Category: Thame news

VISITORS to Thame Town Centre on Saturday, September 30, were in for a treat as they were invited to take part in all the fun of the Thame Food Trail, sampling food delicacies, drinks, and special offers put on for the day by town centre retailers.

Eighteen food and kitchen shops, cafes and pubs took part in the Trail, a new event organised by 21st Century Thame, and sponsored by A Bell & Co, Steamer Trading Cook Shop, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, and the James Figg.  21st Century Thame produced a leaflet, handed out on the day by volunteers, with a map to guide people around the venues. Places to visit on the Trail included Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, where you could watch chocolate-making demonstrations and sample chocolate, the Deli at No 5, where you could sample British cheeses, AGA Thame, who demonstrated scrumptious food cooked in AGA cookers, Umberto’s, where you could try delicious olives and Italian charcuterie, the Cross Keys, where you could sample artisan beers, Jack & Alice, where you could try red and white wines accompanied by cheese fondue, the Birdcage, where you could take part in connoisseur gin-tasting, What’s Cooking, where you could indulge in a Food Trail wild mushroom ragout, Treacles Tea Rooms, where you could have a second hot drink free, and the Spread Eagle, who were offering half price prosecco with two main courses. There were also displays of cookery books at the Book House and the Oxfam Bookshop, and live piano renditions of Elvis Presley numbers at the Coffee House.

The party atmosphere was enhanced by the Swervy World Band, entertaining everyone with music played on banjo, sousaphone, saxophone, percussion, plus vocals, right through the day.  Everyone taking part thought the Food Trail was a brilliant addition to town centre activities and had excellent feedback from the public. Stephen Catherall of Steamer Trading Cook Shop said: “We were really busy and thought the event in town perfectly complemented the Food Festival on the Showground, with the shuttle bus taking people between the two places.”  Cornfield Bakery also thought it was a great day, and their sourdough breads were eagerly devoured. Dian Parker of A Bell & Co said: “It was a great idea, and we were delighted to have a visit from Linda Emery, Deputy Mayor, who enjoyed our tasty fruited tea bread baked in Miele ovens.”

Helen Johns of 21st Century Thame said: “We have a fantastic variety of shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs and kitchen shops in Thame, and it was a pleasure to  put together an event that showcased the fine food, wines, beers, and kitchen accessories they offer. We are very grateful for the support of our sponsors. The positive feedback suggests our Food Trail event will definitely not be the last!”

• The eighteen venues taking part in the Thame Fun Food Trail were the Book House, A Bell & Co, Umberto’s, Steamer Trading Cookshop, the Coffee House, the Deli at No 5, the Cornfield Bakery & Café, Jack & Alice Wine Bar & Pantry, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, AGA Thame, The Cross Keys, Oxfam Bookshop, The Spread Eagle Hotel, What’s Cooking, the Birdcage, the James Figg, Treacles Tea Rooms, and the Six Bells. It is hoped that more venues, including the Swan Hotel and the Jollybrew Tea Company,  will join the Food Trail next year.

• 21st Century Thame is a partnership between local businesses, community groups and town and district councils, coming together to help ensure Thame stays vibrant and viable as a market town. 21st Century Thame works with the community to generate resources so that investment is made into projects that improve and add value to the town, including Thame Carnival, Thame Tidy Day, and Small Business Saturday.

SOURCE: Contributed

STAFF from Haddenham based PCMS Design, held a Coffee Morning on Friday, September 29, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, and challenged colleagues to ‘Guess the Height of the Cake’.

Colleagues, nearby office neighbours and clients of the firm came together to have a chat and to share some delicious cakes and desserts.

A ‘Guess the Height of the Cake’ competition and generous donations on the morning raised a grand total of £317. This is the third year that PCMS Design has supported the charity and each year the total has grown.

Guests included staff from Haddenham-based businesses John Clegg & Co, Manan Ltd, Milkshake Marketing, Rectory Homes, Turville Valley Wines and Rosetta Capital Limited.

PCMS Design would like to thank everyone who attended and generously donated cakes, and for helping to raise a fantastic total for such a good cause!

FOLLOWING an allocation of 775 new homes for Thame, already allocated for in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, and now mostly all built, and then the SHMAR report (a county-wide Strategic Housing Market Assessment) which suggested Thame would need to build even more new homes by the early 2030s, now comes another proposal for calculating housing need, this time from the government.

In a statement, South Oxfordshire District Council has stated: “The government is currently consulting on a number of changes to planning policy and legislation, which includes a proposed approach to calculating housing need. Until any government guidelines are finalised and published, SODC is required to work on the existing housing needs figures. It will also need to consider economic growth, affordable housing and the need for new infrastructure.

“We will work to ensure the inspector considering our Local Plan will take any changes to guidance into account during the examination process,” concluded the council.

When will the Draft Local Plan be published?

In the meantime, residents can have their say about South Oxfordshire’s Final Draft Local Plan which will set out how the district should be shaped until 2033. This will be published on October 11.

Between that date and November 22, residents can have a say before the plan is submitted to the government for consideration by a planning inspector.

HOW and WHERE the homes will be delivered

Oh yes, and then there’s the joint draft housing delivery strategy to have a say about too! Land owners and developers have been submitting potential sites to a register for consideration for development. The list of dozens of sites in Thame already submitted, can be seen HERE  Or check out the interactive map HERE

SODC have said that feedback from previous public consultations has been taken into consideration and has helped to shape the Local Plan through the various stages to this point.

They have also pointed out: “It is important to note that the planning inspector will be giving more weight to comments on the technical soundness of the plan – this means the comments need to relate to the legality of the plan. From October 11, look out for a factsheet and a short video on SODC’s website to help explains what this means.

Public meetings

Public meetings are planned throughout the district for residents to find out more and submit comments. The meeting in Thame will be held at the Town Hall on November 13, between 3 – 7 pm. But, anyone unable to attend one of these events, can view the final draft of the Local Plan and submit comments via the council website.

It is expected that for the final plan will be submitted to government by the end of 2017, and expect a public examination of the plan, including comments and evidence gathered, to take place early next year.

ARRIVA has been awarded the tender to provide a new bus service linking new housing south of Thame to the town centre. The X8 and 280 buses will be diverted along Park Street, Chinnor Road and Wenman Road, once every hour each, there and back, between 6am and 11pm.

But this choice of route, which includes passing a primary school in the narrow, often congested Park Street, has ‘appalled’ Thame Town Councillors, after the council’s Transport Representative, Cllr Mary Stiles commented at a council meeting this week, that at a meeting with the County Council, this was exactly the route that both she and Thame’s Town Clerk had asked NOT to be considered.

The council’s minutes of the meeting, state: “It was a prime example of a decision being made remotely by a person with no knowledge of Thame and no consultation with the Town Council. Cllr Stiles stated that the Town Clerk continued to push for a meeting with the County Council.”

Local people have taken to social media to express their views on the proposed new route, which is due to start in three weeks. Jo Ryan posted: “It’ll be carnage; I can’t picture how the route will work as the only logical way in/out would route it along the bypass via Chinnor road, which is mostly impassable for anything other than a pair of smart cars most of the day.”

Mike Deacock said: “It’s ludicrous and attempting the bridge by Pheonix court! Stupidity at its height!” Mike Dyer added: “…The route isn’t fit for purpose so do we roll over or do we fight it? No contest in my mind.”

Catherine Jones posted: “And as for the double bend on the railway bridge! I wouldn’t want to meet as double-decker coming the other way. Squish!”

Kath Bacon: ” ….and if a bus meets a fire engine….”

Members of the council’s Planning & Environment Committee agreed to encourage the residents of Park Street and Chinnor Road to write to County Councillor, Nick Carter, copying the Leader of the County Council, to voice their concerns.

IF you’re in Thame on Saturday, September 30, perhaps visiting the Food Festival on the Showground, take advantage of special offers and enjoy food, wine and craft beer tastings courtesy of Thame’s outstanding local retailers and hostelries.

Spend an hour or two taking Thame’s first Food Trail – a 21st Century Thame event sponsored by Bell Kitchen Design Studio, The James Figg, Rumsey’s Chocolaterie, and Steamer Trading Cookshop. You can download the trail leaflet here: thame_food_trail_2017_digi

THAMES Valley Police have seen an increase in reports of burglary (non-dwellings) in the area recently. They would like to hear from anyone who may have any information, and are asking everyone to review their security.

• Between 5pm on 21/9 and 7am on 22/9 unknown offenders broke into a site office at Woodville, Chinnor by smashing off the lock and then got into eight sheds. A laptop was stolen.

• Between 10pm on 22/9 and 6am on 23/9 unknown offenders broke into a shed on Back Street, Tetsworth by damaging the door and the lock. Nothing was taken.

• Between 10pm on 22/9 and 8.30am on 23/9 unknown offenders broke into a shed on Marsh End, Tetsworth.

• Between midnight and 6.47am on 22/9 seven Porta Cabins were broken into on London Road, Wheatley. Locks were broken and a messy search was conducted in the main site office.

• Between 6pm on 22/9 and 10am on 23/9 unknown offenders broke into a secure garage on the access road to Stoke Talmage and stole a mountain bike, power tools and gardening equipment.

An alert today stated: “We would also ask residents to be vigilant in keeping an eye out for unusual activity in your street including vehicles and people that may look out of place and report it on 101 as soon as possible or 999 if you suspect that a crime is taking place at that moment.
Alternatively, if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online by visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.”

Shed and garage security
Opportunist thieves identify sheds and garages as easy pickings because they are usually fairly unprotected and lack basic security measures. The buildings often contain property that can be sold on or implements that can be used to force entry into the owner’s home. Many people fall short on basic security of their sheds and garages.

• Keep your shed/garage in good condition.
• Fit a closed shackle padlock to the door.
• Fittings should be bolted through the door and any screws concealed.
• It is easy to unscrew the ironmongery, steal contents and in some cases replace the screws to make it look as if the shed has not been tampered with.
• By using tamper proof screws or coach bolts, together with a good quality pad bar or hasp and staple and close shackled padlock, the shed owner will make it harder for the would-be thief.
• Bond any window glass in with mastic to prevent easy removal. Fit grilles or mesh to windows to slow down the thief.
• Ensure all equipment and tools are locked away when not in use.
• Install a shed/garage alarm.
• Post-code or mark all property such as lawnmowers, bikes, and tools using ultraviolet pens, forensic marking such as Selecta DNA, SmartWater or engravers.
• Install security lighting as a deterrent, and plants such as thorny shrubs to act as a barrier at potential access points.
• If building a shed, put it where it is most visible to you and neighbours.
• Ensure ladders are locked to a secure fixture in the shed or garage so they can’t be used to reach top floor windows.
• Chain large items such as bicycles together, making it much more difficult for a thief to carry away.
• Fit a wire cage inside a shed where more expensive items can be locked away.
• No thief wants to hang about longer than they have to so delay the time it will take them to get their hands on your tools

If you would like any further advice or information call Thames Valley Police via the 24 hour non-emergency telephone number 101 or visit www.thamesvalley.police.uk