One night to forget… 50,000 reasons to remember
A comedy by Robert Scott
22-25th November 7:45pm
Dorchester village hall
Wednesday £8 | Thursday – Saturday £10
Tickets available from:
- Dorchester Co-op
- dads.org.uk
- tickets@dads.org.uk
- 01865 340792
Yearly Archives: 2017
Oxford to Cambridge Expressway update
At a meeting with the Expressway Action Group (EAG) on Tuesday 10th October it was revealed that some headway had been made to find out what has been happening so far in planning a new “Growth Corridor” to link Oxford and Cambridge and, more important from our point of view, one of three published possible routes referred to as the “Southern route”. The map was shown on Page 14 of the October issue of the Dorchester News. This was the second public meeting for some of the Parishes close to Cuddesdon and Denton but the first for Dorchester as we only discovered the extent of the plan in the middle of September from our County councillor. More information is being sought from some of the reluctant organisations involved but they are remaining somewhat tight lipped.
The EAG are treating this possible route very seriously and are mounting a campaign to fight it as robustly as possible now, as by the time a consultation takes place they fear that a decision in principle will already have been made. Time is short and some decisions may be made before the Chancellors Autumn Statement.
How could it affect Dorchester?
The southern route would intercept the A34 near Blewbury, pass South Moreton, Brightwell cum Sotwell, cross the hillside somewhere near Wittenham Clumps, cross the River Thames somewhere between Dorchester and Warborough, heading north using the Thame valley near Stadhampton, Denton, Cuddesdon Little Milton crossing the M40 and on towards Thame. This road is likely to be two or possibly three lanes with the occasional junction and the scale of the only map we have is such that the accuracy of the route is limited to about a mile. Perhaps of greater concern is the fact that the whole route which is 100 miles long is expected to deliver a possible 1m new houses . Given that the part of the route closest to us is about 10 miles long this could mean another 100,000 houses in South Oxfordshire.
Therefore we are urging every resident to start lobbying now before any decisions are made that would be difficult to address later. The key points are listed below but we recommend you read the more detailed explanations and recommended recipients to lobby on the web site.
1. Any proposed Southern Route will cut through the heart of Oxford’s Green belt, in contradiction of national and local planning policies
2. The Southern Route will cost over £400 millions more than the Northern / A34 option (NIC and Highways England’s own figures)
3. A Southern route would separate the Ox-Cam Expressway from the East-West Rail Link, preventing transfer from road to rail, and would deny easy access to Oxford Parkway, Bicester & other stations, generate MORE road traffic and city congestion and pressure on ‘park & ride’ services.
4. A Southern Route will leave the A34 through West Oxford unimproved and miss the opportunity for regeneration in that area
5. A Southern route will cut through a pristine Flood Plain environment and wildlife corridor: it would cause huge environmental damage
6. A Southern Route to M40 Junction 6,7 or 8 will prevent designated Growth Towns of Bicester, Witney, Banbury, Northampton etc. receiving the growth boost and advantages of the new Expressway. Any Southern Route would run on the ‘wrong’ side of Oxford for linking them to the Expressway.
7. A Southern route would deliver much-needed housing growth later than a Northern option, which would link existing growth towns which already have town centres, infrastructure, schools, surgeries, employment zones etc.
8. The Northern option via A34 and Bicester is closely aligned with the new Oxford – Cambridge Rail link: access from Expressway to Rail stations would allow faster ‘last-mile’ access to Oxford / Didcot and other Knowledge SpineTowns, and reduce road traffic pressure and congestion on Oxford City.
9. The Northern route along A34 would see junction improvements and improved flows all along the A34 to M40 at Junction 9, and especially at J9 itself, and would eliminate the daily traffic jams on the M40 there.
The Parish Council
Dorchester Historical Society October Meeting
Wednesday 25th October 2017, 7.30pm, Dorchester Village Hall (back room). Members free, Visitors welcome (£3)
Chris Wardley on: ‘The Great Exhibition of 1851: how and why a quarter of the population visited London in the summer of 1851’
Chris is a retired Chartered Civil Engineer. After graduating from the University of Manchester his career developed into senior roles with large United Kingdom construction contractors. Latterly he ran his own business representing clients of the construction industry.
After retirement his early interest in industrial archaeology, inspired by living in the northwest and both of his grandfathers having been engineers in the cotton industry in Bolton, developed into an interest in the industrial revolution generally. This led to his developing some illustrated talks on aspects of this of which this is one.
“Heavenly Host” comes to Dorchester
Would you like to make an Angel or two for the Abbey’s “Heavenly Host” Project which will run from Advent to Epiphany? Angels will be placed around the village from December 4th onwards, for people to discover.
Please take a pattern (knitting, crochet, or simple yarn winding for non-crafters) from near the Bishops’ Table at the rear of the nave. There are yarn kits if you need one to start off with, but do feel free to use any colours or design, as long as the total height is no more than 4 inches. Please include a loop or tie so that the Angel may be put somewhere safely, ready to be found …
The Heavenly Host Angels need to be at the Abbey by 10.15am for the 10.30am Advent Sunday Service, on 3 December; they may also be left in the “Heavenly Host” box in advance.
If you are not a crafter, do look out for the “Heavenly Host” around the village from 4 December onwards.
Proposed strategy to meet the challenge of delivering new homes in southern Oxfordshire – have your say
Article originally from: http://www.southoxon.gov.uk/news/2017/2017-09/proposed-strategy-meet-challenge-delivering-new-homes-southern-oxfordshire-have-yo
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have published a draft housing delivery strategy which sets out how they will meet the significant challenge of delivering thousands of new homes over the next 14-16 years.
The number of new homes proposed in each district is set out in the councils’ respective adopted and emerging local plans. The councils’ proposed Joint Housing Delivery Strategy will work alongside the respective local plans to guide how these new homes will be delivered and ensure that the types of homes provided meet the various needs of our communities.
The draft strategy represents a significant change to the way the councils will work with partners to get new homes built. If the strategy is adopted the councils will adopt an ‘enabler role’ to ensure that the required number of new homes can be delivered, which are also of the right type to meet local need, and built at the right time in the locations allocated in the respective local plans.
To view and comment on the proposed Joint Housing Delivery Strategy visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/housingstrategy2017 or www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/housingstrategy2017 .
This public consultation closes at midnight on Monday 23 October.
If you require assistance to complete the survey, or would like a paper copy, please contact the councils’ housing team on 01235 422451 or email housing@southandvale.gov.uk .
Cllr Lynn Lloyd, Cabinet Member for Housing at South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Delivering the new homes required will be a significant challenge and one we will only meet if the public sector, local communities and the house building industry work together. The draft strategy outlines how we aim to do this in southern Oxfordshire going forward – I urge people to read through the actions we are proposing and to let us know what they think.”
Cllr Elaine Ware, Cabinet Member for Housing at Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “The new homes are vital to ensuring we can meet the needs of communities across the area, whether that is for affordable housing for first time buyers, housing suitable for those who are retired, or accommodation that supports those with mobility issues.
“Providing a suitable range of housing also plays a significant role in making sure businesses can attract and retain staff in southern Oxfordshire. The Joint Housing Delivery Strategy will be a key document for many years to come so it’s important people have their say before it is adopted by the councils later this year.”
Notes for editors:
Challenges to delivering new homes
A number of factors determine how quick and easy it is to deliver new homes, including capacity within the house building industry, the availability of sufficient land, and the availability of funding to provide affordable housing and infrastructure.
The proposed strategy sets out how the councils will overcome these challenges by working with landowners, developers, local communities and infrastructure providers to ensure that the new homes can be delivered as quickly as possible while also meeting the needs of our communities.
The number of new homes proposed in each district is set out in the councils’ respective adopted and emerging local plans – for information on the local plans please visit www.southoxon.gov.uk/newlocalplan or www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/localplan