Category: Thame news

THAME’s MP, John Howell, has welcomed the news that an independent Planning Inspector has approved a plan which will provide the blueprint for the district’s growth over the next 15 years.

South Oxfordshire District Council’s ‘Core Strategy’ sets out how many new homes should be built and where, and where employment sites will be created in Thame, Henley and Wallingford, by 2027. It has been developed over a four-year period with extensive community involvement and technical assessments of the proposed sites – but not without controversies on the way.

Thame Town Council, at one point in the consultation process, questioned the legality of the Core Strategy. READ MORE

South Oxfordshire District Council itself was involved in a spat with the inspector over the fact that he would not allow it to include ‘windfall’ sites in its allocation of new housing. READ MORE

Recently the core strategy underwent a public examination where the planning inspector heard evidence from local councils, residents and other interested groups and individuals.

John Howell said of the Inspector’s approval of the Core Strategy: ?This gives the boost to those wishing to complete their Neighbourhood Plans that many have been looking for. It represents another Council which has brought forward a successful Core Strategy to ensure that the sustainable development of the area can be planned rather than left to chance.

?I offer my congratulations to the Council for this result. It is a good result which reflects the hard work which has been put in to the Plan. I am sure Thame will now want to deliver a positive vote in the referendum on its Neighbourhood Plan. I am sure too that Henley will want to assess how the 400 houses can best be accommodated.?

BACKGROUND ARTICLES REGARDING THE CORE STRATEGY: LINK

BACKGROUND ARTICLES REGARDING THE THAME COMMUNITY PLAN

ON Wednesday (24/10) between 18:00hrs and 21:00hrs, a property in The Green, Cuddesdon, was burgled. Entry was gained by forcing open a front door. A laptop computer, TV and kindle were stolen.

Please be extra vigilant. If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.

Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

SOURCE: Thames Valley Police Alert

CLAIMS by a country side lobbying group and others that a proposed wind turbine would spoil the view across the landscape from Thame, have been disputed by Thame councillors.

At a meeting of the town council’s Planning & Environment committee last night (23/10), members where discussing their response to an invitation to comment on a Planning Application for the erection of a 15kW wind turbine measuring 20.5m to hub (27.1m to tip) at Rowan Farm, Henton.

CPRE Oxfordshire and CPRE Bucks (Campaign for the Preservation of Rural England) are opposed to the plan and have said that the turbine would be visible from Thame.

Cllr David Laver said that in his opinion, having looked at the plans, the turbine would not be visible from Thame and therefore would not impact on the town. He added: “Phone masts can be more intrusive than wind turbines.”

Cllr Nigel Champken Woods added: “This proposed turbine is well off ‘the beaten track’ and you would have to be looking through a very strong pair of binoculars to see it from Thame. We have to get our electricity from other sources these days and this is one alternative.”

The committee concluded that “The location was considered too far away from Thame to have any strong views.”

Both Chinnor and Sydenham Parish Councils have objected to the plan, whilst Towersey has expressed “No strong views.”

READ MORE

IMAGE: Courtesy of usedwindturbines.org

LOCAL support for the family of Alex Wood, who became severely disabled after a tragic rugby accident, continued on Saturday when over 190 people took part in a Zumbathon.

The total raised to support Alex’s recovery was a staggering

IT has been reported today that Bee Gees singer, Robin Gibb, who died from Cancer in May, has left an estate worth

BURGLARY dwelling and burglary non-dwelling – Thame; This is a message from Thames Valley Alert Information sent on behalf of Thames Valley Police: On Saturday (20/10) between 15:00hrs and 20:20hrs, a property in Hampden Avenue, Thame, was burgled. Offender(s) smashed a rear kitchen window to gain entry and stole mobile phones, laptop computers and a TV.

Overnight between Wednesday (17/10) and Thursday (18/10) offender(s) broke into an outbuilding in North Street, Thame, and stole a generator and two pressure washers.

If you have seen any suspicious looking people or vehicles in the area or have any information relating to this message, please call the police on the new national single non-emergency telephone number 101 and state you are responding to a Community message.

Alternatively if you have information but wish to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online @ crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

Residents in South Oxfordshire and in the Vale and have been congratulated on their excellent recycling yet again.

The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils scooped the Best Improved Recycling Rates prize at the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) Celebration Awards 2012. The two councils share a waste contract with Biffa and were also named as the top two recycling areas in the country in a survey carried out by letsrecycle.com.

The service was launched in South Oxfordshire in 2009, since when the rates have increased from 42% per cent to approximately 70 per cent.

Since the launch of its current waste and recycling service in July 2010, recycling rates in the Vale have increased dramatically from around 36 per cent to just under 70 per cent as well.

The judges at the LARAC awards described the recycling figures as: ?phenomenal.”

The councils also won a silver award for Transformation in Waste and Environment at the IE Awards 2012. When the service was launched, it was supported by a communications campaign that won the Best Green Direct Mail Award at the International Green Awards in 2009.

Cllr David Dodds, cabinet member for waste at South Oxfordshire, and a Thame Town Cllr, said: ?Operating a shared service with the Vale saves us huge sums of money and the more our residents recycle the more money we save in avoided landfill tax. Once again we would like to thank our residents for their ongoing commitment to making the recycling service such a success.?

Recently, the councils introduced a battery recycling service as well as installing bring banks for small electrical items at their many recycling points across southern Oxfordshire.

The councils also have a smartphone app called Binfo that reminds residents of their collection dates and if there are changes to the service due to bank holidays or adverse weather.

Further information on Binfo can be found at: www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/binfo

The LARAC Celebration awards ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 17, at Chesford Grange in Kenilworth.

THAME’s MP, and the town’s Mayor, today helped launch a scheme to make discovering the town’s rich history easier and more fun for locals and visitors alike.

A town-wide series of numbered brass, disc-shaped Waymarkers has been sunk into pavements around Thame which, used in conjunction with an Historic Walk leaflet, points to a particular historic building or feature as the route is followed.

John Howell MP and the Mayor, Nigel Champken Woods, were accompanied by their wives, members of 21st Century Thame who initiated the scheme, Town Councillors, and a group of visitors – two of whom were staying in the area from Acton in West London and were exploring the town on foot.

Also in the walking party accompanying the dignitaries was a new resident keen to learn more about her new home town, as well as another woman, a regular visitor to Thame, researching her family history in the area.

Fortunately the weather stayed dry for this inaugural walk and the party finished at the Stables, behind The James Figg pub for hot soup and roast meat rolls.

To download a copy of the PDF showing the Waymarked route of the History Trail and to start exploring Thame’s history, visit: LINK

PHOTO: The walking party to launch the new Thame Waymarkers, stops to admire No 23 on the Historic Walk, the old Grammar School in Church Road, Thame, founded by Lord Williams and opened in 1570.

AS a fleet of large, white lorries rolled into the Upper High Street, Thame, this morning, the curiosity of the locals was soon rewarded when it was discovered that one of a series of four films, based on the early life of ‘Inspector Morse’ was about to begin shooting.

A particular scene is being shot at The Elms, the big house of the Upper High Street, next to Elms Park.

The ITV series is to be called ‘Endeavour’ which, as every fan and Pub quizzer knows, was Morse’s Christian name. The series apparently came about following the overwhelming response to the recent, one-off Inspector Morse prequel ‘Endeavour’ which was transmitted in January to mark the 25th anniversary of the very first episode of Morse. It was watched by 8.2 million viewers, making it the most popular single film on any channel in the last five years.
 The four new films have been written by Lewis creator and Morse writer, Russell Lewis.

The part of the young Morse will be played by Shaun Evans (The Take, The Last Weekend, Silk), who won over critics and viewers alike with his portrayal of young Morse.

Acclaimed stage and screen actor Roger Allam (The Jury, Parade’s End, The Thick of It) returns as Endeavour?s senior partner, Detective Inspector Fred Thursday. Stage actor Sean Rigby takes on the role of a young PC Strange – the character who appeared in the original Morse series, played by James Grout.

James Bradshaw will return as Dr Max Debryn and John Thaw?s daughter Abigail will make further guest appearances as Dorothea Frazil. Supporting cast include Anton Lesser (The Hour, Garrow?s Law, The Scapegoat) as Chief Supt Reginald Bright and Jack Laskey (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) as DS Peter Jakes.

Mammoth Screen will produce the 4 x 120 episodes, which have now begun filming on location in Oxford. The new series will be produced by Dan McCulloch (Endeavour, 10 Minute Tales) and executive produced by Mammoth Screen?s Joint Managing Directors, Michele Buck and Damien Timmer (whose recent credits for ITV include Monroe, Lewis and Marple), writer Russell Lewis and Rebecca Eaton for co-producers Masterpiece.

The first film is directed by Ed Bazalgette (A Mother’s Son, Vera) and the second by Tom Vaughan (Starter for Ten, Extraordinary Measures, What Happens in Vegas). Acclaimed novelist Colin Dexter, whose first Morse story was published in 1975, will act as consultant for the series.

ONE of Thame’s PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) has been voted Thames Valley Police’s top PCSO of the year for Oxfordshire.

PCSO Diane Jackson was nominated by local residents and businesses as being the member of the TVP Force who they considered had gone above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference to their community.

Tonight, Diane told ThameNews.Net: “I was very shocked and very moved but also very proud. I’m touched that people who voted felt that I deserved to be nominated as it is a privilege to do the job that I love in Thame.”

These annual awards are designed to recognise the exceptional efforts of Thames Valley Police?s neighbourhood policing teams, including Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), Special Constables and volunteers, and the positive impact they have on the local community they serve. There is also a Diversity Champion of the Year category for the officers and staff who have made an outstanding contribution to promote diversity within their area. The Lifetime Achievement Awards are given to celebrate individual careers within Thames Valley Police.

Nominations came from members of the public, community groups, police officers and staff and partnership colleagues, i.e. local council. The competition ran between 7 July and 10 August 2012.

Chief Constable Sara Thornton said: ?I am delighted to be able to recognise the outstanding work of our officers and volunteers in this way. Neighbourhood policing enables us to better respond to the needs of local people and remains a key priority for Thames Valley Police.

?We have had some exceptional nominees and I am proud to count them among our workforce and volunteers.?

Diane will receive her award at a special ceremony later in the month.