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Author: Sonja Francis
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Objections to building on Green Belt mounting
FOLLOWING the news that South Oxfordshire District Council has lodged a application for a judicial review of the South East Plan, the CPRE, Campaign for the Protection of Rural English, is to take legal action against the Government to contest the Secretary of State?s decision to approve an urban extension south of the City in the Green Belt.
The final version of the plan was published last month (May 2009)and states that the Secretary of State specifically proposes an extension to the City at Grenoble Road in Oxford?s Green Belt to accommodate a ‘mixed use’, i.e. housing and commercial development including 4,000 houses. The South East Plan considers that: “Exceptional circumstances” exist that justify, what it calls a “selective review” of the Green Belt south of Oxford which will establish the precise location of the development.
Dr. Helena Whall, Campaign Manager for CPRE, said:
“We are asking the judge to quash the Secretary of State’s decision that 4,000 houses must be built on Green Belt land South of Oxford. Convincing evidence should then be obtained to show why they cannot be built in the City, or outside the Green Belt, and, if the Green Belt is the only option, that the most sustainable location has been identified.“There is plenty of time to conduct this appraisal without affecting the provision of necessary housing for Oxford. Oxford’s housing allocation including the urban extension is for 12,000 houses by 2026. Of these just 4,000, or a third, were planned to be outside the City. To fit the South East plan’s targets these would not need to be completed until 2019, whereas conducting a proper appraisal need not take more than a year or so from now.”
Helena Whall continued: “CPRE is also arguing that the Government is being completely inconsistent – since the Green Belt it supports was created specifically to contain Oxford?s expansion, and yet at the same time the Government is now proposing that Oxford?s wish to continue expanding is a reason to start dismantling it.
“It appears the Government also admits it has not looked thoroughly at alternatives, since it says that there may be ?overwhelming evidence? that the Grenoble Road site is unsuitable.”
She added: “The Green Belt is highly valued by the public ? in a 2005 Mori poll 84% of us nationally believed that Green Belts should remain open and undeveloped. Of these 62% saw house-building plans as the greatest threat. In defending the Green Belt CPRE is echoing the national mood ? in seeking to breach it, the Government is not.
“There are many reasons why the extension at Grenoble Road is a poor idea and an unsuitable site. Not only would important areas of Oxford?s Green Belt be lost forever, but the development could also harm the Leys, already a deprived area, by removing open spaces on its doorstep, and increasing the transport and highway difficulties the Leys face.
“Apart from that it would threaten local villages such as The Baldons to the south and Garsington and Horspath to the east, as well as placing further strain on the fragile infrastructure of the City itself.
“To put it in context, the 4,000 house extension would be as large as the town of Thame ? and all on Green Belt land.”
She concluded: “CPRE has fought a long campaign to Save the Green Belt and the setting of the historic City. We have urged the Government to listen to strong local views and think again about its plan to breach the Green Belt – there seems no option left but to see them in Court.”
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Concert at Gallery Hadley, Thame
CONCERT BY Roselle Collins – The Gallery Hadley, Upper High Street, Thame. Friday, June 12, 2009.
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Come and sing for fun – Choir taster session (Contributed)
COMMUNITY CHOIR TASTER SESSION ? ALL WELCOME – JUNE 12, 2009 – Towersey village hall.
?Village Voices? is for anyone who wants to sing for fun ? people who already do sing, people who used to but think their voice is a bit rusty, people who would like to have a go at singing but think they can?t, high and low voices, male and female voices. You don?t need to have any previous experience, or be able to read music. We aren?t about performing, there are no auditions, and no-one is going to judge you. Community choirs are about having fun singing music from around the world for the pure joy of it, in a friendly and informal way.
We are holding a taster session (cost
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Bike ride for mums and daughters
CALLING All Mums and Daughters! Join in two organised, gentle bike rides especially for mums and daughters – A fun and social way to spend time together in the fresh air!
Have a qualified female cycling leader assess your bike position, and carry out basic bike maintenance if necessary, and receive a free Go Active
water bottle to stay hydrated.When and Where? 29 July and 12 August from Thame Leisure Centre car park – for a “credit crunch” cost of
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Sex offender’s sentencing postponed
A TOWERSEY sports coach, found guilty of sex offences against an 8 year-old child, has been bailed for a further month, because the Probation Service failed to complete a report in time.
Richard Nicholas Templar Graves, of Towersey, was due to be sentenced this morning by Judge Julian Hall, at Oxford Crown Court. But the judge was told that the Probation Service had given the job of preparing a report to someone who was not qualified to deal with this type of case.
After hearing that 55 year-old Graves now accepted his guilt, and stating that a letter had been received from his doctor which must be considered by the Probation Service, the judge ordered that Graves report back to court on or around July 13, 2009, when reports must be presented.
12/06/09
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Escalation of Swine flu to pandemic ‘no cause for concern’
A Joint Statement from the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum on the ‘flu pandemic, released today, states that there is no cause for concern.
The statement includes advice on what to do if anyone thinks they may have been infected. The full statement reads:
“We were notified yesterday that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Influenza A (H1N1) virus has now moved from Phase 5 to Phase 6 which is defined as pandemic stage.
A pandemic is the worldwide spread of a disease, with outbreaks or epidemics occurring in many countries and in most regions of the world.
This decision reflects the geographic spread of the virus and not its severity. The move to Phase 6 does not trigger any material change to our response in the UK. Actions taken in the UK are based on the situation here and our preparations are well advanced.
Chair of the Local Resilience Forum Working Group, Assistant Chief Constable Brian Langston, said: ?The Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum (LRF) has been liaising and working hard during the last few weeks to prepare for a potential pandemic. This is in addition to a substantial amount of preparation work that has been carried out throughout the past four years. As we have reached pandemic stage the LRF group will now sit as a Strategic Coordination Group and we are prepared to turn any plans into actions should the need arise. It should however be stressed that the impact has been considerably less than we had anticipated. Therefore the escalation to Phase 6 gives us no cause for concern.?
Dr. Jonathan McWilliam, Director of Public Health for Oxfordshire, explained: ?A pandemic is not related to the severity of the influenza, but to its spread. The World Health Organisation is responding largely to developments in Australia. We do expect to see an increase in the number of cases in the Thames Valley but not immediately and we are confident everything is in place to ensure we are able to deal with the situation.?
*The LRF consists of key partners across the Thames Valley including all Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) Thames Valley Police, the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit, local authorities including Oxfordshire County Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Milton Keynes Council and all Berkshire unitary authorities.
As a result of the WHO announcement, activity on many levels between partner organisations will now be increased to ensure they meet the demands of the pandemic phase.
This has meant:
Ensuring sufficient stock of anti viral medicines
Ensuring sufficient stock and distribution of swabbing equipment
Ensuring sufficient stock of personal and protective equipment for NHS staff (ie masks)The current situation across the Thames Valley area is that, yesterday (Thursday 11 June) there were 47 confirmed cases of influenza A (H1NI). All are recovering well.
The virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has now spread to 74 countries with a reported 28,774 cases and 141 deaths.
General guidance
Reduce the risk of catching or spreading flu
CATCH IT – Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
BIN IT – Germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible.
KILL IT – Hands transfer germs to everything you touch. Dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully. Wash you hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of germs. Clean hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequentlyusing a normal cleaning product.
We are continuing to advise the following routes for patients and the public to access information regarding Swine Flu.
1st: Visit the NHS Choices website for information and frequently asked questions about Swine Flu. There is also an online flu symptom checker on both NHS Choices website and the NHS Direct website.
2nd: Ring the national Swine Flu information line (0800 1 513 513). This provides pre-recorded information about Swine Flu.
3rd: Call the NHS Direct telephone service (0845 4647). Callers with flu-like symptoms, who have internet access, will be asked to try the online flu symptom checker first, if necessary, they will be able to request a call back from an advisor. Otherwise callers are asked to hold to speak to someone who can help.
4th: If you have taken these steps and are still concerned, call your GP. ” STATEMENT ENDS
Image: Courtesy of pro.corbis.com
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Thame Show latest
APART from the news that the date of Thame Show will change from 2010, new Domestic Classes for both children and adults have been added to the programme for this year’s show, September 17, 2009.
There are three categories for a children’s Photographic Class, “In My Garden” (5-7 year-olds), “Animal World” (8-10 year-olds) and “Whatever The Weather” (11-14 year-olds).
Also new for 2009, Vegetable and Flower Classes for children, with two choices, a Collection of three different veg, any type, any variety, or One vase of flowers, or a houseplant, or a pot plant which must not exceed 175mm diameter.
For the grown-ups the theme for the Photography Class is “The British Summer.”
Details of all the other Domestic Classes and entry forms are available from the offices of The Oxfordshire county and Thame Show, 55 North Street, Thame, OX9 3BH. More information on the website:
Thame Show
You can also find out what will be going on in the main arena and other information about the show here.The date for next year’s Thame Show will be July 31 and August 1, 2010.
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Find out more about Neighbourhood watch in Thame
THIS is a Ringmaster message from Thames Valley Police. Next week, 15th to 21st June 2009, is National Neighbourhood Watch Week.
Your NHW Administrators will be promoting the week at the following locations between the hours of 10:00AM and 12:00Noon.
Thursday 18th June – Thame Town Hall, Thame Town Centre
Monday 15th June – Abingdon District Council Building in the Reception Area
Tuesday 16th June – Outside Waitrose in Wallingford Street, Wantage
Wednesday 17th June – Henley Town Hall, Henley Town CentreWe are hoping to raise awareness of NHW and obtain details of new people who may be interested in starting up a new NHW scheme.
We will be giving out information on burglary packs, free UV marker pens and details on property marking. If you have the time, please come along and talk to Carol, Kathy or Clare. Alternatively, call the Watch Office for further details on 01235 556957. Thank you. Message ends.
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M40 reopened after tanker fire
THE M40 motorway has now reopened (11am, 10/06/09)following a serious tanker fire near Stokenchurch, between junctions five and six late last night.
Eight fire crews, including two from Thame, fought for over three hours to bring the blazing tanker, carrying 30,000 litres of fuel, under control.
Two lanes of the motorway were closed while water and fuel on the carriageway was dealt with.
Image: for illustrative purposes only – Courtesy of photo.net