FOLLOWING an extension to Thame Town Council’s response time for comments on the Sainsbury’s planning application for a new supermarket (LINK), the Planning Officer in charge of the case has clarified the time scale for everyone else.
Michael Moore told Thamenews.Net today: “I want to ensure that everyone who wishes to make representations both for and against the proposal has the opportunity so to do. Equally, it is useful for me and the council’s shopping consultants, to know local views sooner rather than later as they are easier to take on board.
“I have already advised the Town Council that their normal 21 day period for comments can be extended till March 19, and I see no reason why neighbours, businesses and other interested parties cannot have the same time frame.
“However, it is preferable that representations are made in advance of that date if at all possible.”
Mr Moore’s statement clarifies some confusion locally as to when comments from the public on the Planning application had to be received by South Oxfordshire District Council’s planning department. The application registration on SODC’s website says March 1, whereas letters received by local businesses, neighbours, parish councils etc states February 20.
Hopefully it is now clear that everyone has until March 19, though it would obviously be helpful to the planning authority to begin to get some idea of the support or otherwise of the application as soon as possible. In other words, don’t leave it until the last minute!
The quickest and easiest way to comment is to go the planning appplication HERE and click on the orange COMMENT NOW button.
THE children and staff of Barley Hill Primary School in Thame have been celebrating after receiving their Green Flag Award from the Mayor of Thame this morning.
The school has been recognised by ?Keep Britain Tidy? for their efforts to raise environmental awareness among pupils, and for making outstanding progress in reducing their carbon footprint.
The Assessor who visited the school said: ?The whole school is clearly enthusiastic about achieving the Green Flag. The Eco Committee members were all very dedicated and enthusiastic, as were the Eco teachers.”
Pupils at the school celebrated the occasion by raising their Green Flag on the school?s mast after a special school assembly, hosted by the children?s Eco Committee and attended by the Town Mayor, Cllr. David Bretherton and the Mayoress Margaret Bretherton.
Barley Hill?s Headteacher, Mrs Ann Stopforth, said: ?The children in our Eco Committee are really keen to make a difference and have been very successful in helping our school become more environmentally friendly. This is a very exciting award and well deserved.”
The day was a double celebration with the school also receiving funding for a new greenhouse from Frazer Sutherland, Manager of The Thatch restaurant in Thame. The Thatch raised
HERE is the latest Thame neighbourhood update from Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Chris Hollis, PCSO Richard Howard and PCSO Diane Jackson. The Local Priority for Thame as identified by the community and the police is currently:
? Anti-social behaviour (ASB). This is focused on the town centre car parks and behaviour in the town?s park areas.
We have conducted many high visibility patrols in an effort to deter ASB in our car parks. This seems to have been effective as the number of complaints has dropped. We have also deterred young people from congregating in the local recreation grounds (Southern Road & Elms Park) through high visibility patrols. We will continue with our high visibility patrols in
local priority hot spots in an effort to curtail the ASB problems.
Planned Activity
We have participated in the following operations during January:
Maginot – this operation continues to run, tackling travelling criminals entering and leaving our area. Due to an increase in thefts from vehicles in the Thame area and surrounding villages, we have been deploying the Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) device
at dedicated times and providing a highly visible police presence aimed at deterring and preventing offences taking place, offering reassurance and assisting in the capture and prosecution of offenders.
ANPR is a powerful tool that can help prevent crime by identifying flagged vehicles.
Benefits of ANPR
? ANPR identifies suspect vehicles that may not normally attract police attention.
? Unlicensed or uninsured vehicles are likely to be seized on the spot by ANPR equipped officers.
? It can be used to gather intelligence on known criminals and for running pro-active operations using dedicated Roads Policing intercept teams.
ANPR cameras are not safety cameras – they are not used by Thames Valley Police to catch speeding or otherwise law abiding motorists. ANPR cameras are not used to
generate money for the Government or other agencies.
Magpie – this operation involves checking parked vehicles in local car parks for valuables left on display.
Mangrove – this was set up as a result of fuel thefts from heavy goods vehicles in our local area. This operation involves us carrying out static patrols in key areas at key times in marked vehicles.
Thame Neighbourhood Team Newsletter
February 2012 Moonlight – this operation will be running continuously and is working to protect the night time economy of Thame Town centre by preventing and detecting ASB/violent assaults and managing licensed premises. PCSOs are working with police officers to conduct high visibility patrols in the town centre and liaising with the pubs and carrying out licence checks.
Partnership Activity
We continue to work with our partners such as Soha Housing, Sovereign Housing, Highways etc. ensuring that we liaise on a regular basis. We also have close regular contact with schools in the Thame area to maintain the good rapport we have built up.
Out and about
PCSO Chris Hollis and PCSO Diane Jackson were alerted to a fear for welfare this month. They liaised with the concerned party and obtained a key to the premise where they unfortunately found an elderly gentleman deceased. They immediately made police officers aware, secured the area and comforted family members.
Offenders brought to justice
This month 13 offenders have been brought to justice in the Thame area:
? Six for shoplifting
? Three for assault without injury
? One for criminal damage to a vehicle
? Three for public order offences
Crime Mapping
The Home Office national crime mapping website gives the public access to street-level crime information as well as information on their Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Neighbourhood Priorities and Events – details of Have Your Say and other neighbourhood activities. Log on to www.police.uk, type in your local postcode or neighbourhood name and then click on ?Find out more?.
Community Messaging
This free service provides information to subscribers about crime and police activity in their area via phone or email. It also includes information on what we and our partner services are doing to bring offenders to justice or combat anti-social behaviour, and information on opportunities for local residents to raise concerns with their local policing teams.
More information can be obtained via our website, and you can sign up here too: http://www.tvpcommunitymessaging.org/rmwebportal/startup.aspx
Have Your Say online
You can now send non-emergency messages to us using the online form that is available on the Thames Valley Police website. A number of people have already sent their concerns using this method. For you to do that please follow the link:
UPDATE: Since this report, a meeting has been arranged for 6.30pm on Tuesday, February 28, for Thame Residents Associations to meet with Tibbalds and Town Councillors to get an update on the Neighbourhood Plan. END
FOLLOWING a meeting with the Government Minister in charge of communities last week, the Chair of a Thame residents Association has asked for more of a say before the Draft plan is published.
Barry Yates, the Chair of the Oxford Road Residents Association, was one of the community representatives who spoke at the meeting last Wednesday (25/01), called to enable Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister of State for Communities and Local Government, the opportunity to see how Thame’s Neighbourhood Plan was progressing.
Speaking after the meeting, Barry Yates said: “Whilst we as Residents Associations fully embrace the Neighbourhood Plan, we have felt that there has been a slowness in the feedback from the consultation, a lack of publication of a timetable going forward and a general feeling of a certain opaqueness.
“We have therefore asked for a meeting with the town council and Tibbalds, the consultants who are leading on the formation of the Neighbourhood Plan, and all the representatives of the Residents Associations, as soon as possible, to make sure that our views are taken into consideration before the Draft Neighbourhood Plan is finally formulated.
“Yes, we were all NIMBYS initially but we have been working together for the good of the town, and as we represent a good chunk of the population of Thame, we have offered to help communication between the town council, the Consultants and the people of the town.
“Hopefully we will hear very soon when the meeting can take place.”
THAME Town Council has called a special meeting of its full council, following its receipt of Sainsbury’s planning application to build a large supermarket on the Cattlemarket site.
In a statement today, the council said: “Due to the huge impact such an application could have on the town, a special Full Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 6, at 7.30pm. This will enable all Councillors to consider and vote on the application, rather than just the Planning & Environment Committee.
“Their recommendation will then go to South Oxfordshire District Council, the Planning Authority.”
Thame Town Council has been given an extension until 19 March to return comments to SODC, not February 20, as originally specified. (Ed. BUT February 20, is the cut off date for comments from anyone else!!)
THAME4busines, which represents many businesses in the town, last Wednesday (25/01) hosted a Question and Answer event for retailers and businesses leaders to put their questions and concerns about the proposal for a new supermarket.
A team of five representatives of Sainsbury’s were invited to the meeting which was held in the Stables bar, behind the James Figg.
Among the areas of concern were parking provision, how much of the merchandise hoped to be sold would be made up of non-food items, whether the various shopping surveys carried out on behalf of Sainsbury’s were relevant, whether the community centre included in the plans was sufficient to meet the town’s needs, concerns about the provision for school drop-offs behind Barley Hill school, and the subject that worried most members at the meeting, the fate of the redundant existing Sainsbury’s store, should the Cattlemarket development go ahead.
The fear was expressed that, as happened with the closure of Woolworths, the loss of the large car park behind the building, would negatively affect footfall in the town centre.
Those who joined in the discussion included the Branch Manager of Waitrose, the Manager and Area Manager of Martins, Kismet Jewellers, Wrens Butchers (formerly Clays), Bizzie Lizzie, Free Range Clothing, The Cross Keys, Thame, CAAOS, Peach Pubs and Wallace’s Home Boutique.
ANYONE who would like sight of the meeting notes can email Sonja Francis: editor@thame.net
DEAR Editor, Approaching 40, my wife saw that ‘tomorrow’ began the second week of her fortnight holiday of life. The first week being up until 40 years-old and the second week being 40 and until we depart this world.
Distraught by the pending big 40, my wife, Gayle Smith of Thame, in a moment of madness signed-up to ‘Women vs Cancers.’ That was eighteen months ago. In two weeks, after raising
EX Chinnor RFC First Team Captain, Matt Hutchings, will be running another rugby camp for the 5 ? 12 year olds during the Half Term holidays. All children are welcome, whether members or not, players or new to the game.
Matt is a Sports Teacher and will be assisted by other Chinnor players who are also teachers. All are CRB checked, qualified coaches and good with kids.
MOTORISTS in Thame and other towns in South Oxfordshire could see the price of their parking season tickets slashed.
Under plans going to cabinet on Monday, February 13, season tickets for South Oxfordshire District Council car parks in Thame, Didcot, Goring, Henley and Wallingford will be available for half-price from April 1, 2012 for those working in the district. Also, parking on Saturday afternoons from 2pm will be free all year round.
The offer means that, for instance, someone working in Thame who parks in the Cattlemarket car park will pay
TOGS 4 U, the family run ladies fashion shop in Thame High Street, will be closing its doors for the last time in the next few days.
The business was started by Mrs Heelas in 1985 and has since become one of the longest established shops in the town. Selling a range of competiveley priced clothes and assessories from well known brands like Poppy, Casamia, Adini, Seasalt etc the shop has been popular with local shoppers.
The partners in the business are who took over five years ago, are Ken and Chris Bennell together with Kens Daughter Karen and son-in-law Andrew. Ken told ThameNews.Net: “After much thought and discussion, we have decided not to renew the lease although a new lease on favourable terms was offered by the landlords.
“An increase in on-line trading with some manufacturers trading direct, and competitive pricing by some of the national chains has not helped in these difficult times. But although trade has not been quite so good during this recent recession, the end of the lease and retirement have been the main reasons for closing.”
Ken added: “The partners would like to thank the very loyal customers that they have known over the years, for their support.”