CURRENT Exhibition: Silly Stuff 2 ? an amusing exhibition of cartoons by our local resident cartoonist and artist, Robert Duncan. Robert?s exhibition will be running until 20th July, during museum opening hours: Tues. Wed. & Sat. 10am-4pm. Sun.noon-4pm
Calling all you budding junior artists: Learn how to draw cartoons. Robert will be running cartoon workshops at the museum on Saturday 2nd July and Saturday 9th July, from 10am-noon Price:
SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council last night approved changes to its core strategy on where 814 additional new homes in the district should go, including Thame.
The council came up with its proposals in response to a directive from the planning inspector currently considering the council’s Core Strategy for future development to 2027. The inspector has ruled that the council cannot rely on windfall housing sites to meet any of its housing needs during that period.
The approved changes include:
Thame: 600 to the northwest of the town (site F) (revised from 530) and a further 175 in or around the town (sites to be specified in a later document).
Wallingford: 555 to the west of the town (revised from 400)
Larger villages: 1,154 (revised from 740).
The council said today: “Despite this initial set back the planning inspector is happy for the council to move its strategy forward by holding some of the examination hearings in July and addressing the other outstanding issues in early November. The changes will be published for six weeks, between Friday, July 8 and August 19, before re-submission to the inspector in time for him to recommence the proceedings on November 1.
Angie Paterson, Cabinet member for planning, said:
?The Council?s decision last night to approve the changes to housing numbers means we can now move the strategy forward again – although having to revise our numbers was a disappointment for us and for local communities, it is in all our interests to work to submit a strategy that the inspector will find to be sound.?
Find out more at: www.southoxon.gov.uk
SODC’s statment explains: “The increase of 70 more homes to the northwest of Thame is on the originally identified preferred site. We have concluded this is still the most appropriate location in terms of the impact on the road network, access to public transport and flood risk. Importantly, an increase of this number could be included without increasing the size of the site needed. However, since this site cannot accommodate all the housing needed for the town, we propose further work to identify land either within or around the town suitable for the remaining 175 homes. In future there is a possibility the Lord Williams’s Lower School site could fit many if not all of these homes.
“Wallingford?s increase of 155 additional homes is also on the originally identified preferred site, west of the town. We have concluded this is still the most appropriate location as the increase in homes could be included without increasing the size of the site needed. The site also offers the best accessibility to the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists.
“In the larger villages, an increase of 414 more homes from 740 would be between twelve villages and land at Bayswater Farm north east of Oxford. The larger villages include Benson, Berinsfield, Chalgrove, Chinnor, Cholsey, Crowmarsh Gifford, Goring, Nettlebed, Sonning Common, Watlington, Wheatley and Woodcote.
“Details on the exact locations for Thame, Henley and the larger villages will be discussed at a later date. The council will set out specific sites for development in this document following the principles we established and agreed in the core strategy.”
Windfall sites
Windfall sites are sites suitable for development but are either too small for inclusion in the council?s core strategy or their particular availability cannot be predicted at the time the strategy is prepared.
After extensive consultation last year, the council decided windfall sites should be included as part of the supply needed for it to meet the district’s housing ambitions for the district.
This approach, said the council, was welcomed by local communities as it meant smaller numbers of homes had to be allocated to named sites.
In May the inspector concluded there were no circumstances to justify the council?s reliance on a supply of housing from windfall sites, in the final five years of the plan to 2027 and that it would therefore be: “..inconsistent with national policy.”
A THAME couple, who met at their local skating rink during the war, have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary.
Connie and Eddie Senior celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary on Wednesday, June 22, at Hillside Nursing Home in Aylesbury, where Connie has been looked after since a fall at their Thame home. Before that they had actually been together for 70 years from March 2011 and never been apart until Connie had her fall.
Connie and Eddie met in Yorkshire in March 1940 at the local skating rink in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. When the war began Eddie went off to become a Radio Operator on the destroyer HMS Southdown, and Connie was to become a PE Instructor to the women in the forces.
Eddie and Connie hardly ever managed to meet during the war, although Eddie would quite often come across Connie?s only sister Agnes. When the war ended Eddie returned and they married at Wombwell Methodist Church near Barnsley, South Yorkshire. They lived most of their married life in Yorkshire, before moving to the seaside at Filey. After Connie suffered a heart attack in 1994, they decided to sell up and move to be nearer their children in the South of England. They now live in Shabbington.
The Seniors have two children, John and Joan, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. They were never apart after their wedding until Connie had her fall in November 2009. She was taken into the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and then transferred to Hillside Nursing Home in Aylesbury, where Eddie visits Connie as often as he can.
The Senior’s daughter, Joan, explained: “They have always remained completely devoted to each other. Dad misses not having Mum at home with him, hence his frequent visits to have his dinners and spend as much time as he can with her.
“We had a lovely party and dad really enjoyed himself – and was so proud to get a lovely card from Her Majesty too!”
A leading Supermarket chain that wants to build a store on Thame’s Cattlemarket site, has today issued a statement in response to a recent report about the growth in support of the Facebook cause ?Stop Sainsbury?s building a superstore at Thame?s Cattle Market.?
Andrew Sanderson, Sainsbury?s Regional Development Executive, said: “We received a lot of feedback from our initial consultation, which raised a number of issues and also included many expressions of support from local people.
“We are currently discussing our plans with local groups and addressing the issues that have been raised so that we can bring forward the best possible scheme for Thame, which will keep people shopping in the town and secure the long term future of the Cattle Market.
“We will be sharing our detailed plans with the local community over the coming weeks, together with an overview of the feedback that we have received so far.”
To read the original report, see:
https://www.thame.net/readmore.asp?Content_ID=6772&
IMAGE: Courtesy of http://www.localdatasearch.com
DEAR Editor, It is with great disappointment that I read of SODC’s need for ‘windfall site’ to make up the number of new houses demanded as part of the Core Strategy for future development in South Oxfordshire.
It would be a great shame if the playing fields at Lord Williams’s lower school were built over, as is being discussed. It is also common knowledge that property developers are now sniffing around the Thame Tennis Club. This is just the kind of valuable open space that will have to be sacrificed if we are forced to rely on these so called ‘windfall sites.’
If we are to be forced to accommodate such a large number of new homes in Thame – which I believe is fundamentally misguided in the first instance, then surely we should at least be looking to place these houses on a site that is of adequate size to take the full location and as such protect the existing town and its few open spaces from the bulldozers.
Yours faithfully
M.L.
THAME
OXFORD Magistrates? Court have ordered three men to pay a total of
ASTON Rowant CC is hosting the fourth place play off for the Women’s cricket quadrangular tournament this summer.
The four top, international teams, England, New Zealand, Australia and India will be playing in the third and fourth place play-off at Aston Rowant and Wormsley on July 7.
England will play at Wormsley regardless whether they reach the final or not, so Aston Rowant will host the quadrangular final if England fail to qualify.
PHOTO: courtesy of www.ecb.co.uk
HATS, hose pipes and sunscreen were the order of the day on Sunday, for Thame’s first ever Business family fun day.
Around 50 local businesses, trades people and retailers, plus their families gathered at Chinnor Rugby Club on the edge of the town for the relaunch of the Thame business organisation formerly known as Thame First. The organisation, part of the 21st Century Thame Partnership, will be known as Thame4Business, to fit in with the town branding, now becoming familiar around the town.
Also invited were town councillors, several of them local business people themselves like Peter Lambert, Landlord of The Cross Key Pub and micro brewery, and Adam Buckland, who runs Brothers Hair Salon in Buttermarket. The Mayor of Thame also stayed for the afternoon with his wife Margaret, and dutifully kept his jacket on with the Mayoral chain around his kneck, despite the soaring temperature.
Children of all ages – and some adults, took turns on the bouncy castle, donned hard hats and harnesses for the climbing wall, rode on a pony, sat in the petting zoo with the giant rabbits, hens, ducks, geese, baby goats and sheep, enjoyed some quiet artwork out of the sun in the club house and finally, ran in and out of a hose pipe to cool off!
And while the kids were having fun, the adults too were chatting to old friends and making new ones among Thame’s business fraternity, availing themselves of the bar, the free Pimms and the BBQ, as four members of Sound Force, Vic Winslade of Fore Golf’s band, played their own mix of soul, funk and rock from the balcony.
Acting Chair of Thame4Business, Sonja Francis, was delighted with response to the call to bring Thame businesses together in a way unlike any other networking event, and thanked all those who had helped make the event such a success – despite competition from the Thame 10K in the morning and both Towersey fete and the visiting circus during the same afternoon. (Though members of the Circus came over early in the afternoon to join in the fun)
“Its always a challenge to find ways of encouraging co-operation and mutual support among local businesses who don’t always have the time to attend Breakfast meetings or evening networking events,” she said. “And this seemed a good idea to use family time to all come together in a more informal and fun setting, where no one is under any obligation to give ‘the big sell’ but to just get to know who’s out there beavering away just like you. And, who knows, you may meet and get to know others who you can do business with.”
Quotes from some of the businesses who attended:
“Yesterday was fab! The kids thoroughly enjoyed themeselves. Thank you for organising!” (via Twitter)
Ice The Cake
“Many thanks for the fantastic event on Sunday. I think the work for Thame you do is incredible. I would definitely like to become member of Thame4Business, so will be dropping off my application shortly.”
Mary Ann Peregrine, Food Lovers’ Kitchen
“A brilliant event and yes, we must start planning where we go from here!”
Yvette Cundy, Kismet Jewellers
“Great event – looking forward to helping with the group.” (via Twitter)
Steve Gunn Associates
“Big up Thame Business fun day… big success!”
Eddie Hesford, Red Dice Digital (via Twitter)
“Had a lovely day… Fab event! :-)” (Via Twitter)
Laura, North Mill Stoves
Thame businesses who were unable to make the fun day, can contact Sonja Francis 07792 487 030, or email: editor@thame.net for information about the benefits of joining Thame4Business and a membership form.
FRENCH Market Coming Up: 30 June to 2 July. A chance to buy scrumptious foods from all over France, including bread and patisserie, pancakes, cheese from France, saucisson and p
DEAR Editor, Further to my e-mail of last week, I have had the opportunity to produce what, I hope, is a more considered view (on the Core Strategy. Please find below therefore, a paper I wrote on the above. I have distributed it to SODC cabinet and planning committee members, as well as Thame Town Councillors, in advance of this week’s meetings.
The paper is, I believe, self-explanatory and not excessively long. It demands that a consultation takes place before a final decision is made. Given that only a very short time has passed since the Lower School announcement of June 17th, it represents the only means available for comment.before the SODC deliberations.
Regards
Bob Austin
Thame: Core Strategy
In advance of the decisions regarding the submission of the Core Strategy as it affects Thame, I wish to make the following points:
Various figures have been quoted for the total numbers of houses to be built from 560 to 850. It appears that the total increase in housing stock could be 1170, being the original target of 850 plus a windfall development figure of 320. The latter I calculated from the original 850 figure as reduced to 530 for the original figure for site F. It is a matter of regret that a serious error was made in the inclusion of windfall development by SODC. One does have to ask, however, whether the scale of the windfall development (320 houses) amounts to the possibility of almost unrestricted large scale development between core strategy reviews. Does it?
At 2.5 persons per household (probably an underestimate given the family nature of the town), the increase in the population provided by 1170 houses will amount to a population increase of between 25 and 30%. This together with the potential, purely commercial, Sainsbury’s proposals would transform the town utterly. It would be a milestone along the road of Thame ceasing to be a market town. The infrastructure investment implications would be enormous for schools, doctors, transport etc. It was reassuring to read the Mayor?s comments about getting the infrastructure in place but there is a lack of detail. What work has been done?
With regard to the Lord Williams?s School , and unless demographic trends intervene, the population expansion could imply an increase in size towards 3000 pupils a figure so big that it might necessitate a split back into 2 schools- a return to the current 2 sites!
Alternatively, numbers could be restricted by reducing intake from the surrounding, Buckinghamshire, villages. The latter would necessitate Buckinghamshire having to build a new secondary school. This would be a denial of Thame?s role as a market town at the centre of a hinterland that naturally pays scant regard to administrative boundaries and, also, of current parental expectations that appreciate a fully comprehensive school environment.
Nimbyism can apply to local authorities just as much as to protestors against development! Have proposals for a single site school included consideration of these issues? What are the conclusions?
Presumably the consolidation of Lord Williams?s School on a single site would be financed by a one-off sale of publicly owned land. The announcement of June 17th by the school was short of detail but can an assumption be made that all finance (including contingency) would be in place to fund an extended development? Given the sale of land, where will the new primary school be built? As an additional point, and in the real (commercial) world, the demolition of modern buildings (some very modern school buildings) would have a financial impact and give pause for thought. Do the savings and benefits justify the cost?
In the Thame Gazette of 24th June, Angie Paterson (SODC cabinet member for planning and councillor for Watlington) states that there is a housing need that has to be met. I don?t think anybody would disagree with that but the fulfilment of that need must be reasonable, complete and proportionate. The word ?strategy? implies a co-ordinated plan, fully worked up and openly broadcast. Angie Paterson admits, however, that the ?possibility of school site coming forward helps enormously? to fill the void created by the windfall problem. The single site proposal appears, therefore, to be a tactical response created by an urgent need to meet the Inspector?s expectations- not a strategic need. Coincidentally, it meets the ambitions of a very important stakeholder in Thame.
In circumstances as described above, it might be considered reasonable that the citizens of Thame were not informed of the school development before 17th June. More particularly, the people living near the Lower School site have not been able to submit their views before the deliberations of the scrutiny committee, or the full cabinet, as has been the case with the resident associations of Lea Park and Southern Road. However, this lack of consultation is not justifiable. As early as October 2010 a submission by the Town Council to SODC in the document ?Thame additional consultation Oct 2010? SODC website) clearly states a preference by Thame Town Council for the housing development replacing Lower School on Towersey Road. Furthermore, the Town Council were proposing to reduce houses on site F by the number to be built at the Lower School site- even at a time when the windfall problem had not arisen.
A verbatim quote is as follows (page 2):
?Comparing Site F to Site D the town council considers Site F would be preferential.
– Reasons include:
– site is ?contained? by the by-pass;
– provides the opportunity to facilitate enhancements to Lord Williams by enabling a single site school and the potential re-development for residential purposes of the existing Lower School at Towersey Road, which would reduce the number of houses to be allocated to Site F
– opportunity to develop and enhance green infrastructure along Cuttlebrook;
– various access options;
– easy to connect to existing (and extended) bus routes
– scope for strategic scale planting to reduce the visual impact
– good access to the town centre with potential for pedestrian/cycle enhancements.?
Why were those residents affected not consulted about the Lower School option? Given the availability of time, was lack of consultation proper procedure? The inevitable consequence of this omission has been that any comment, like this one, is isolated and forced by a deadline. This may be convenient but it is not right.
Conclusion:
Angie Paterson is quoted in the Thame Gazette as saying: ?If we delay or fail we don?t have a plan and Thame could find all the sites being built on.? Some might regard this comment as alarmist and intended to encourage acquiescence. Nobody can dispute that Thame must bear its fair share of new housing but then so should Henley, Wallingford and Watlington. Notwithstanding her comment, it does not excuse the lack of consultation. It could have been done. It should have been done. The people of Thame deserve better.
The Lower School option should not be approved before it is properly debated with Thame residents. This is not nimbyism but ensuring a proper democratic response. There is undoubtedly a need for more housing but it should be appropriate, proportionate and subject to consultation.