THAME RESIDENTS who live on the Renaissance Development in Oxford Road, Thame, are unhappy with Thame Town Council’s consultation on the preferred site for future housing development in the town.
They have written to Thame Town Council, SODC’s Scrutiny Committee and the district council’s Planning department.
THE local planning authority has approved the Draft Core Strategy for South Oxfordshire, including its planning officers’ recommendation that site F, on the pig farm in Oxford Road, Thame, is the best place for a major future housing development.
Town Cllr Mike Dyer spoke on behalf of Thame Town Council who supported Site F, and Judi Robinson, who lives in Oxford Road, spoke against site F.
Jeffrey Emmett, of David Hignell, spoke on behalf of the owner of Site F, Charles Castle.
Full report on ThameNews.Net tomorrow.
NB The Core Strategy will go before the full Cabinet of South Oxfordshire District Council on November 16.
SOMETIMES when people move house, they find themselves receiving letters pursuing debt from the house?s previous occupants. The first thing to remember is that it is not your debt and you are not responsible for it.
What you can do:
? Ignore them, they can’t do anything.
? Contact the company pursuing the debts in
writing and explain that the person they are
chasing for payment no longer lives at this
address and has no connection with you.
? Point out in the letter that harassment is a
criminal offence and that you will take
further action if it does not stop.
? If the debt is in the previous occupant’s name
and they have left a forwarding address you
could pass this information on, (it’s their
debt not yours!) but you’re not under any duty
to do so.
? Use a call-barring service or change your
phone number and go ex-directory.
? Keep a record of any harassment, including
dates, times and content of any telephone
calls, and keep copies of all correspondence.
Report the matter to the police if debt
collectors threaten or intimidate you
? Write a formal letter of complaint to the debt
collector and original creditor, if you know
who it is
? If this still doesn?t work, take your
complaint further to the trade body they
belong to (the Finance and Leasing
Association; Credit Services Association or
the Consumer Credit Trade Association all have
Codes of Practice for their members).
? Speak to trading standards – they may have
other complaints about same company – and
inform the Office of Fair Trading, which
regulates debt collection
? Don’t suffer in silence. Contact your nearest
Citizens Advice Bureau – for contact details go to www.adviceguide.org.uk An adviser can intervene on your behalf with the company and help you to complain.
SOME members of Thame Town Council are unhappy about the full-size plastic cows that have recently been seen on the pavement outside Newitts’ butchers shop and The Thatch restaurant in the High Street.
The council is to undergo a review of the use of A boards and other so-called ‘obstructions’ on the pavements around the town.
At a recent meeting of the council’s Planning committee, one councillor described the cows as “a bit of nightmare,” adding that they should “be sent to a field.”
Cllr Beatrice Dobie though said: “A lot of people are rather fond of them.”
SPEED CAMERAS
SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council is close to doing a deal with Thames Valley Police is securing funding toward the running of the district’s speed cameras which were turned off two months ago. The cameras are expected to be turned on again next April, 2011.
VISIT ‘MIDSOMER’
PEOPLE visiting South Oxfordshire are now able to follow in the famous footsteps of Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby following the launch of a new website highlighting the district?s starring role in TV?s Midsomer Murders.
South Oxfordshire District Council has launched www.visitmidsomer.com to highlight the locations in the district, including around Thame, where Midsomer Murders is filmed, to help attract more visitors to the area.
An interactive map shows key Midsomer locations and a blog highlights themes and topical news items connected with the district?s towns and villages.
WHAT A SHAMBLES!
THE piece of land between Buttermarket and Cornmarket, Thame, currently used as a public throughway and for parking by the surrounding shops, has been described as: “Looking seedier by the day!” by a Thame Town Councillor.
Despite years of investigations, the council says that it has been unable to establish who the owner of the land it is, and therefore intends to investigate the costs of applying for ‘Voluntary registration’ of the land to itself so that the area can be tidied up, and to look into any other financial implications of taking over responsibility of the Shambles.
TOWN COUNCIL ADVICED TO ‘PLAY SAFE’ WITH INVESTMENTS
THE Investment Management company that looks after Thame Town Council’s investments, has told the council that the best way to invest money in the current financial climate is: “..to stick to companies that make the things you find in your bathroom or your kitchen; the staples of our lives!”
“Something horrible is going to happen in Europe,” warned Rupert Baron of Rathbone Investment Management, “Greece, Portugal and Spain are very likely to go ‘pop’ – its just a question of where and when,” he added.
Currently the council’s investment port folio includes gold, hedge funds, BP, Blue Crest and index linked guilts and its value stands at
BRITAIN’S Got Talent vocal coach, Niall Gelder-Stones, is putting his weight behind this year?s Thame?s Got Talent event, by offering to voice train and coach entrants prior to taking the stage on the big day.
Gelder-Stones, who supports the ITV prime time show and has a number of leading roles in the West End under his belt, is offering special workshops and voice training for wannabe singers, to help improve their vocal performances.
Interest in the coaching is expected to be extremely high so entrants are encouraged to book their acts in fast as spaces will be limited and offered on a first come, first served basis.
Commenting on the event, Chief Executive of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, Pat Dodge said: ?This is a wonderful opportunity for entrants to get some expert help from a real professional who has been in the business for a while. We are thrilled to have Niall on board.?
Thame?s Got Talent 2010 will take place on Sunday, November 21, at The Spread Eagle Hotel, Cornmarket, Thame, OX9 2BW. Spaces are running out to take part, so if you sing, play an instrument, dance, mime, juggle, tell jokes, read poetry, perform
magic, or do anything that will WOW an audience, book your act in now! Troupes and groups are as welcome as solo performers.
To book your act in now, email Thame?s Got Talent at pickme@thamesgottalent.co.uk.
To secure tickets for this event, which promises to showcase some amazing local talent, please contact the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity on 01296 429975, visit www.thamesgottalent.co.uk or visit the Reception Desk at the Spread Eagle Hotel.
Tickets are
FOLLOWING the huge success of the film, Slum dog Millionaire, many of us have some impression of what life in the slums of India are like for those who have to live there. But for Eddie Francis, who lived and went to school here in Thame, his recent visit to Kolkata (or Calcutta as we are more used to calling this, the second most populous city in India) the reality came as both a cultural and an emotional shock. But it was an experience he will never forget and one that has cemented Kolkata firmly into his heart.
Here is Eddie?s story, a story of poverty, disease and hardship in many ways, but one of a place nevertheless where hope, pride and possibilities for the future are never too far away thanks to charitable organisations like The Hope Foundation with whom Eddie works to raise funds:
IT hit me the second I stepped out of the airport and into the hordes of expectant locals waiting excitedly for the return of their families, neighbours and fellow villagers; each one of them jostling for a bit of rail to cling to whilst they peered through the doors into the arrivals hall. This is a city where, for many, flying is still a big deal!
I choked in the smog, bewildered by the humidity, heat and sensory overload that smack even the most seasoned visitor in the face, as the frenetic buzz of this overcrowded metropolis swallows you up and holds you in its talons until you leave. Our trolley of bags was whipped away from us by a small gang of street kids who had perfected the English phrases they needed for their work. Once I was reassured that our bags were not at risk, we headed over to our jeep and driver, attracting an ever-increasing clamour of personalities eager to cash in from us, for we were the only white faces in sight. Kids and mothers with babies surrounded us, palms cupped expectantly for ?rupees or your local money sir?. A couple of pounds lighter in the pocket, we made it into the jeep, hands ? and in one case a stump ? still prodding us desperately through the open window before the driver whisked us away.
I was in Kolkata with The Hope Foundation, a charity I have been promoting and supporting for eighteen months, to see how the money raised is being spent. I?d heard all about it, seen the pictures and watched the videos so I thought I knew what I was in for. Boy was I in for a shock!
Wedged into the back of the jeep, we left the airport and clattered, hurtled, honked and squeezed our way through the most insane traffic I have ever encountered. ?Clapped out? buses, pre-war yellow taxis, rickshaws, tuk-tuks, hand drawn carts, motorbikes, bicycles, pedestrians and cows fought for poll position in a never-ending rally of one-upmanship. Most vehicles don?t have wing-mirrors here, and even if they do they are folded in. Here the horn is king where brakes seem like an ego-denting last resort. On the footpaths families go about their daily business, cooking, washing, cleaning and sleeping, making a living in whatever way they can. The poverty here is overwhelming; unavoidable, blatant and unforgiving yet a sense of pride runs through this city amongst those who have so little. To survive with literally nothing in this heat and humidity amid relentless smells and smog that makes a blue sky impossible, seems unimaginable.
The poorest children all over the city are left to fend for themselves, scraping a living on the roadside and in the slums; competing with dogs, pigs and other animals for tit-bits. Children who are entitled to a state education are put to work by their parents out of necessity for food is the obvious priority. Existing in the squalor, filth and the stench of the roadside and slums, often subjected to abuse and at least harassment ? this is the harsh reality of existing in absolute poverty in an apartheid of the richest and very poorest in the second-fastest growing economy in the world. These forgotten communities have been left behind and they need our help. It is our moral duty to do what we can to affect even the smallest change for the better to even just one person?s relentlessly impoverished life – a life that is incomparable to anything to be found here in the West.
Cocooned by the faded colonial glamour of our hotel, the Tollygunge Golf and Country Club, we immediately relished the serenity and the respite from the chaos of the city. Over breakfast we set about drawing up an agenda for the week. The Hope Foundation runs or supports 64 projects around the city so our choice wasn?t exactly limited, although the mind-blowing spectrum of work undertaken by the Foundation would only become apparent to me as the week went on.
Throughout our all- to- short week, we met children with heart-breaking stories and unimaginable pasts; illness, abuse, abandonment, separation, destitution and death touch the souls of so many. The Hope Foundation gives these children a route out of this unimaginable existence, and a better future to look forward to.
Diep is 3
LATEST statement from South Oxfordshire District Council about its Core Strategy for the future of Thame, to 2027:
At its meeting on Tuesday, November 16, South Oxfordshire District Council?s Cabinet will consider the Local Development Framework Core Strategy, one of the council?s most important planning documents for the next 15 years. Cabinet will decide whether to take the strategy before Full Council and out for a final publication consultation period in December.
The plan includes providing high quality jobs, housing and support for Thame?s town centre. Following three years work and district-wide public consultation exercises, the council has identified the preferred location for development in Thame and where significant change should not take place. The Core Strategy principally identifies a site to the north west of the town (Site F) for around 530 new homes.
This decision follows recent additional consultation work during October, asking residents’ views on two different development site options for the town. (Site D and Site F) The strategy also contains details of the necessary infrastructure needed to support all housing developments that take place.
Following the meeting on November 16, Full Council will consider the Core Strategy at its meeting on Thursday, November 18, and make the final decision on whether to endorse the document.
Angie Paterson, South Oxfordshire District Council?s Cabinet member for planning, said: ?In developing our Core Strategy we have been working under current legislation and where possible anticipated future changes. As a result we have thoroughly investigated and consulted on the options, to arrive at these informed recommendations. Our priority is to help deliver much needed housing, high quality jobs and thriving town centres across the district and we need to have a plan in place to protect the district as we do this.
“The next few weeks will see some important decisions made in moving this strategy forward and laying the foundations for a successful future for South Oxfordshire.?
Notes:
There has been wide consultation on the strategy and residents can see the outcomes on the website at: www.southoxon.gov.uk/corestergy
We are submitting the plan for approval through our scrutiny, cabinet and council committees. Key dates in November are:
Tuesday 9 November ? Scrutiny Committee considers the Core Strategy
Tuesday 16 November ? Cabinet considers the Core Strategy
Thursday 18 November? Full Council considers the Core Strategy
All the above meetings will take place at the council offices in Crowmarsh Gifford.
Speaking at the meetings:
Please note: There are likely to be a large number of speaker requests. When we have the final numbers we will come back to you to confirm how we will manage this process including how long people can speak for. If there are a large number of observers and participants we will have an overflow room available for people to watch the live webcast. Find out more at www.southoxon.gov.uk/webcasts
What happens next?
Subject to council and cabinet approval, the Core Strategy will then need to go through further formal stages, including an examination in public by a planning inspector to test that we are meeting government requirements and local needs. This will take around nine months to complete before the strategy is adopted by the council as policy.
There will be a further public consultation period on the whole plan during December and January. Once the plan is submitted to the secretary of state there will be an examination in public in front of a planning inspector, when local people will have a final opportunity to comment.
The final public consultation is officially called a publication period. At this point residents will have the opportunity to comment on the core strategy, but only under set criteria provided by the planning inspectorate. This consultation stage is more formal than previous stages and if commenting, residents must give reasons under any of four specific criteria and using a specific response form. The criteria must relate to whether the strategy is:
Justified ? is the strategy founded on robust credible evidence
Effective ? is the strategy deliverable
Consistent with regional and national policies and;
Legally compliant ? how we’ve prepared the strategy – in that we have followed the correct procedures for the development of the strategy.
SOURCE: Press release
FOLLOWING weeks of sometimes acrimonious discussion and consultation over the site for future housing growth in Thame, there was confusion today over which site was to be recommended by planners to the district council.
A document attached to the agenda of November 9’s meeting of South Oxfordshire District Council’s Scrutiny committee, appeared on SODC’s website stating that planning officers recommended site D. Today, however, the document had apparently been changed to show that site F was to be recommended. That document was later not available on the website.
According to a spokesperson in SODC’s planning department, because of an administrative error a template document had not been updated correctly.
A document showing the correct recommendation, site F, and reasons to support that recommendation, will, say SODC, be uploaded to the website tomorrow (Friday) as Appendix 6, Strategic Housing Allocations, with the other supporting documents for the Scrutiny committee meeting on November 9.
The link to find the document and others associated with the meeting, is:
FOLLOWING criticism last winter when Thame town hall appeared to ‘shut up shop’ during a spell of the worse ice and snow for years, Thame Town Council has been discussing it Adverse Weather Policy which also includes extreme high winds, flooding and heatwaves.
The council was, by its own admission, heavily criticised when residents were unable to have their concerns and enquiries about the lack of pavement and road gritting answered because the town hall was closed.
The council intends to keep a limited supply of grit to use on its own land, but will not treat areas not belonging to the council on advice from its insurers.
The town council is to look into the possibility of providing extra grit bins around the town, which the county council say it will fill.
The Mayor, Cllr Adam Buckland, suggested that local businesses could help by sponsoring grit bins and stated that his business, Brothers Hair Salon, will be the first to pay
THE Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity (FNHC) has announced that it has joined forces with Lord Williams?s School, Thame, to help produce and promote this year?s Thame?s Got Talent event, taking place on Sunday, November 21.
This is the first time that Lord Williams?s School and FNHC have come together to support the event, and it is hoped the partnership will benefit both parties, while giving pupils at the school the opportunity to take a leading role in the event from the very start.
Split into four teams, pupils from Year 12, with a team leader heading up each one, were invited to put their skills to the test by taking on key responsibilities for the event including advertising & publicity, production, hospitality and talent scouting.
Expert help is on hand in the form of four mentors offering support and advice to the pupils along the way, including Alison Isherwood, Market Town Co-ordinator for Thame who will mentor the Talent Scout Team, Matthew Cundy, owner of Kismet Jewellers, Thame, mentoring the PR & Advertising Team, Michele Pethers, owner of Crash Records, Chinnor, mentoring the Production Team, and Susi Jones, owner of Orsam Events, Chinnor, mentoring the Hospitality Team.
Commenting on the partnership, Nicky Stallwood, Personal Development Manager at Lord Williams?s School, said: ?Everyone at the school is extremely excited about working on this local project with the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, particularly the pupils, who are very enthusiastic. It?s great for them to be involved in something being held in Thame, and something that is a little bit different from the usual school work, and will undoubtedly be a wonderful addition to their CVs and university applications.?
She added: ?We are really looking forward to seeing the end result which we hope will bring the whole community together.?
Lindsey Fealey, Head of Fundraising at FNHC said: ?This is a wonderful opportunity for us and the pupils taking part to really get stuck in and make this year extra special. Last year?s event was a real success so we hope, with the help of Lord Williams?s School, 2010 is going to be even better.?
Thame?s Got Talent 2010 will take place on Sunday, November 21, at The Spread Eagle Hotel, Cornmarket, Thame, OX9 2BW. So far, 20 acts have signed up for the event so if you sing, play an instrument, dance, mime, juggle, tell jokes, read poetry, perform magic, or do anything that will WOW an audience, the organisers want to hear from you! Troupes and groups are as welcome as solo performers. The judges will include the Mayor of Thame, Adam Buckland, and local businessman and music producer, Justin Shardlow who was one of the judges last year.
You can contact Thame?s Got Talent at: pickme@thamesgottalent.co.uk or drop into The Spread Eagle Hotel for an application form. Just make sure you apply early. Last year?s event was a sell out so to secure tickets contact Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity on 01296 429975 or visit: www.thamesgottalent.co.uk
For more information about the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity ? the chosen Charity for the event, please visit www.fnhospice.org.uk or contact 01296 429975.