Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

THE removal of a support grant by South Oxfordshire District Council and an increase in Employer National Insurance contributions through central Government, will effect the town council’s budget for the coming year, and possibly on how much Council Tax Thame residents will be asked to pay.

A proposed budget to be presented to councillors at Tuesday’s council meeting. will show an estimated total net expenditure for 2016-17, of £596,209 – all of which will have be raised from the residents of Thame through their Council Tax, an increase from last year of just under £40,000. The council does have some sources of new money to call on to help off-set the losses, including a Localism Fund of £8,000 to spend on work that would have previously been carried out by the county council, and £14,000 of District Council funding for town centre economic development projects. But the list of things the council has to find money for is growing.

At tomorrow’s meeting (19/01), the council will be asked to consider and approve the budget for 2016-17, to agree that £596,209 be raised for the precept (Thame’s part of the Council Tax fund) for 2016-17.

You can read the whole of the Budget report to councillors here: LINK

THAME Town Council is preparing to lobby the Government to allow Neighbourhood Plans to be legally updated in certain circumstances.

The town council is wary of new circumstances arising that would cause Neighbourhood Plans to be overridden, such as new government planning laws or the imposition of extra housing as a result of revised local plans.

The Town Council also believes that if circumstances were to arise where aspects of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan (TNP) could be impossible to carry through, such as the inability to raise funds for new infrasructure, there should be a legal mechanism for the Plan to be updated, in agreement with local people.

The Chairman of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee, Bob Austin, said: “As a neighbourhood planning front runner, it is important that we in Thame work out how we wish any amendments to be incorporated into the Neighbourhood Plan, whilst preserving its basic principles.”

He continued: “At the moment there is no legal process for Neighbourhood Plans to be updated. Because we are pioneers, an exemplar even, we are in a unique position to advise on how it should be done. What we are proposing would be a lobbying document, showing the direction we think we should be going in based on our experience of developing and implementing what is ‘a living document’.

“We do not know what SODC will have for us from SHMAR. A large allocation of extra houses might kick in which would, for instance, affect on our recreation space or our town centre. It’s about scale; if it is a large allocation, a new referendum would be needed!”

The lobbying document being prepared by the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee would need to go to the full town council for approval.

BACKGROUND posts – Thame Neighbourhood Plan –  https://www.thame.net/?s=Neighbourhood+plan

FANS of Midsomer Murders will know that Thame locations,  including the town hall, have been used in many episodes of the long-running, murder-mystery TV series.

Masquerading as ‘Causton Town Hall’, Thame Town Hall has appeared in several episodes, including ‘Not in my backyard’ 2011, and is a regular stop on the Midsomer Murders tourist trail, for visitors from all over the world. From yesterday, fans of DCI Barnaby can call in at the town hall and take a ‘selfie’ with the new Causton Town Hall plaque.

Other Thame locations have included Rumsey’s cafe, the old Thame Information Centre at Market House, The Spread Eagle Hotel, Buttermarket and the Tuesday market.

To find out more about Midsomer Murders guided tours, visit: http://www.visitmidsomer.com/guided-tours/

ALTHOUGH Planning permission has been granted to Rectory Homes for 37 dwellings on land at The Elms, work has not yet started and Rectory Homes has recently held pre-application discussions with South Oxfordshire District Council on alternative proposals to provide 80-85 care-provided retirement apartments for the over 60s.

But, such a development would not conform with the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, which came into effect two years ago, and Thame Town Council has said that it would be unlikely to support any such plan.

Other potential threats to the Neighbourhood Plan

This proposal is just one of the aspects of the TNP identified in the recently published, Thame Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring and Delivery Report.  Of particular concern to the town council’s Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee, which met on Tuesday evening (13/01), is a recent ruling from a Planning Inspector that allowed development on a Neighbour Plan reserve site in Leicestershire, ahead of NP allocated sites being developed. This ruling could have consequences for Thame’s own Reserved sites, part of Site F (Oxford Road) and part of Site C (east of Thame Park Road) because at present, the Thame NP allows for development on these ‘reserved’ sites, only if the proposed amalgamation of Lord Williams’s Lower school site with the Upper school site does NOT go ahead, which if it did, would  free up the lower school site for housing.

Additional Health care facilities – Thame TC has held discussions with the Thame Cattle Market Action Group and SODC about considering the site as a potential location for a new Health Hub, as part of a mixed development.

All Section 106 agreements (Developer contributions for local projects) for all sites that already have outline or full planning permission, include a contribution towards health facilities, though recently introduced central Government restrictions relating to Section 106 pooling have now restricted opportunities (SEE LINK ). A Health Summit Group is apparently assessing the needs and deficiencies in health provision in the Thame to come up with a strategy with other healthcare partners, for planning how to meet future needs.

Community facilities – Regarding provision for a new Community Facility in the TNP, the report states that all Section 106 agreements for all sites with outline or full planning permission include a contribution towards community facilities, though once again, central Government restrictions relating to S106 pooling as mentioned above, have curtailed options somewhat.

Another of the Working Groups under the auspices  of the NP Continuity Committee is The Infrastructure Delivery Plan Working Group and one of its tasks is to establish how funds will be allocated against the various facilities required. The report states that siscussions are underway with the Thame and District Housing Association and the local Air Cadets on a potential additional facility at Southern Road Recreation Ground.

New burial space – The town council’s report indicates that there has been resistance from the developers of Sites C1 and D to meet this requirement of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan. It is claimed that a desk top study has shown the land to be unsuitable for burials as the area being suggested is near the flood plain. A S106 financial contribution has been allocated as an alternative, and is being sought from all sites. The S106 Agreement for Site C includes a commitment to undertake 12-month land suitability testing and, if found to be suitable, to gift land for such a site, or if not suitable, to provide a financial contribution. This could be used, suggests the report, to extend the existing St Mary’s graveyard or used towards creating a town cemetery at a new location. No alternative land has been identified so far.

SHMAR recommendations to 2031

It has not yet been decided how the extra houses that the recent SHMAR ((Strategic Housing Market Assessment Report) identified a need for in the district (SEE LINK for background) will be distributed. Therefore the effect on the Thame Neighbourhood Plan cannot be assessed until the various Local Authorities across Oxfordshire have reviewed the situation and decided where these additional homes will be built.

The preferred options stage is expected to be published by the district council in Spring 2016.

SOME POSITIVE PROGRESS !

Moving around Thame – A long-discussed cycle route between Thame and Haddenham and Thame Parkway station is a priority of the Green Living Plan Working Group, part of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee. All Section 106 agreements for all sites that have outline or full planning permission, have included a contribution to Oxfordshire County Council towards this specific cycle route, and Consultants have been asked to delve further into the current status of such a route with both OCC and Bucks CC who are responsible for the land along which a route would most likely take, and funding costs and opportunities.

Improvements to open spaces in Lea Park – Initial work has been carried out by 21st Century Thame , in conjunction with the Lea Park Residents Association, towards providing pedestrian and cycle signage, at both Site F and Lea Park. Funding for improved pedestrian / cycle signage in both these areas has been secured through the Site F Section 106 agreement, within the Public Art category.

The second priority for the Green Living Plan Working Group are Travel Plans, which, the report says, may be threatened by recent proposals to abolish bus subsidies by Oxfordshire County Council. The plan states that ‘Assessments of public transport opportunities by the Town Council will continue for all allocated and significant windfall sites, as part of their recommendations to the Planning Authority.”

You can read the whole of the Thame Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring and Delivery Report HERE 

All these challenges to the Thame Neighbourhood Plan will be faced by the various Working Groups of The Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee, but its Chairman, Cllr Bob Austin, told Thame.Net after the meeting on Tuesday, that: “Along with the various groups, institutions and people of Thame out there, we are determined to make the Neighbourhood Plan, which is a living document, with its many different levels of needs, wants and aspirations,  work to keep Thame a sustainable and vibrant town into the future.”

THIS year’s Thame Carnival parade and fete is due to take place on Saturday, June 11. The Carnival committee, co-ordinated by Sue Martin Downhill, is a dedicated team of six already committed to its success but they could really do with a core of 12 people to ensure that all aspects of the event can be covered as well as possible to make it a great success for the town.

If you can offer some time – whether an hour or so a week from now or if you can just help on the day – then please do contact Sue Martin-Downhill on thamecarnival@gmail.com. The date of the first meeting is Thursday, January 21, at Racquets Fitness Centre,  from 7pm.

Sue said: “There are a huge variety of tasks that need to be completed so any help will be much appreciated. If you could like me to call you back to discuss what you can do to help, before you commit, then please do provide contact details on your email.

“We look forward to a fantastic carnival this year and really hope that the weather will be more favourable than last year!”

LEWKNOR Primary School, near Watlington has been celebrating its success in the primary school SATS league table.

The recently published table shows that out of 247 Oxfordshire primary schools, Lewknor (along with only 23 other schools) was found to have 100% of its pupils scoring level 4 plus—putting the school in the top 10%.

Spokesperson for the school, Samantha Stonehouse, said: “Head teacher Mrs Deborah Cole has been in post at Lewknor School since September 2014. Under her ambitious and focussed leadership, the school has made great strides in its efforts to improve academic performance across all age groups.”

Mrs Cole herself said: “Staff and pupils have worked exceptionally hard to achieve these results and I am delighted that the school has made such an improvement. I am incredibly proud of all that the school has achieved—it is a wonderful school community with a real ‘family feel’ and is consistently well supported by parents and the Village.

“I’m pleased that our recent efforts are reflected in the league table and I’m now looking forward to a time when the published results can better illustrate the progress made by individual children from the time they start in reception. Ofsted has said there should be a greater focus on this trajectory which is something I welcome. At Lewknor we have a strong focus on ensuring our children don’t just make expected progress and as a result, most of our children this year have gone on to make exceptional progress.’’