Author: Sonja Francis

NEW bins are to be installed around Thame which will enable people to recycle cans, paper, plastic and glass items. The bins each have three compartments ? two for recycling and one for litter ? and aim to make it as easy as possible for people to recycle while out and about. They have been funded by South Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire Waste Partnership.

Verdant, the waste contractors, have been working with town councils to decide the best locations for the new bins, and once installed, Verdant will be responsible for emptying them as part of their street cleaning programme.

For more information visit www.southoxon.gov.uk

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Councillors and planners have had there first run-in with the Planning Inspector who will pass judgement on the council’s Core Strategy for housing and economic development for the next 16 years.

Following a preliminary public meeting last week to sort out some issues of ‘soundness’ that the inspector has with the CS, SODC has since taken issue with his view that the council cannot rely on so-called ‘windfall’ sites coming up in the future to provide some of its allocation of new homes between 2022 and 2027. (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 core strategy is prepared.)

The Inspector has also recommended that the next Hearing be postponed from July to November to give SODC time to address some of his other areas of concern.

(See his full statement via LINK below)

In a statement today, SODC said: “Following extensive consultation across the district last year the council decided that because it can be predicted that many homes will come forward on windfall sites, they should be included as part of the supply needed for us to meet our housing ambitions for the district.

“This approach was welcomed by local communities in the district as it meant smaller numbers of homes had to be allocated to named sites.”

District Council Leader, Ann Ducker, said: ?We listened carefully to the concerns of residents about the impact of large developments. We want housing growth to meet the needs of our new households and to fuel jobs growth but it is important that new neighbourhoods are assimilated gradually into local communities with infrastructure to match.

?Our preferred approach was to allocate specific sites to meet in full the housing numbers for the first 10 years and this was strongly supported in the consultation responses. We are absolutely confident that enough homes will be built on windfall sites to allow us to reduce the impact made by large scale housing sites.

?However, we?ve been told we have to allocate all the homes for the next 15 years to named sites. We don?t think this is within the spirit of localism, when we had found a solution that our communities supported.?

Following a meeting at the council?s offices on May 17, the inspector has written to the council giving his views on main parts of the council?s Core Strategy. He has told the council that its approach to allocating the required housing numbers is inconsistent with national policy which states that windfalls can only be counted if it is not possible to identify specific sites for years 11 to 15 of the plan period.

Cabinet member for Planning, Angie Paterson, said: “It is very disappointing to see the conclusions the inspector has drawn on our use of windfalls. It is not the council’s wish to make changes to the housing numbers for larger sites but it is being required of us by the decision of the planning inspector. We are considering our options on how best to take matters forward.

?Changes need to be made that address the points raised by the planning inspector. I can reassure residents and businesses that we will ensure that there is an opportunity for them to feed into this process with their comments.

?Given that this is about our strategic sites, this primarily affects our two market towns of Wallingford and Thame. We have previously explored the potential for Site B in Wallingford to accommodate more homes than are currently allocated and will be looking at this again. Certainly, such an option would not require any additional greenfield sites to be released around Wallingford.

“At Thame we will explore the potential for sites within the town to provide sufficient land. And we
will have to allocate more housing to the larger villages too.

?Within the next few days we will release further details about what we intend to do to address the matters raised by the inspector. This will include details of when and how the public will be able to express their views on the proposed changes.?

Visit SODC’s website HERE to view all documents and relevant information about the Core Strategy

NB

The core strategy is a 15 year plan setting out how the council will help deliver housing, opportunities for employment and thriving town centres across the district. It makes recommendations for development in the main towns Wallingford, Thame, Henley and Didcot. Didcot is designated as a growth point and is set to
take the primary focus of development, taking approximately 2330 new homes over the next 15 years.

THE bonds of friendship between Thame and its twin town of Montesson, near Paris, were further strengthened last weekend when they celebrated their tenth anniversary.

Among the dignitories assembled at a special reception for the group of 31 visitors to Thame and their host families on Friday 13th, was Oxfordshire MEP James Elles, who was at the very first inaugural celebrations at Thame Barns Centre in 2001. Both James Elles and the Mayor of Montesson’s Deputy, Hougette Fouche, were welcomed by the Chair of Thame Twinning, Jeannette Matelot Green and the new Mayor of Thame, David Bretherton. All spoke warmly of the affection and mutual understanding that has grown over the ten years of exchanges betweens the two towns, including groups exchanges between choirs, football and the emergency services.

After a toast of English wine (supplied by Waitrose, Thame) to the future success and growth of twinning, the group moved on from Thame football club to the Lambert Arms for a fish and chip supper – and mushy peas which seemed to go down very well with the French!

On the Saturday, a coach trip to London took the group on a river cruise from Westminster to Greenwich and back, during which the forecast thundery showers kept away and the more hearty travellers were able to view some of London’s more iconic and historic buildings from the top deck of the river cruiser. The highlight of the river trip was the opening of Tower Bridge to allow a tall boat to pass under – a rarer spectacle these days and one which the boat very obligingly stopped for to allow a frenzy of video filming and photography.

The French like to shop! Especially when they get the opportunity to visit London, so the stroll around Covent Garden with its many interesting stalls and varied shops, was ‘right up their street’ and they were very happy to contribute their euros to the retail economy of our capital city!

Sunday was the final day of our French guests’ stay, and after a visit to Waitrose for the purchase of such rareties as mint sauce, lemon curd and Cussons’ Imperial Leather soap, it was off to Thame museum for a special exhibition put on to celebrate the tenth birthday of twinning, ‘The French Connection’. This included a facinating section to the French about Thame citizen, Arthur Staggs who worked so heroically with the French Resistance behind enemy lines during the second World War.

A final celebratory lunch of English dishes, Steak and Kidney pie, fish pie, and a vegetable and bean pie, was shared in St Mary’s church which was transformed into a banqueting hall. The fact that all the food was eaten – including the favourite, Strawberry Eton Mess, is testament to the wonderful preparation and quisine of What’s Cooking in Cornmarket, Thame, wonderful ambassadors for good, English cooking.

Many guests had made a special effort to dress for the occassion, some French ladies in particular who wore fascinators on their heads in homage to the recent Royal Wedding, for which apparently they had been as avidly glued to their TVs as the English the weekend before. A special birthday cake was made by Michele Diffey of Thame Safari Group, some of whom will be travelling to Montesson in September for the return visit to Montesson. The young people from Safari had very successfully entertained their counterparts from le foyer Coulis with a live band, dancing and a buffet the night before.

Finally, after a group photo-call outside the Prependal at Priest End, Thame waved ‘au revoir’ to our French ‘twins’ after a wonderful weekend of convivialty and friendship.

Vive le jumelage!

PHOTO: MEP James Elles (Left) Mayor of Thame Cllr David Bretherton