfit to help you get more out of your swim! There are now Swimfit cards on poolside in Barton giving you an easy, medium or hard plan for your swimming session. Use them to boost your fitness and watch your swimming stroke improve! Alternatively you can try out the Water Workout, on Wednesdays from 7pm until 7.45pm. This is a classic way to use your local pool to get fitter, using the resistance of the water to improve your strength without putting too much stress on your joints! And remember, each time anyone swims at Barton Pool from March 19 to April 15, £1 will be donated to local community projects. The Barton Swim Challenge is being organised by Bayards Hill Primary School, The Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), Oxford City Council, Fusion, NHS Oxfordshire, School Sports Partnership and GO Active. For more information contact Abbie Clare, GO Active Coordinator for Oxford City, on aclare@oxford.gov.uk or 01865 252720. The City Council's Strategic Development Control Committee approved the revised planning application for new library and teaching facilities for Oxford Brookes University on Wednesday 24 February.
The application may be called in to be considered by the full council, but only if enough councillors remain opposed to the scheme. Speaking after the meeting Paul Large, Acting Registrar for the university said: “In developing the revised plans for a new library and teaching building, we have worked hard to establish a positive dialogue with local residents and to address as many of the concerns about the previous scheme as possible. “We’re encouraged that more councillors on the committee supported our proposals this time and feel this is in recognition of the fact that we have made important compromises on the development of this important building. “We must now wait until close of business on Tuesday (2 March) to see whether enough Councillors remain opposed to the building to ask for it to be considered at a full Council meeting on 18 March. “This development is vital for the future of teaching and learning at the university and to maintain excellent academic standards and successful graduates. “Our students and staff make a huge contribution to the local knowledge and skills economy and these facilities will enable us to continue to support the city and the region.” For more news about Brookes University
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
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.
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."
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.
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