Category: More News

IT”S official – South Oxfordshire’s residents are the best recyclers in the country.

The district has topped the latest official league table of England’s local authorities by recycling nearly two thirds of its household waste (65.71 per cent).

Their neighbours in the Vale of White Horse are also sitting proudly in third place with a recycling rate of 65.27 per cent. Both councils have been in the top three for the past three years.

Cllr David Dodds, Cabinet Member for Waste at South Oxfordshire District Council, and a Thame Town Cllr, said: “We are very proud that South Oxfordshire is the number one area in the country for recycling. The service we provide is designed to make recycling easy and our residents have responded to that by ensuring they recycle as much rubbish as possible, and by limiting the amount of other waste that is produced. They are the ones who are setting the standard for others to follow and deserve our congratulations.”

South and Vale councils have had a shared waste collection service with Biffa since 2010, saving an estimated £1.2 million. The councils recently extended the Biffa contract until 2024.

The council is currently looking at the possibility of bringing in a kerbside collection of small electrical goods and textiles to help increase recycling rates even further and will shortly be launching a new service, Recycleopedia, which is like a search engine for your bin – users simply type in the item they want to throw away, enter their postcode, and the results page explains which bin to put it in.

Also on the way are free iCal waste calendars, which means that residents can download a copy of their waste calendar straight onto their smartphone. Their chosen calendar app will display a reminder on the day before they put their bins out, and then on the collection day itself, telling them whether it’s a grey or a green bin week.

Keep an eye on the councils’ websites at www.southoxon.gov.uk and www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk for more information.

A THAME building firm is patting itself on the back this week, after one of its young employees was chosen as Southern Counties Regional Apprentice of the Year, in the prestigious Master Builder of the Year Awards 2015.

Zak Lafford, who works for Stuart Bar CDR Ltd, Thame, was rightly proud of his achievement and said afterwards: “It’s a great achievement. I feel proud to have won the award and feel like my hard work and dedication has started to pay off, especially in an industry that’s not always full of compliments and praise; this is the best type of ‘pat on the back’ you can get.

“Working for Stuart Barr has played a massive part in me getting where I am today. They have helped every step of the way, giving me the time, patience and training needed to develop my skills which has allowed me to reach the high quality of work that Stuart Barr provides.”

Zak’s boss, Stuart Barr himself, said: “Zak has always shown the highest levels of commitment and been keen to extend his knowledge. As well as producing the highest quality of work, he is punctual and presentable with great communication skills, which is exactly what is required to give great customer service in our industry. Within the Stuart Barr group of companies, investing in young people is core to our business and we take on at least two apprentices each year across our business interests of construction, joinery and kitchens.

“We are delighted with Zak’s achievement – he is a great role model for the other apprentices following in his footsteps. and we wish him the best of luck for the finals in February.”

The national winners of the 12th Master Builder of the Year Awards will be announced by TV presenter and architecture enthusiast Charlie Luxton who will present the coveted accolades at a high profile ceremony at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London, on February 18, 2015.

The awards represent a nationwide search by the FMB to find the best builders in the UK. Nominations must come from a satisfied client, and builders are judged on their technical ability together with their customer service skills and attention to detail, along with the project’s end result.

The finalist for Apprentice of the Year will receive a cheque for £1,000.

A group of Thame residents is planning a campaign to oppose a proposal for a Tesco store and petrol station on the outskirts of the town, because they fear its effects on them and on town centre businesses.

Chair of the East Thame Residents Association, Bob Austin, told Thamenews.net: “Our reasons for opposing the Tesco development- subject to confirmation at a general meeting- are based on of its potentially adverse impact on residents in the surrounding area as well as on the prosperity of the town centre itself. In particular:

1. The DAF site is surrounded on three sides by residential dwellings and the scale of the development would seriously affect the quality of life of those people living there. The superstore would be open from 7am to 11pm- we presume the petrol station would be the same (?)- and the noise and light pollution could be a serious problem. The latter would obviously be exacerbated by delivery vehicles. Traffic on the bypass could be problematic and would need to be carefully managed.

2.The DAF site is zoned for employment use only and would require a ‘change of use’. The latter normally requires a one year period of advertising to establish a justification for change. Given the uncertainties imposed by the Local Plan 2031 on housing numbers for Thame, the site should not be waved through for change of use automatically before future needs are clear.

3.The building of a superstore would be contrary to the Thame Neighbourhood Plan (TNP). Page 28 of that document states: “Thame is a small town and any major shopping development outside the town centre would be likely to undermine the town’s vitality and the viability of town centre shops”. These words are a confirmation of an independent study undertaken when Tesco previously sought an edge of town superstore.

4.The TNP identified an additional food (or convenience) retail need of only 600 sq. metres (6500 sq. feet) by 2027. The new superstore would be six and a half times that size. As a community we should address need not just convenience.

5. We are concerned at the potential to replace the employment land at DAF by other sites around the town. The additional land (not in the TNP) given to the new warehousing on Howland Road was in part justified as replacing the employment land taken by the ‘permitted development’ conversion of the old Angus Fire Armour Offices into flats.

“Any decision on the DAF site development should not undermine the well-being of residents or of town centre itself. Thame is justly proud of its ability to resist the retail blight that has hit other towns and should continue to do so.

“The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) emphasises that the promotion of town centre vitality must be the core policy. We would urge that Thame Town Council ensure this is the case by commissioning its own study, independent of that required of Tesco, and supporting the conclusions of the Neighbourhood Plan. The latter may bend but it should not be allowed to break.”

Editor: A response from Thame Town Council and South Oxfordshire District Council is awaited

PREVIOUS; Supermarket’s bid to build in Thame

A Deputy District Scout Commissioner for Oxfordshire has been jailed for fraud after fiddling the books over a payment for the hire of Thame Show ground.

Oxford Crown Court heard Colin Arter, of Spruce Drive, Bicester, told that he had ‘set a terrible example’ by taking the money from Oxfordshire Scouting, where he had volunteered for more than 25 years, and that by helping himself to £18,200 of the movment’s money he had committed a ‘grotesque breach of trust’.

The court heart that Arter had requested £10,000 for a deposit to book the Thame Show Ground for the county’s One World camp last summer, and £4,600 to hire a marquee. But he provided his own bank details and those of a friend he owed money to, and the sums were deposited to their accounts. Arter was caught when the Scouts tried to recover their deposits and when questioned he also admitted claiming a further £3,600.

His defence lawyer told the court that his client had run into financial difficulties and ‘had not been himself for some time’. Arter had, he said, at one time  ‘found himself standing precariously on a bridge over the motorway’.

Arter was jailed for 14 months after admitting one count of fraud by abuse of position between June 1, 2013, and March 27, 2014 this year.

ST JOSEPH’S Catholic Primary School in Thame rose to the occasion to mark this year’s Remembrance Day with a range of activities to commemorate all those who have been affected by conflict.

Prior to Tuesday, November 11, the children learnt about the significance of Remembrance Day and recorded their findings on large paper poppies to form a red poppy display in each classroom.

On Remembrance Day itself the older children stood in attendance at Thame’s war memorial at 11am and attended a special assembly. Later in the day, they worked in small groups of mixed ages to produce special ‘prayers of peace’.

“We feel it’s incredibly important to teach the children about both past and current conflict and its impact, as well as nurture their respect and understanding on something they have little experience of,” said teacher Fiona Dyer.

The children also undertook various writing tasks ranging from letter and descriptive writing following a visit to Thame’s war memorial by the school’s 7-11 year olds, as well as an imaginative piece by the younger pupils describing what aliens would see looking down onto Earth on Remembrance Day.

The upper years also made clay poppies inspired by the poppy installation at the Tower of London and had the opportunity to ask questions, which they had prepared as a part of their studies, to a visiting member of the British Legion.

TESCO has announced that it wants to build a supermarket, an eight-pump petrol station, new offices and car parking, on the edge of Thame.

Tesco today confirmed that it would like to redevelop the Howland Road site it has owned since 1996, which is currently leased to DAF Trucks and also occupied by Kubota, R E Foster, Lucy Electric, M40 Cars and GMQ. The supermarket giant claims that such a development would boost the local economy by providing around 200 jobs for local people.

Jack Pearson, Tesco’s Corporate Affairs Manager, said: “We have been keen to open a supermarket in Thame for many years and think that a store would be popular.”

A public Consultation will be carried out before a formal planning application is submitted, beginning with an exhibition at the Barns Centre, Thame, on Novemer 28 and 29.

Back in 1994 and then again in 1999, Tesco failed attempts to gain planning permission for an out-of-town store on the same site, and then turned its interest to the Cattlemarket site where it was equally unsuccessful in 2004/5.

As before, Tesco’s main claim is that their supermarket will prevent money being drained away to supermarkets in other towns. In 1994, the then Thame Chamber of Commerce joined the ‘Save the Heart of Thame’ campaign to fight the proposals, its Chairman claiming that there were already five major supermarkets within 15 miles of the town, and that the chamber did not want to spoil the character of Thame.

He said the local authority’s independent consultants, at the time, Hillier Parker, has estimated that a Tesco would take £10m out of the centre of Thame.

Whether or not it will be fourth time lucky for Tesco, will depend largely on a proven need in an expanding town, and the provisions made for retail supermarkets in the Thame Neighbourhood Plan.

THAME’S St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School opened its doors recently for prospective parents to see the school in action, and to meet the new Headteacher.

Spokesperson for the school, Rachel Fisher, said: “The afternoon was very busy with over 25 families visiting our school, in particular its new Reception class and playground area (Early Years Unit) which was completed for the 2013 academic year. Older children acted as tour guides taking families through the school to see the children learning a range of subjects.

“Parents also had the chance to meet the new headteacher, Paul Roberts, who joined St Joseph’s from its Academy sister school, Our Lady’s in Cowley. Paul brings over 25 years experience in education to St Joseph’s.”

“It’s been great getting to know the wonderful team here at St Joseph’s. I hope our visitors were able not only to see all our children enjoying their learning experiences but also to get a feel for our strong family atmosphere and ethos.,” added Paul. “Choosing a school for your child can feel quite daunting and a personal visit with a chance to speak to staff and pupils can really help.”

Prospective parents can make an appointment to visit the school by calling 01844 214278 or emailing stjosephsthame@dbmac.org.uk