Category: Thame news

THIS was the message to elderley and other vunerable people earlier today, when drama students illustrated how distraction burglaries can be avoided.
There have been around 20 burglaries carried out by bogus callers using distraction tactics, in the Thame area over the past year, and it is hoped that today’s Bogus Caller Event will alert those open to this type of crime to ways of avoiding becoming victims.
Thame’s Community Police Officer, Russell Hounslow introduced the event before handing over to Oxfordshire’s Assistant Chief Officer, Michael Page, who earned himself a cheer from the audience when he leapt up on to the stage from the floor of the TLC’s main hall. He thanked Lord Williams’s Year 8 Drama school for their work to present what he called “A serious message in a light-hearted way,” their efforts going against the grain of “all the moaning we hear about youngsters”.
Andy Ford, Thame’s Fire Chief, another member of our emergency services whose talents as a stand-up comedian became apparent, nevertheless sent out a powerful message as to how important it is for the elderly to work with him and his colleagues to make a Safety Plan that will keep them and their property secure but enable them to get out of their premisies quickly and in an emergency such as a fire.
The main message from the students was, when hearing a knock on the door, first lock the back door and close all the windows, put the chain across the front door before opening it, then to ask for the caller’s ID; take it and look at it carefully and then to phone the Company or organisation the caller claims to represent. Genuine callers will understand and not mind waiting.
Finally, the main message was: “If in doubt, Keep them out!”
Transport wad layed on for the visitors, some of whom came from Henley, and during the interval, refreshments were served to them and pupils from Barley Hill school’s orchestra entertained.
Several agencies were represented around the hall, including the Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust, who run the Community First Response Scheme, Oxfordshire Trading Standards Service, who give advice about Rogue Traders, The Lions Club with their ‘Message in a bottle’ scheme, Help The Aged (who also provided the refreshments), and Anchor with thier ‘Staying Put’ scheme which is a small repairs service for South Oxfordshire.
Thame’s Mayor, David Laver,who was also invited to the presentation, told ThameNews: “The event certainly was very well organised and the students’ presentations certainly rammed the message home about people protecting themselves from bogus callers.
“It was very effective and the audience seemed to have really enjoyed themselves. Most of them however came from sheltered housing schemes and I hope that those living alone who perhaps were not able to come will have neighbours who will look out for them and pass on the message.
“The other message was that not all callers are crooks and deserve to be treated with suspicion but that sensible precautions should be taken to protect themselves.”
Thame’s Crime Prevention Officer, Leslie Nesbit, who helped organise the event was also on hand for advice and information.

Photo courtesy of Strathclyde Police

THAME Town Council is in support of plans to demolish the old ambulance station in Southern Road and build two, three-bed houses on the site.
However, the Conservation Area Advisory committee, whilst supporting the plans, have said that they regret the loss of parking space for residents in Mitchell Close.
Several residents in the Close had written in to the town council?s Planning committee, also concerned about the loss of parking space.
The planning committee voted to recommend approval of the plan which will now go to South Oxfordshire District Council for a decision.

THE Six Bells in Thame, is has won the coveted Thame Festival Best Pub or Club competition, which came to its climax on Saturday, with a Tug-of-war.
The Star and Garter was 2nd, Towersey Sports and Social Club was 3rd, The Cross Keys came 4th, Thame Snooker Club 5th and the Nag’s Head came 6th.
However, Thame Snooker Club raised the most money, which so far amounts to over

IN future years, the current Thame Cattle Market site could be transformed to include a piazza, affordable flats, a day nursery, specialist shops, and a leisure and arts activity centre.
Or may be an indoor sports complex with tennis court and bowling lanes, or a chainstore such as B & Q or Homebase and an underground carpark.
These were some of the proposals put forward by CMAG, Thame’s Cattle Market Action Group, at its third public meeting in Thame Town Hall last night (June 20).
The Cattle Market site is the last piece of communally owned land in the town and the current occupiers, Thame Farmers Auction Mart, plan to move the livestock market to Thame Showground, leaving the North Street site, located in the heart of the town, ripe for development.
During the year since the last public meeting, CMAG’s Working Group has consulted local organisations including the business sector about what sort of space and facilities the town centre really needs. Using this feedback, the group commissioned local architect Steve Broadway to produce a range of concept plans to get people talking and thinking about what could be achieved on the site. Steve showed outline plans for four very different schemes. His ‘Village’ scheme focused on housing and community facilities, while the ‘Piazza’scheme presented a mix of small business, retail, flats and a leisure and arts centre grouped around a large piazza, part green space and part hard-surfaced with the potential for indoor use.
His ‘Sports’ scheme used part of the site for extended indoor recreation, while what he called, the ‘Multi National’scheme proposed a single large building, housing a medium-sized chainstore with flats above, alongside a leisure centre and increased parking spaces.
“These plans are not meant to be set in stone;” Steve Broadway said. “They show what can physically be accommodated on the site, and the sort of mixed use that SODC, the owners of the site, are keen to develop.”

Responses to the plans came from members of the audience who included residents and representatives of local schools, churches, adult education, community and commercial organisations, as well as councillors from town, district, county and youth councils. Ben Lindsay, from Thame’s Youth Council, welcomed the suggestion of an open piazza and all-age drop-in facilities: “This will be really good for young people during after school hours when little children are going to find big children like me a bit threatening in the recreation ground,” he said. People living near the Cattle Market site were concerned about the height of some of the buildings and the proposed relocation of Thame Town Council’s machine depot and access through to Lee Park.
“These are just the kind of comments we need to hear,” Steve Broadway said.

Angus Lachlan, who works for a large development company, suggested that all the schemes ‘look a bit light on the commercial element’. Deputy Chair of Thame Partnership, Keith Slater, who also chairs Thame and Oxfordshire Chambers of Commerce, added: “Redevelopment of this important site needs to be considered in relation to Thame as a whole.”

A public inquiry into SODC’s Local Plan 2011 recently upheld the District Council’s view that Thame has no need for another supermarket, either on the Cattle Market site or anywhere else in or around Thame. SODC’s planning policy limits potential shopping space on the North Street site to 2000 sq metres of non-food retail. Jake Collinge, a former member of SODC planning department and CMAG’s Deputy Chair, told the meeting:”Development can’t just happen overnight as it used to. All planning authorities are now required by law to consult the community about local developments”. Darren Baker, Chair of CMAG, urged everyone to look at the plans and make comments and suggestions.

All four concept schemes are now on view at Thame Town Hall, with feedback forms for the public to fill in. Forms can also be downloaded from www.thame.net

ON the hottest day of the year so far, Thame’s Festival Carnival stopped the traffic for over half an hour on Saturday, as floats and exhibits passed through the town and delighted the assembled crowds.
The following fete on the Southern Road Recreation ground kept the entertainment going, with fair ground rides, stalls of every description, barbecue and arena demonstrations.
The winner of the walking carnival entry was John Hampden School’s spectacula banana song with a Fair Trade theme, with staff, teachers and PTA members all either dressed as bananas, or wearing yellow and green.
Barley Hill school was second and Thame Guides and Brownies came third.

THAME Co-op’s entry in the Mobile section of the Festival carnival on Saturday, was the best according to the judges, which included the Mayor, Cllr Laver and two members of the Thame Youth Council.
Thame Festival Chairman and Master of Ceremonies, Bob Davies, welcomed the return of the store to the carnival after a break of several years.
The second prize went to Soudbyte Response of Thame.

PLANS to build nine flats and three shops on land behind Newitts in Thame, have been called ?ill-conceived and unacceptable?.
The comments came at a meeting on Tuesday of Thame Town Council?s Planning committee, in a letter from the Thame Conservation Area Advisory Committee, who also said that these, the third variation of such plans, were a repeat of the two previously submitted.
Six letters of objection to the plans, which include three shops fronting the passage way from the High Street through to the Co-op car park, were read out at the meeting. One of them complained about ?an invisible notice? posted in the area about the planning application which the correspondent described as ?deeply suspicious.?
Another letter from Dorcester Place stated that the footpath was too narrow and that parking would put undue pressure on the approach road to the car park.
Another letter, from Hazelton Close, questioned the ownership of the passage and was concerned about deliveries to shops on the site and for the future of several mature trees in the area.
A letter from Lincoln Place expressed concerns about pollution from vehicles and noise pollution and said that large vehicles often queue to unload in the area already.
Cllr Beatrice Dobie said that in her opinion, a good thing about the proposal was that they would ?remove once and for all the portacabins etc? currently collected at the rear of Newitts?, and that she felt that the new plans were ?starting to go in the right direction.?
Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods however, said that in his view: ?Nothing has changed and getting rid of the portacabins etc was irrelevant to this application.?
The Mayor, Cllr David Laver said that whilst he felt car parking would not be such a problem since the SODC car park is not greatly used in the evening, he still felt that the proposed plan contained too many units for that area and did not think that there was room for access to the planned shops in the alley way. He was also concerned that butchery deliveries would increase at the front of Newitts? in the High Street which might itself create problems.
The Planning committee voted to recommend refusal of the plan on the same grounds as the two previous applications i.e. Insufficient parking provision, Traffic and Loading implications, Over-development and unneighbourly.

FOLOWING a public enquiry into objections made to the draft Local Plan for South Oxfordshire, the enquiry?s Inspector has now published his findings which include bad news for Tesco?s.
The supermarket giant challenged the drafts plan?s statement that the size of any retail unit built on the North Street Cattle market site in Thame, should be limited to 2,000 sq m. However, the Inspector concluded that:??there is no current real qualitative or quantitive need for a large new food store in Thame, whether on this site or elsewhere in or around the town. Bearing in mind the competing demands for community uses, the importance of creating a mixed use development in this sustainable central location, and the need for an economically viable scheme to emerge, I am satisfied that an upper limit on the amount of new retail provision is both reasonable and appropriate in such circumstances.?
Tesco asserted that the draft plan underestimated the retail need in Thame and that a new, large foodstore would help to ?claw back trade from Oxford, Aylesbury and the Asda store at Wheatley.?
The Inspector however stated: ??Thame is a relatively small market town serving a rural hinterland and retains a good range of small shops, including specialist food retailers and weekly, plus farmers markets, providing good choise for a centre of its size. Moreover, the latest survey indicates that recent improvements to the food retail offered in thame, through an extension to Waitrose, a refurbishment of the Co-op, and the opening of a Sainsbury?s Local have significantly increased the town centre?s retained proportion of convenience goods expenditure from around 55% in 2000 to about two thirds in 2004.?
The Inspector also addressed objections made to the Draft Plan?s policies on the sensitive Rycotewood site in Thame, including a concern that the existing access would be dangerous for residential or community use, and the suggestion that the policy should require a new access road to the rear of the site.
The Inspector stated in his report: ??there is no evidence to suggest or reason to assume that the scale and nature of the traffic movements generated by redevelopment would lead to a radically different pattern compared to those from the previous uses of the site. Consequently, given the opportunities for a possible separate pedestrian access to Oxford Road, and traffic calming along it, as well as the provision of a package of sustainable transport measures in accordance with criterion V), a separate alternative rear access is not necessary before redevelopment can occur.?
Changes in the wording of the Plan with further reference to Rycotewood, include the statement: ?..to protect the setting of the Prebendal and protect or enhance the character of the conservation area and its setting.?
This statement could have implications for a planning application recently re-submitted for the demolition of a large house at Priest End, and replacing it with a block of flats and associated parking, to which neighbours and Thame?s town council have objected.

A public meeting to discuss concept plans drawn up by the Cattle Market Action Group, will be held next Monday, June 20, at the town hall, beginning at 7.45pm.

The Inspector?s full report can be read on-line on South Oxfordshire District Council?s web site at:
Link

THAME’S Mayor, Cllr David Laver, today officially welcomed a group of students from Bonn, who are staying with their counterparts in Thame.
The teacher in charge of the group is Frau Beate Rosendahl and the accompanying teacher is Frau
Judith Fehmer. Thirty six pupils have been paired with Year 9 and 10 Lord Williams’s School pupils and five older pupils with Year 12 partners. These
five were not however at the Town Hall as they have today started six days of work experience with local businesses. They all come from Friedrich Ebert
Gymnasium in Bonn and this is the 23rd year of the exchange between the two schools.
During their stay in Thame they will all be visiting London and Blenheim Palace, and the younger ones will visit Warwick Castle and New College, Oxford as well as looking round Thame and Oxford city.
At least one family will be taking part in the Thame Festival Treasure Hunt, as printed in the Festival Programme (available from the town hall or TIC).

FASHION that need not cost the earth, literally, AND that helps the economy of developing countries, was on show last night, as part of this year’s Thame Festival.
Modelled by locals, including several young people, Fair traded cotton T-shirts, skirts, dresses and separates were on show, as well as very fashionable accessories which included bags made from recycles plastic bags.
Several Fairtrade stalls offered a wide range of goods including wooden birds, jewellery, pots and other decorative pieces made by the Wichi indians of Northern Argentina.
The Fairtrade wine from South African, supplied by the Co-op, tasted all the better in the knowledge that the producers were receiving a fair price for their product.
Fair traded clothes for all ages in cotton and dyed in wonderful muted, natural colours, were on offer from Oxford Fair Trading and Body Shop cosmetics and other beauty products were there to try.
Vibrant, boldly printed cushion covers and fabrics caught the eye and especially intriguing were multi-coloured necklaces and bracelets made from recycled margerine tubs.
Festival Chairman, Bob Davies, was pleased with the response to the event, the first of a week-long programme leading up to the carnival and fete on Saturday. (See full programme on right of Home page)