Category: More News

THE much needed and longed-for safe cycle route between Thame and Haddenham railway station is looking more promising, following an announcement by Sustrans at the recent ‘pedal-powered’ cinema‘ event in Haddenham.

Peter Challis, Sustrans’ Area Manager for the Thames Valley, told members of Haddenham In Transition and visiting cinema-goers that as part of a Station Travel Plan he has been working on, Sustrans has recommended the future development of six routes to the station in Haddenham.

Apart from Haddenham itself, Thame is the main place served by the station and the travel plan recommends development of a cycle route between Thame and Haddenham. Peter explained that there are two, main, alternative routes: one following the road and one following local Rights of Way.

“The route to Thame crosses the Bucks county boundary into Oxfordshire,” he said. “However, Oxfordshire County Council felt unable to support the Rights of Way route – following local bridleways and footpaths – because of seasonal flooding and land issues. However, both counties have now agreed to pursue a route alongside the Thame Road and the A418. Sustrans will be investigating how a route can be accommodated alongside the road, so that plans can be drawn up, in order to bid for any funding that becomes available in future. Both counties are funding the study.”

Sustrans’ work in Haddenham has been funded by the Access to Stations project, through the DfT’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

Sustrans is also investigating what needs to be done to create a cycle route between Haddenham and Aylesbury. From Haddenham, this would follow the Green Lane bridleway, and then run alongside the A418 to Aylesbury. The Haddenham-Aylesbury study was commissioned by the Haddenham Safe Walking & Cycling (HaddSWAC) group, and funded by Bucks County Council. This study, and the Haddenham-Thame study, should be completed in the next few months.

Better links to stations in Buckinghamshire

Sustrans is helping to promote pedestrian, cycle and bus access to four Chiltern Railway stations in Buckinghamshire over the next two years in a new project funded by Buckinghamshire County Council through the government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund. The four stations are Amersham, Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross
and Haddenham & Thame Parkway.

The plans include introducing local maps and improved signage to promote bus and cycle routes to and around each station.

What is Sustrans?

Sustrans is the charity behind the National Cycle Network. It began in 1977, by converting an old railway line between Bristol and Bath into a cycling and walking route. In 1995 the organisation won a major Millennium Commission grant to create the National Cycle Network. This year is the 20th anniversary of the National Cycle Network, which now
has over 14,000 miles of routes all across the UK, including route 57 which includes the Phoenix Trail between Thame and Princes Risborough.

The vision is to double the number of short journeys made by foot, bike or public transport to four out of five by 2020.

Chiltern Rail

New cycle parking has been installed at all three of the stations, funded by the Access to Stations project, and Chiltern Railways who are also investing in the stations themselves. At Haddenham new catering, waiting and toilet facilities have been installed.

IT looks as though canvassing for the General Election in May, is getting underway already in Thame, with the town’s MP, John Howell, spotted door-stepping around some parts of Thame.

At this stage in the run up to the elections, it is known that those standing against the imcumbant will include Sam Juthani, the Parliamentary Labour Candidate. 

Mark Stevenson will be the Prospective Green Party candidate for Henley in the general election on May 7, 2015,  and the Liberal Democrat  Candidate will be Susan Cooper, whose formal adoption meeting is on Friday, February 13. Susan lives in Ewelme, Wallingford.

THAME awoke to a blanket of snow this morning, which meant a two-hour drive to Aylesbury and even longer for bus passengers to Oxford, but for two-year-old Lily Hinton from Thame, it was her first experience of the fun of building a snowman.

By mid-day, temperatures had risen though and much of the snow had melted away, and the sun was shining by 2pm. Although temperatures are due to drop in the early hours of Wednesday morning, no more snow is forecast for Thame, according the BBC website.

A THAME resident has hit out against potential dangers for road users created by the Thame Neighbour Plan, after a school child was hit by a car in Thame this morning.

Park Street resident, Richard Jeffries, said: “This morning a child was apparently hit by a car *which failed to stop* at the John Hampden School crossing (*Ed. This has not yet been confirmed by Thames Valley Police*).  I have personally witnessed other near misses when cars failed to stop for red lights. The situation is exacerbated by the low morning sun directly in the eyes of drivers leaving Thame. When Thame had a traffic warden she used to stand at the crossing to give some further enforcement as she appreciated the danger.

“Park Street is a dangerous road, and will be rendered even more so with the increased loading of traffic as a direct result of the ill-thought out Thame Neighbourhood Plan. The traffic safety issues along Park Street have long been raised and ignored by local councillors, yet Ludsden Grove, which is a ‘no through’ road leading to Barley Hill School, already has a 20MPH speed restriction and better signage (than Park Street).

How could this be? “

The ambulance service has confirmed that a child was treated at the scene of a collision between a pedestrian and a vehicle, in Park Street, Thame, but fortunately, did not require to be taken to hospital.

THE Secretary of State’s office has this morning issued a direction to Aylesbruy Vale District Council, preventing it from granting planning permission for 250 houses on land in Haddenham, less than 24 hours after AVDC defied local opposition and went ahead and approved the application.

This morning, Haddenham Parish Council issued the following statement:

“This morning the Parish Council has notified the Secretary of State’s Office of the decision to approve made by AVDC. The Secretary of State’s office has responded by issuing an Article 25 Direction to Aylesbury Vale District Council with respect to this application. This prevents the Council from granting planning permission in order to provide the Secretary of State with a period of time in which to consider a call-in. If the application is called-in there will be a Public Inquiry and the Inspector will make a report and recommendation to the Secretary of State, he will then make the final decision. This is a process that would take several months. The Parish Council will make no further decisions relating to its Neighbourhood Plan until the outcome of the request to call-in is known.

“Haddenham Parish Council would like to thank all the villagers who attended yesterday’s Strategic Development Management Committee at Aylesbury Vale District Council, it was a tremendous demonstration of interest and support. Special thanks also go out to the villagers who registered to speak: Graham Oliver, David Impey, Robyn and Chris Thorogood, Tony Stevens, Nick Nash, Alison Watt and District Cllr Judy Brandis. The Parish Council is extremely disappointed by the decision to approve planning application 14/02666/AOP but is grateful to District Cllrs Foster, Thompson and Cooper who spoke up during the meeting for the Neighbourhood Plan and voted to refuse planning permission. The decision to approve was made contrary to the manifest wishes of the residents of Haddenham whose emergent Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to AVDC on Tuesday, January 27.

“It is Haddenham Parish Council’s opinion that this refusal to take account of Haddenham’s Neighbourhood Plan sets an unfortunate precedent for undermining the neighbourhood planning process on a national scale and for this reason a request was sent to the Secretary of State to ask him to call-in this application. The request has been supported by local MP John Bercow.”

THAMES Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following theft of a vehicle in Thame.

Between 8pm Tuesday (27/01) and 9am Wednesday (28/01) offender(s) stole a black BMW 318is from outside a property in Chinnor road.

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 101.

Alternatively if you have any 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.

A benefit claimant who failed to declare cash she had in bank accounts has been ordered to repay the money she fraudulently obtained from Aylesbury Vale District Council.

An investigation by AVDC and the Department for Work and Pensions revealed that Cynthia Green, aged 60, of Franklin Road, Haddenham, held £50,000 of undeclared savings when she made claims for housing and council tax benefits.

Had she declared the savings to the council, her claim would have been cancelled due to the level of capital held. Instead Green continued to claim her benefits without telling the council about the money. As a result, she was found to have claimed £20,199 in housing benefit, £10,433 in income support and £3,470 in council tax benefit to which she was not entitled to. Her total overpayment was £34,104.

Aylesbury Crown Court sentenced Green to a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, and ordered her to pay costs of £425 along with an £85 victim surcharge.

Councillor Neil Blake, Leader of the Council, said: “Once again a fraudster who thinks by not telling the council about their true circumstances they will be able to steal from the public purse. But because of joint working between agencies and our ability to cross check data there is no hiding place for people who lie about their circumstances. In this case, as with all others, we will pursue the fraudster to recoup all the money taken illegally.”

Anyone with good reason to suspect that benefit fraud is being committed in Aylesbury Vale can provide details, anonymously if necessary, by calling 01296 585570.

THAMES Valley Police is initiating a new series of meetings across the Vale of the White Horse and South Oxfordshire schools aimed at helping to prevent vulnerable young people from falling victim to child sexual exploitation (CSE) and other risky behaviour.

During the meetings, staff members from comprehensive schools in the South and Vale local policing area will meet with Thames Valley Police to share information about students deemed at risk of becoming involved in criminal activity, including CSE.

The meetings will ensure that all partner agencies have current and consistent knowledge of the circumstances surrounding students who are identified as vulnerable. The meetings will give schools the opportunity to pass information on risky behaviour and vulnerability displayed that they perhaps would not have shared before. This will give the Kingfisher Team, Thames Valley Police and other partners the opportunity to directly respond and react in a number of ways.

Inspector Mags Turner, Thames Valley Police, said: “We’re really pleased that these information-sharing meetings have started in South and Vale schools and we’re working hard to prevent our students from ever experiencing CSE. We’re doing this by educating young people on how to recognise, report and avoid CSE, and by working more effectively across the Force with partners to share useful information more quickly.

“All students’ identities will be protected, and all meetings are held in the strictest confidence. All attendees will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Thames Valley Police to ensure that any minutes or information heard at the meetings is not shared inappropriately, and is solely used for the benefit of the vulnerable young people in question.”

THE Chilterns Conservation Board has announced that leading UK environmentalist, Sue Holden,  has been appointed as a Board member.

 In a statement today, the ‘Board said: “Sue has an impressive track record as a leader in the field of conservation. She is Chief Executive of Earthwatch Europe, an international environmental charity carrying out research into wildlife and conservation around the world, which is based in Oxford. Before that she spent nine years as the Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust and eight years with the National Trust.”

Sue lives on the edge of the Chilterns near Chinnor and says her love of her local countryside inspired her to join the Board: “I am keen to do my bit to care for the Chilterns AONB and help it flourish. I am lucky to have some beautiful, tranquil green spaces on my doorstep, especially the woodlands, and I’m looking forward to working with colleagues on the Board to achieve our aims of protecting and promoting the AONB,” she said.

The Chilterns Conservation Board was established by Parliament in 2004 with the purpose of conserving and enhancing the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and helping people to understand and enjoy it. The Board has 27 members, drawn from local communities across the area, who bring valuable knowledge and expertise to the complex work of caring for an ancient landscape.