Author: Sonja Francis

CHINNOR Rugby Club has sacked its head coach, John Brodley, just seven months after he had led them into the National League.
Read full story as it appeared in the Oxford Mail today: http://www.oxfordmail.net/display.var.1027479.0..php

THAME Town Council has set out its preferred site options for the future growth of the town – which could amount to 487 new homes within the next 10 years.
Its response is part of a consultation process currently being carried out by SODC, to identify the best housing and employment sites to meet the future needs of the district.
A report, produced by Town Cllr David Bretherton, presented at Tuesday’s Planning Committee meeting, assumed that TTC’s preferred option, to see growth shared between Henley, Thame, Wallingford and some modest growth of larger villages, could mean one quarter of the 1,950 being allocated to Thame.

Cllr Bretherton used three main criteria in assessing the merits of each of the areas of land around Thame that have been submitted by landowners in the Site Allocations Plan consultation, as possible development sites:
1) Government objectectives (as set out in Planning Policy Guidance)
2) The objectives of the Site Allocation Plan (which includes “To secure the provision of affordable housing to meet local needs” and “To conserve and enhance the distinctive character of the built and natural environment in South Oxfordshire towns, villages and countryside”) and
3) Sustainability.

He scored each site by looking at such things as their proximity to bus routes, whether they were so-called Brown field sites, whether they were within walking distance to the town centre and their demand on existing resources.

The site that came out best was land at Thame United Football Club, Windmill Road, its merits being that it is a Brown field site, would be “highly sustainable in terms of location and access to services particularly John Hampden primary school”, and that any development “would be within existing boundaries of the town and thus considered as an urban environment where higher densities of housing would be possible.”

Sites considered in Cllr Bretherton’s report for possible future EMPLOYMENT, included land at Memec and land adjacent to Jane Morbey Road.

Members of the public have had two opportunities to express their views at two exhibitions held in the town hall and via South Oxfordshire District Council’s website.

The consultation ends tomorrow, November 17.

OVER 100 residents in Chinnor were shocked today to receive a letter telling them that they must deal with a blocked sewer pipe connecting to their homes by 11am tomorrow, or receive a bill for the work from the district council.
One resident, who lives in Riders Way, Chinnor, contacted Thame News today, to say that he and his neighbours were stunned to be told that the sewer was owned privately by the homes in seven streets, including his and Hedgerley, and therefore was the responsibility of the residents to deal with the blockage.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Health department of SODC told Thame News that, because the blockage is overflowing a man hole, it is a health hazard and consequently, it is the legal responsibility of the council to ensure that it is dealt with within 48 hours.
“If it is not,” said the spokesman, “our contractors with deal with the problem and send the bill to the residents.”
The spokesman insisted that maps and other documents show that the sewer pipe in question is not publicly owned (which would make it the responsibility of Thames Water), and has never been since the housing in the effected area was built.
At the time of writing, it was not clear whether the Deeds to properties effected would show the ownership of sewer pipes.
The residents who contacted Thame News however, seemed
unaware that they owned any part of the sewage system.

THAME Town Council is to demand that advertising on the district’s roundabouts go through ‘the proper planning process.’
The town council’s planning committee voted to write to South Oxfordshire’s Chief Executive, David Buckle, after Thame resident, Mr Michael Tyce, asked them whether it could be right for the district council to accept fees for, what he called, “unslightly” advertising on roundabouts, whilst “flaunting lawful planning permission.”
Mr Tyson claimed that such advertising “harms amenties and is distracting to drivers.” He was also concerned that local communities were not consulted on the scheme to hand over roundabout maintenance to a company called Marketing Force, to carry out maintenance work in return for being permitted to erect signs on roundabouts and sell advertising space on them, that came into force earlier this year.
He accused SODC of “illegal behaviour.”
The mayor, Cllr Nigel Champken-Woods, said that he had no problem with the basic concept but felt that the actual work on the roundabouts could be much better.
Cllr David Laver said that he felt the scheme was poor value for money and cited what he considered to be very attractive Oxford roundabouts that were maintained by the local council and the City In Bloom organisation. He agreed that there should be proper consultation and planning permission.
Thame town councillors expressed particular dislike of the Waitrose roundabout which was described as ‘gaudy’ and ‘unsightly’.
Cllr Laver urged the town council to support the CPRE, Campaign to Protect Rural England’s campaign to urge the district council to end what it calls: “This inappropriate scheme, or at least to make it the subject of retrospective applications as it would any other developer who had plastered the District with unpermitted commercial advertising.”

NB. David Buckle is reported to have told the district council’s Scrutiny committee that he had been “mistaken in assuming the signs had deemed consent, that advertising consent should have been sought and that the decision making process had been flawed.”

NBB. CPRE, in a letter to the Town Clerk, say:
“The county council had been spending an average of

THAME Town council has recommeded approval of a planning application for a replacement for Meadowcroft.
The Chair of Thame Town Council’s Planning committee, Cllr Don Butler, said: “This is probably one of the most important planning applications we have ever been asked to consider.”
The current Meadowcroft residential home for the elderly, was built in the 1960s but does not comply with modern standards for the care of the elderly, which includes en suite bathroom facilities and bigger room size.
Speaking at last night’s Planning committee meeting, Cllr Beatrice Dobie said:”This is a very nice development that can only be an assett for the town.”