THIS weekend is a Big one, as on Saturday, the 1st Team are away to Taunton Titans, Away, with a 3pm kick off. The snowed off Aaway match against Shelford is now to be played on Saturday, May 4, extending the season by a week.
Big Weekend two – This Sunday, April 21, sees the mighty, mighty Chinnor 2s defend the Oxfordshire Cup.
They play Oxford University Greyhounds (their seconds) at the University?s ground at Iffley Road in Oxford;
Admission is
BARLEY Hill School in Thame is this year celebrating 40 years of serving the local community, and on Friday, May 17, the school will be commemorating this milestone with a Ruby Ball at the Spread Eagle Hotel.
To date 120 tickets have been sold but there are still another 30 to sell, to help make the event all the more worthwhile for the School.
Tickets per person for a table of 10 are priced at
THAME’S innovative Neighbourhood Plan, which is the first ever to allocate new housing sites, has been shortlisted for a prestigious planning award.
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence are set to be hotly contested with 30 schemes shortlisted for five project categories, ranging from the regeneration of Kings Cross to public realm improvements in Singapore.
The Thame Neighbourhood Plan, which has been submitted by Tibbalds, the consultancy that worked with Thame Town Council on delivering the plan, will compete with three other entries in the ‘Innovative use of the planning process’ – Plan Making section.
They are:
Upper Eden neighbourhood development plan (submitted by Development Planning Solutions)
East Pit/Lakes of Rhosamman regeneration strategy (submitted by SLR Consulting)
Croydon’s 16 places and the shift to spatial planning (submitted by Croydon Council)
The shortlisted projects will now be further scrutinised by a panel of 24 expert judges, chaired by one of the world?s leading planner-architects, Sir Terry Farrell, before the category winners are announced on July 10.
To read more about the RTPI Awards, go to http://www.planningresource.co.uk/Design/article/1178873/rtpi-planning-excellence-awards-shortlist-revealed/
The people of Thame and Moreton will go to the polls on May 2, to vote in a Referendum to decide whether the Thame Neighbourhood Plan becomes part of district planning policy or not.
OXFORDSHIRE County Council wants residents to take photographs of potholes (only if it’s safe to do so of course!) and report them, as part of its highways ‘spring clean’.
The council says that it has boosted its pothole repair programme as part of a highway ?spring clean? after a wet and icy winter that has taken its toll on the County?s 3,000 mile road network.
A new online reporting service has also been launched.
NEW figures based on research in towns across England and Wales today revealed that footfall counts ? the numbers of people visiting high streets and town centres ? have bounced back after collapsing last year.
Vacant property rates have also reduced, providing a glimmer of hope for hard pressed high streets.
Social enterprise, amt-i (part of national charity AMT) today released overall figures revealing high street and town centre performance for 2012, and how this compared to previous years.
The statistics, compiled based on research in 83 participating towns, showed that:
– Footfall has increased by 18% at ‘busy’ times of day since 2011 ? but is still 22% lower than in 2009
– The average number of vacant units in towns surveyed is 8% (down from 9% last year)
– Prime retail rents in towns surveyed has dropped further, to an average of
TODAY, St Mary?s Church in Thame is flying the Union flag at Half Mast out of respect for the late Margaret Thatcher, whose ceremonial funeral took place in London today.
At 5pm this evening, St Mary?s Bell ringers will be ringing the bells, half muffled, in tribute to her.
LEAGUE GAME: Tuesday, 16/04/13 – Thame United 5, Kidlington 0 – Match report (Contributed): DESPITE their growing injury list, which was added to last night, Thame United trounced Kidlington 5-0 at the ASM Stadium. Thame?s emphatic win ended the visitors’ run of five games without defeat.
The first goal came after four minutes play and was the softest goal seen at the stadium this season. A cross from the left bounced in front of the visiting goalkeeper who should have collected it comfortably but he fumbled it allowing Ben Connelly to react quickly and get his head to the ball. Although the keeper then blocked the header, the linesman signalled that the ball had crossed the line.
United continued to press and sadly Luke Ricketts sustained an injury when he challenged for a 50/50 ball; he was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated shoulder. Thame?s second goal came five minutes before the break when Matt Johnson played a sweet ball to Ben Gray, just inside their opponents half, allowing Gray to run at goal and confidently slot the ball past the oncoming keeper.
Shortly after the restart Thame keeper, Lee Farrow, was forced to make an excellent save, diving low to his left. Thame?s third goal came on 54 minutes when Matt Willet hit a diagonal cross to Johnson in enough space to hit a well placed 15-yard shot into the right corner. It was 4-0 five minutes later when Connelly buried a good ball from the left by-line from 10-yards.
United?s final goal came three minutes later when Gray played a ball from the right to Richard Jewell whose first time 15-yard shot gave the keeper no chance. The remainder of the game was an anticlimax as kidlington struggled unsuccessfully to get a consolation goal.
Thame United: Farrow, Willett, Rhodes, Hercules, Mitchell, Connelly (B Johnson), Jewell, Gray, M Johnson (Stallwood), Ricketts (Way)
A District Councillor, who was concerned about the effect of the government’s so-called ‘bedroom tax’ on particularly disabled people, has lost her bid for SODC to ask the government to review it.
Cllr Eleonor Hards put her motion to a recent meeting of the district council, asking that the council ‘by all means available’ make representations to the government to bring forward an early review of the tax which is to be brought in as part of the Welfare Reform Bill.
In putting forward her motion, Cllr Hards said: “It is becoming apparent that this under-occupation penalty will have a severe impact on members of our local communities particularly people with disabilities.?
According to the Minutes of the Council meeting held on February 21, a number of other councillors spoke in support of the motion saying that planned changes in allowances, which will reduce housing benefits for people who have a spare room, took no account of disabled people?s adapted homes and the possible need for a carer, of parents sharing custody who will lose the room for their child when visiting or of grandchildren visiting grandparents. Others pointed out that there was a shortage of smaller dwellings in the district to meet the demand.
Some councillors apparently felt that vulnerable residents would be forced to leave their neighbourhoods and support networks which could have the result of increasing the demand on the resources of social services. An early review would allow the unintended consequences of the proposal to be addressed.
According to the Minutes, those councillors opposing the motion spoke of the need to reform the current scheme to ensure a flexible and fair approach to the housing needs of residents. The housing benefit payable should reflect a person?s or family?s needs in terms of bedrooms required and not automatically cover the cost of the property. This system already operated within the private rental sector, it was said, and it was too early to undertake a review because the scheme was not yet in place.
It was explained that the government had allocated a
THE unseasonably cold weather in March may have delayed the blooming of spring flowers, but it also seems to have put a chill on the passion of the Chilterns red kites.
The popular birds are normally sitting on eggs by early April, but so far, it appears that on average, they have started laying their eggs around 10 days later than normal, with some still yet to lay. Last year was a poor breeding year for the birds, so experts are hoping this delayed start won?t adversely affect this year?s productivity.
Red kites tend to use the same nests year after year, but will sometimes move to a new site if a nest has been unsuccessful, so many of the birds whose nests failed in last year?s wet weather may have changed location this year. Also, as the population is still increasing, new pairs will establish breeding territories each year.
With so much potential for new nests, it?s likely that there could be one near you. If you?ve seen a nest but aren?t sure if it belongs to a pair of red kites, a new page on the Chilterns Conservation Board?s website www.chilternsaonb.org/reporting-red-kite-nests-and-sightings.html could help you with useful information on how to recognise a red kite nest and spot the breeding behaviour of the birds.
Confirmed reports of red kite nests can then be made via a link to the Southern England Kite Group?s website www.sekg.org.uk or by calling Pete Stevens on 07761 205 833. They are also interested in hearing about any birds seen with coloured plastic wing tags (especially if the colours and numbers on the tags can be read as this confirms the identity of individual birds) or any red kites found dead.
PHOTO: By Gerry Whitlow – Copulating kites
DEAR Editor, As a local resident who has followed the development of the plan closely I would like to respond to Barry Yates? recent letter to ThameNews.net
Mr Yates says that the plan represents a consensus view ? how so? A consensus amongst whom?
When the Town Council consulted on the draft plan last October, just 221 people responded, of whom 33 opposed the proposed distribution of residential allocations and only 31 were in favour.
?The majority of those opposing the distribution suggested an alternative allocation of increasing the number of homes on Site F, and reducing the number to the south of Thame on Sites C and D.? (Consultation Statement December 2012, Thame Town Council) .
Mr Yates argues that the issues raised by local residents such as Claire Forrest (see letters Thame Gazette, April 12th) have all been addressed.
The reality is that arguments and points made against the proposals have been ignored or met with the bland assertion along the lines of ?The allocations have been arrived at as a result of a robust process of technical testing and public consultation. No changes proposed. (Consultation report, Regulation 14 stage, November 2012, Thame Town Council).
There is still time for Mr Yates and the ?Yes? campaign to give a proper explanation of why the South of Thame will have over half the housing allocation even though this flies in the face of what most people have said they want – the housing dispersed around the town.
With regards to what Mr Yates refers to as ?a point of detail? he argues that the land at the Elms ?has not been grazed for many years.? This completely misses the point. Whilst it may be that the land has not been grazed since it was bought by a developer within the last few years, those who rush to develop this site need to take a longer view.
Building on this site will destroy one of the few natural green spaces left in this part of Thame, and damage part of the historic character of Thame. It is in the Conservation Area for a reason. There may not be physical public access at the moment but there are views across from Elms Park helping to create a much needed sense of space. Mr Yates is keen to kick concerns about traffic impacts arising from development of the Elms and other sites into the long grass ? ?the time to address these is when the individual sites come forward for detailed planning consent? ? but unfortunately by then it will be too late. As those who live in or near Nelson Street and Southern Road know only too well there are only so many ways through in that part of town.
The Town Council, (Consultation Statement December 2012) states ?There was opposition to development on land at The Elms.? So despite the reservations of English Heritage and the opposition of local people, our own town plan is to open the door to building on this historic site all for the sake of just 45 houses. In whose interests is this development?
Finally, and importantly is the question of what happens if the town votes No.
Mr Yates tells us ?it is WRONG to say that if the town votes No it will still have a say where the new housing goes?. So do we now have a planning system that allows no further consultation regarding any revised proposals, and no opportunity for residents/citizens to have a say on planning applications? Really? I think we should be told. ??.
One of the striking features of the Yes campaign has been the rather hysterical tone- threats of dire consequences should there be a No vote. To stand a chance of reaching an informed view, it really would be helpful to have a clear unemotional statement setting out what the process for housing allocation would be in the event of a No vote.
Mr Yates makes a final plea for us all to support our town councillors, and to appreciate their hard work. Whilst many have worked hard it is more important to stay clear sighted about the plan itself and its legacy. The YES campaign is in full swing and has much political support behind it. Those who oppose the proposals need to make their voices heard too on May 2nd. It is not just Claire Forrest who has serious and legitimate concerns about the soundness of this plan for Thame-and about the process behind it.
David Phillips
Local resident