OXFORDSHIRE County Council has given Notice of Temporary Traffic Order for Thame, warning of a two-week road closure on the B4012 Thame Park Road. The Order reads:
Prohibition of Through Traffic – Date of Order: 27 February 2017 – Coming into force: 6 March 2017.
This Order is being introduced because of carriageway investigation works
which are anticipated to take 2 weeks to complete.
The effect of the Order is to temporarily prohibit any vehicle proceeding or
waiting in the whole length of Thame Park Road.
Appropriate traffic signs will be displayed to indicate when the measures are
in force.
The alternative route for traffic is via the A40 London Road, Tetsworth to
Milton Common A329 to Thame relief road, A418, B4012 and vice versa.
This Order will remain in force for a maximum period of 18 months or until the
works have been completed whichever is the sooner.
Traffic Regulations Team (Ref JaC/T4683) for the Director for Environment &
Economy, County Hall, Oxford OX1 1ND. 0345 310 1111.
RACQUETS Fitness Centre, located in the busy town centre car park behind the Cattle Market in Thame, is inviting everyone to the unveiling of a new public defibrillator on Friday, February 24.
Sue Martin Downhill of Racquets, explained: “We started raising money for the defibrillator two years ago when one our members, Helen Plant, donated some money to run a Christmas Hamper Raffle in aid of a new defibrillator. This was followed by a not-for-profit DropiT21 seminar and then a number of other events throughout last year. With help from Staying Alive Thame, we finally raised the full amount needed and have now installed it outside the club in the Cattle Market.
Simon Martin, owner of Racquets Fitness Centre, added: “I’d like to dedicate this defibrillator to my dad Richard Martin, who died one year ago of cancer but also suffered with heart arrhythmia. Dad was a dedicated Thame resident and MD of Racquets for 20 years.”
Racquets are inviting everyone to stay for a free drink in the bar immediately after the opening.
The defibrillator will be unveiled by the Mayor of Thame, Linda Emery at 1.30pm on February 24.
THAME’S future growth will undoubtedly put pressures on the the local roads and parking, and Thame Town Council has been explaining the challenges the town faces ahead of next week’s public meeting to debate transport issues.
The town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer, Graham Markland, said today: “Thame will continue to grow considerably in terms of its population over the next few years. New housing and employment developments are either completed or underway and it is expected that we will have to accommodate even more. There will be further additional pressure on our town centre and highways from recent and potential growth in surrounding villages. Haddenham, for example, could double in size over the next 15 years. How do we stop this growth overwhelming the town?
“Transport planning is one important area that we are now focusing on. With both pressures on budgets and arguments around how local government will be provided across Oxfordshire, no-one else will be looking at Thame in a holistic way. How will we join walking & cycling with parking and public transport? How will we manage Thame’s traffic?”
The Agenda for Tuesday’s meeting is as follows:
· Terms of reference explained
· Crossovers with Thame Green Living Plan and 21st Century Thame
· Correspondence received on Transport matters from Thame residents/visitors, e.g. on cycle safety, 20 mph zones, safety on specific roads, parking
provision for market vehicles. Correspondence received from Oxfordshire County Council, attempting to absolve themselves from certain
responsibilities.
· Project frameworks –
o Walking and cycling framework
o Parking provision framework
o Public transport framework
o Traffic management framework
The burned out horsebox – Image courtesy of Andy Ford
YESTERDAY, Tuesday, February 21, at 07:53, the emergency services were called to a large fire in a horse transporter lorry on Thame Road, Haddenham.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a number of hosereel jets to quickly bring the fire under control and stop it spreading to the adjacent farm house and out buildings.
Incident Commander Watch Manager Andy Ford said: “On arrival the Horse Transporter was fully involved in fire. Our first priority was to stop the fire spreading to the out building and the nearby farm house. Fire crews worked quickly to contain the fire and then extinguish it completely. Fortunately the owner spotted the fire and called the Fire and Rescue Services quickly, so we were able to attend in time to contain the fire to the lorry and stop it spreading further.”
No horses were in the transporter at the time of the fire.
THAME residents are being invited to have their say and contribute ideas to help solve the town’s travel and parking problems.
Thame’s Transport Plan Working Group (TPWG) will be meeting for the first time publicly at 6.30pm on Tuesday, February 28, at the Town Hall.
The working group was set up to identify and deliver the work needed to help solve the problems Thame faces around travel and parking including walking and cycling, public transport, traffic management, travel issues associated with identified projects for the future in Thame (such as the redevelopment of the Cattle Market) and future impacts of expansion in Haddenham and of the Oxford-Cambridge Expressway.
The TPWG aims to look at these issues in a holistic way in terms of current and future growth in Thame.
Anyone interested, or who believes they can help, is invited to attend the public meeting next Tuesday. For more information, contact Thame Town Council on 01844 260495.
LEAGUE leaders Chinnor welcomed Cinderford to Kingsey Road yesterday (18/02) with the visitors bang in form, having not lost for over two months.
Kieran Goss’s try photographed by Aaron Bayliss
Full of confidence, the Gloucestershire side fancied their chances of claiming an eighth straight win and derailing Chinnor’s title hopes.
In a game of two very different halves, early Chinnor pressure saw a crash ball try for centre, Charlie Broughton, who went in under the posts after six minutes converted by Bentley for 7-0.
The visitors replied straight from the restart with a try in the corner by winger Harry Robinson. Full back, James Moffat, missed the extras but made up for it a few minutes later by intercepting a Chinnor attack and running fully 80 metres to go in under the posts. He converted his own try for 7-12 lead after 18 minutes.
From the restart, Cinderford, who were comfortable and confident in their own game, turned the Chinnor ball over and pushed back up field. Harry Robinson picked up from the ensuing ruck and ran down the blindside unchallenged to score his second try of the afternoon. Moffat missed the conversion but their lead was extended to 17-7.
A stunned Chinnor needed to up their game but despite having the bulk of possession and territory for the remainder of the half, Cinderford’s defence was outstanding and kept them out until the last minute when a Jonny Bentley penalty made it 17-10 at the interval.
Early Chinnor pressure after the break led to a succession of pick and drives in the visitor’s 22, and a second Bentley penalty under the posts narrowed the score to 17-13.
Liam Hemming missed a long-range penalty shortly after the restart for Cinderford, and Chinnor came storming back with a superb second try by Charlie Broughton after an incisive break from full back Kieran Goss. The conversion was missed by Bentley for an 18-17 lead to Chinnor.
The hosts were now in full flow and after several phases of play and an impressive line break by prop Jay Tyack, Ben Manning went over. The referee instead awarded a penalty try for a high tackle in the act of scoring although this went unconverted. Chinnor now led 23-17 with 15 minutes remaining.
Chinnor’s fourth and bonus point try came after 71 minutes when scrum half Josh Davies swooped over from a 5 metre scrum and gave the hosts a two score margin 28-17.
The try of the game came with four minutes left when a Cinderford clearance kick was collected by the outstanding Kieran Goss in his own half and with seemingly nothing on glided through the Cinderford defence to score near the posts.
Bertie Hopkin converted the extras but the Villagers weren’t quite done. Straight from the restart in the last minute, Chinnor broke from a ruck and Star man Josh Davies went in for his second try. Hopkin again converted and that’s how it finished 42-17.
Great credit to both sides for a tremendous game. Cinderford were terrific in the first half but Chinnor turned it around after the break with five unanswered tries which sent the majority of the bumper crowd home happy!
LAST night (February 16), South Oxfordshire District Council agreed to freeze its council tax rate for the second year running.
In setting its budget the council included additional investment in car parking, support for the regeneration of Berinsfield and funding to help provide accommodation for rough sleepers.
More than £1,000,000 in grants is being made available to support community projects, such as improvements to village halls and providing new sports areas.
The district council will also invest a further £500,000 over the next two years to help deliver Superfast Broadband to more communities across the district.
To help raise further funds for local voluntary and community groups the council will be introducing a new local lottery scheme during 2017, giving residents the opportunity to win while raising money for a chosen cause or general good cause fund. Almost £99,000 will also go towards increasing volunteering and volunteering opportunities across the district.
New Lottery Scheme
The local lottery scheme will be a weekly lottery that will directly support good causes that benefit the community of South Oxfordshire. The money raised through the scheme will be spent on providing essential support to a wide range of local organisations.
The district council has stated that the new volunteering funding will provide resources to help get more people in the district volunteering. There will be a new grant scheme to encourage people to take up volunteering where costs may be a barrier, such as sports coaching qualifications or insurance costs for volunteer drivers, and there will also be new support to facilitate volunteering through the development of an online brokerage service to link potential volunteers with volunteering opportunities.
One of Thame’s District Cllrs, Nigel Champken Woods, told Thame.net: “We said in our Manifesto that we would keep any increases in Council Tax to a minimum which we have been able to do by careful management by Councillors and Staff at SODC and would encourage all organisations in Thame, who are eligible, to bid for grants which will be available.”
New money for Thame groups
Cllr Jeanette Matelot Green added: “We are introducing a Councillors Allowance Scheme where each councillor will receive a £5000 allowance which they can use to offer grants to local community groups. Thame will benefit well from this as we have three ward members. Details will be sorted out by May and we will then be looking for projects. It’s not money to be spent on one project but hopefully smaller amounts to many organisations. For instance, if a community group needed a computer, we could fund that.”
IT’S time to book your float or stall for Thame Carnival 2017. This year, the theme will be the 1940s.
The money raised from the event on Saturday, June 10, will benefit two charities, the Fire Fighters Charity and Sobell House Hospice. So, go over to the LINK, and book a stall that either provides an activity for visitors to take part in, is entertaining or will provide food or drink. No purely information stall this year please.
Online bookings will be possible in around 10 days time, but in the meantime you can BACS and send your applications by email as per previous years.
AT the Club’s AGM on Friday (Feb 10), Angus Lachlan announced that that he was standing down as Club Chairman for 2017, and the meeting unanimously elected Matt Swain to succeed him. Angus is replacing Matt as Vice-Chairman.
Angus Lachlan
Angus said: “I have been privileged to hold the position of Chairman for 10 years, succeeding Acting Chairman Rob Brooks following the untimely death of previous Chairman, John Fulkes in 2004. I have enjoyed my time immensely as the Club has gone through huge changes in the last 10 years. We have grown the membership and Club’s finances year on year, culminating in the planning of our new Clubhouse development which Matt, myself and the rest of the Committee are taking forward.”
New Chairman of Thame Town Cricket Club, Matt Swain
New Chairman, Matt Swain, confirmed that a tender package for the Clubhouse development would be ready in April.” This is a magnificent opportunity for a local construction company to help build this major community facility,” he added. On the day to day club matters he said: “We are lucky to have a stable and dedicated Club Committee to run our expanding activities. My priorities as Chairman will be to continue to grow club membership and develop our close relationships with Thame’s community, the Town Council, Lord Williams’ School and the town’s primary schools.”
Matt gave a detailed presentation to the meeting of the new Clubhouse project, and confirmed that the Club’s very successful ‘Buy A Brick’ scheme will run through 2017.
Visit the club’s website by linking HERE or for further information on this and the new building, contact enquiries@thamecricket.org.uk or chairman@thamecricket.org.uk
SENIOR Police Officers from the town’s Neighbourhood team faced a barrage of criticisms about enforcement of parking restrictions in Thame, during an open session of Thame Town Council this week.
This gentleman thought he’d park on zigzag lines whilst he visited Sainsbury’s! (photo by Frank Millar)
Inspector Mark Harling and SGT Vicky Hoskin told Councillors and questioners from a sparsely populated public gallery, that PCSOs can and do issue tickets for vehicles parked on zig-zag lines in the town (£40 fine), if they are causing an obstruction. Otherwise they have no powers of enforcement. “Police Officers themselves do police unlawful parking, when and if they are not committed to other priorities,” explained Insp Harling.
Inconsiderate parking around Lashlake
Similarly, because the streets around Lashlake, Green Lane and Moorend Land, often used as car parking for employees of CPM, are not areas with Residential Restricted parking, anyone is allowed to park there and action can be taken only if cars are parked too near to junctions or causing an obstruction. Cllr Mary Stiles reported that residents of Lashlake had complained to her about cars parking on the pavement and on both corners of Greenway, restricting the view around them and dangerously narrowing the road. Sgt Hoskin said that she would look into the matter with PCSO Natalie White who regularly patrols the area.
‘It’s like the Wild West on yellow lines’
Cllr Bob Austin declared that parking on yellow lines in the town was: “..getting like the Wild West!” Particularly mentioning the mis-use of the five parking spaces opposite The Cottage Bakery, he said: “The situation is becoming ridiculous. How can we tackle it? When you get people quoting back at you a lack of enforcement, you know you’re in trouble.”
Insp Mark Harling
Insp Harling replied that when letters were issued to persistent offenders previously, there had been ‘a huge decrease’ in the misuse of parking in that area, and that he would look again at repeating that option.
In response to a question about people parking near the junction of Jane Morbey Road recently, from Cllr Mike Deacock, Insp Harling said that he noted the problem and would look at it. Similarly, he took note of a complaint from a Chiltern Vale resident, Owen Davies about cars being parked on the blind corner between Beech Road and Sycamore Drive. assuring Mr Davies that the police would do what they can.
Prioritising with limited resources
Insp Harling was blunt, concluding to everyone in the council chamber: “I know that parking has an impact on local communities. We will try to do what we can with letters etc, but parking cannot be our main priority. Threat, harm, risk to people, child-sex exploitation, missing persons etc will be prioritised. A lot of the work of Neighbourhood teams say, ten years-ago would have been dealing with thefts, burglaries, etc. Now there has to be an acceptance that some of our work is too important not to be a priority.”
Prohibition of Through Traffic – Date of Order: 27 February 2017 – Coming into force: 6 March 2017.
