DECEMBER
Hallelujah – a Christmas mob goes to Marylebone!
Evening commuters at Marylebone Station were surprised and delighted when fellow travellers in the crowd started singing Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus at full volume!
This choral flash mob was the inspiration of Steeple Aston’s Caroline Compston, and she organised it to raise money for the charity Singing for Syrians. To see the performance, please click here.
Local residents Nicholas and Heather Cleobury were involved as well. Nicholas was the conductor and also pre-recorded the accompaniment, which was played through the station’s load speaker system. Heather booked the 40 professional singers and can be seen singing herself along with Martin and Ruth Dale from Steeple Aston Choral Society
Trumpeter Kevin Kay-Bradley was there and local MP Victoria Prentis, one of the organisers of Singing for Syrians, can also be spotted in the crowd lending her support.
Heather Cleobury said “It was a really fun thing to do and afterwards we sang Christmas carols by the tree in the station.”
Singing for Syrians is a nationwide campaign from The Hands Up Foundation, encouraging anyone and everyone to hold concerts and events to raise funds and awareness for some of Syria’s most vulnerable people. All money raised goes directly to projects helping Syrians inside Syria (where possible), including paying doctors’ wages in rural southern Aleppo, running a kindergarten in Idleb and funding a number of prosthetic limb clinics.
The charity’s aim is to remind people how Syria was, and to remind them of the millions of ordinary people who continue to live in areas shattered by war, who need help to live lives that we take for granted. The idea behind their campaigns is to show that rather than feel helpless, we all have the power to do something, and by coming together in a positive and uplifting way, and singing at the tops of our voices, we can all make a difference. For more information on the Singing for Syrians campaign, visit www.singingforsyrians.com
Vandals damage car on Northside
A car parked on Northside was badly scratched and the windscreen damaged by three people wearing hoodies, thought to be local teenagers, on the evening of 13th December between 6.15 and 6.40pm.
The elderly car owner is very worried and upset. She says she’s had trouble with people banging on her door at night and running away which she finds very frightening, but this is the first time any damage has been done.
Her neighbour who spotted the vandals as they disappeared says she’s also had people banging on her door at night.
The police have been informed. If you know who these vandals are or can provide any information you should call them on 101.
Election result – Richard MacAndrew wins
Richard MacAndrew beat Charlotte Bartlett by 72 votes to 57 in the election held on Thursday, 7th December.
Richard will now serve as a parish councillor until Thursday, May 3rd 2018 when all the council’s seats will be up for election.
In her profile of Richard before the election, Julia Whybrew wrote “Richard came to the village with Cathy (his wife Cathy Lawday who is editor of SAL) in 2011 and settled in quickly. In the 1970s he trained as a teacher of English as a foreign language and has worked in Finland, Sweden and Malaysia. After eight years abroad, he returned to the UK, and worked in language schools in London and Oxford, ending up as a member of the Senior Management Team at St Clare’s, Oxford. Since 1996 he has been a freelance writer, teacher and examiner. He is now semi-retired, and has time to give to the community.
“Richard has experience and skills which would be very useful to the Parish Council. He communicates extremely well, and he is used to working with others as part of a team and to dealing with management issues. I know from my experience that he responds positively to feedback, and is good at finding practical solutions.
“Although Richard has not lived in the village for very long, this gives him a different perspective which he hopes will help when considering long-standing issues. Being married to the editor of SAL means that he is fully informed about many different aspects that make up village life; and having worked for a long time in schools and colleges, he is acutely aware of the importance of community spirit. He is especially concerned to maintain and enhance the atmosphere within the village, and ensure that everyone feels part of the community.”
There is still one vacancy on the Parish Council which could be filled by co-option. The defeated candidate, Charlotte Bartlett could put herself forward for co-option at the next Parish Council meeting on Monday, January 15th. The choice of a candidate will be down to the existing councillors who are likely to have a difficult decision as a number of other villagers have also expressed an interest in being co-opted on to the council.
Meet the candidates in Thursday’s Parish Council election
Villagers will be able to choose between two candidates for one of the vacant spaces on Steeple Aston Parish Council on Thursday, December 7th. Voting will take place between 7.00am and 10.00pm in the Committee Room at the Village Hall.
The election is costing around £1,000 to run, and the Parish Council decided that polling cards should not be issued to voters as they would have cost a further £300. Voters just need to turn up at the polling station and give their details to be able to vote.
The two villagers who have put themselves forward to stand for this vacancy on the Parish Council are Charlotte Bartlett of Seven Springs House and Richard MacAndrew of Burland, both on South Side.
Julia Whybrew, who reports on Parish Council meetings for Steeple Aston Life, has read what the two candidates have written about themselves and has also spoken to them. They have each approved what she has written below:
Charlotte Bartlett
Charlotte says “I realise that much of what I love about this village is directly because of the time and effort that others put into keeping it the way it is, strangely, both just the way it has always been and yet also vibrant and moving forward.” This is a well informed comment because Charlotte lived here when she was a child and all her early memories are of this village. She had close friends in Middle Aston and kept her contacts with the village by visiting them for many years.
Her family moved away because of her father’s job; then when she married she lived in Holland, New Zealand and Syria. They returned to London and found by chance that her childhood home was for sale. “It seemed to be too good to be true!” They bought the house in 2004 and moved in and she says “My big regret is that our two sons were too old for Dr Radcliffe’s School, as I know that has always been like a bedrock for the village.”
Charlotte has a lot to contribute. She says she has both the time and the inclination to help other people. She has worked in a PR company and has plenty of experience working with others. She has been involved with community projects, particularly in Syria where she worked with women’s groups in villages around Damascus, teaching sewing skills and supplying equipment enabling them to earn their own living. She started and ran her own project to distribute basic food supplies to the most vulnerable families in the winter months. She has experience of fundraising and is very keen to take an active part in our community.
Richard MacAndrew
Richard came to the village with Cathy ( his wife Cathy Lawday who is editor of SAL) in 2011 and settled in quickly. In the 1970s he trained as a teacher of English as a foreign language and has worked in Finland, Sweden and Malaysia. After eight years abroad, he returned to the UK, and worked in language schools in London and Oxford, ending up as a member of the Senior Management Team at St Clare’s, Oxford. Since 1996 he has been a freelance writer, teacher and examiner. He is now semi-retired, and has time to give to the community.
Richard has experience and skills which would be very useful to the Parish Council. He communicates extremely well, and he is used to working with others as part of a team and to dealing with management issues. I know from my experience that he responds positively to feedback, and is good at finding practical solutions.
Although Richard has not lived in the village for very long, this gives him a different perspective which he hopes will help when considering long-standing issues. Being married to the editor of SAL means that he is fully informed about many different aspects that make up village life; and having worked for a long time in schools and colleges, he is acutely aware of the importance of community spirit. He is especially concerned to maintain and enhance the atmosphere within the village, and ensure that everyone feels part of the community.
There is still one vacancy on the Parish Council which could be filled by co-option. The defeated candidate in Thursday’s election could put him or herself forward for co-option at January’s council meeting. The choice of a candidate will be down to the existing councillors who are likely to have a choice as a number of other villagers have also expressed an interest in being co-opted on to the council.
The new councillors won’t have much time to learn the ropes as all the seats on the Parish Council will be up for election as part of the regular process on Thursday, 3rd May 2018.
NOVEMBER
MCNP considers comments before submission
Members of the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan forum have been busy considering the 93 comments they received after the publication of their draft Plan before its formal submission.
A number of comments about Steeple Aston were considered at the November Parish Council meeting, but councillors decided that no changes should be made to the draft plan.
John Coley reports on the latest news:
“We are now entering the phase leading to the formal submission of our Plan to Cherwell DC and the wider community. Members of the Forum, representing all 11 parishes, have very rigorously considered each comment made by members of the public, by landowners, and by various statutory bodies, during the last consultation. We have to show that we have taken proper account of all these comments, and encompass them in the final Plan document, or else say why we have not done so. This is a crucial stage to show the Examiner we have considered all observations in an unbiased fashion.
“Most of this work is now completed, but, as always happens, fresh ideas are put forward. For instance, should we not stipulate that all new developments (housing and commercial) must include charging points for electric vehicles?
“Another issue is “coalescence” – a nervousness that communities may become joined up by development in between them – as we can see already happening between Adderbury, Bloxham and Banbury. In the MCNP area, this has become important for the community of Caulcott, where there are fears that future development from the Heyford Park area or College-owned land between the two could threaten the rural views and setting of Caulcott. This is a particularly delicate facet as the Dorchester Group (owners of Heyford Park) are part of the MCNP Forum. There are four options to resolve this matter on which we are asking the whole Forum in December to decide a policy.
“Despite all this, we are still confident that the Neighbourhood Plan will pass through the remaining stages and have legal force in mid-2018.”
The Plan is available to view online at www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
Council to be compensated after bank error
Steeple Aston Parish Council is to receive compensation after a banking error by the Nationwide Building Society was discovered earlier this year.
Acting Council Chairman Stuart Ferguson was asked about rumours of a banking problem by a member of the public at November’s council meeting. He explained that the council did have an account with the Nationwide in the past.
He said: “Nationwide did make a mistake on the account; subsequently the account has been closed; there is no financial loss to the Parish Council.”
He added that the council had been chasing Nationwide for some compensation “in view of all the extra work their mistake caused us.”
The Nationwide has now admitted the error, and compensation has been offered. Payment is now awaited.
Councillor Graham Porcas said” I would hope that would be an end to the matter; your worry about rumours and things – this might be an end to the whole fiasco? It would be nice and I hope that this will be reported in such a way as to stop the rumours.”
Villagers hear of South Side development plans
Around 20 local residents joined the Parish Council’s Planning Committee to hear about plans for the development of six houses on South Side on Tuesday 14th November.
The developer, Rectory Homes, had approached the Parish Council and asked if they could present their proposals for six detached houses on the site in South Side opposite the entrance to Hill House in advance of an application for planning permission.
The Parish Council decided that the meeting should be an open one and encouraged villagers to attend and ask questions.
George Bethell, a Land Manager at Rectory Homes, and his colleague Amy Atkins explained their plans for six four-bedroomed houses on the site, which is just under two acres. Rectory Homes has an agreement with the landowner that they will purchase the site if their planning application is approved.
They said the houses had been designed to be in keeping with the rest of the village using local materials such as Cotswold stone, red bricks and timber cladding. Each house would be different. Nearly all the trees on the site would be retained, and he hoped that the development would improve the look of the entrance to the village.
Villagers saw drawings which showed the proposed layout of the houses and the separate entrances for vehicles and pedestrians. Councillors and residents questioned them about the access and the lack of a footpath. There was concern from several speakers that there would be an increased danger to drivers and particularly to pedestrians because of the lack of a footpath.
Acting Chairman Stuart Ferguson said he understood the Cherwell District Council insisted on footpaths for all new developments. The danger to road users had been one of the main concerns when this site had been considered for the development of affordable housing some years ago. There was some discussion of traffic calming measures and whether these would help.
Villagers also raised questions about the capacity of the sewerage system to cope with more development in the area, and some people thought that the proposed number of car parking spaces was insufficient.
George Bethell said that Rectory Homes would take the comments in to account, and would have another look at the plans in the light of what had been said. He hoped they would make an application for planning permission before Christmas, and start building as soon as possible.
Rectory Homes is a privately-owned company founded in 1991 and based in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. It specialises in building high quality homes, often in quite small numbers, in London and the South East. They have built 100 houses in the last year, and are responsible for developments in nearby Witney, Thame and Oxford.
To find out more about the company and see examples of its work go to its website, www.rectory.co.uk
Two candidates stand for council election
Two villagers have put themselves forward to stand for the Parish Council following the recent request for candidates. They are Charlotte Bartlett of Seven Springs House and Richard Macandrew of Burland, both on South Side.
As two candidates have come forward for the one vacancy open to election there will be a poll. It is expected to take place on Thursday, December 7th. There is still one vacancy on the Parish Council which could be filled by co-option.
More details about the election will follow. But for details about applying for postal and proxy votes please click here.
The official statement of persons nominated is below.
STATEMENT OF PERSONS NOMINATED
Election of a Parish Councillor
The following is a statement of the persons nominated for election as a Parish Councillor for
Steeple Aston Parish Council
| Name of Candidate | Home Address | Description (if any) | Name of Proposer (*), Seconder (**) and Assentors | |
|
BARTLETT Charlotte Trewlove |
Seven Springs House, South Side, Steeple Aston, Bicester, OX25 4RU
|
Nevile Caroline * Clarke Samuel ** |
||
|
MACANDREW Richard Mark |
Burland, South Side, Steeple Aston, Bicester, OX25 4RY
|
Porcas. Mrs. S. * Ganthony R ** |
||
The persons above are validly nominated.
Dated Monday 13th November 2017
Yvonne Rees, Returning Officer
Printed and published by the Returning Officer, Bodicote House, Bodicote, OX15 4AA
Villagers invited to hear proposal for houses on South Side
An open meeting of the Steeple Aston Parish Council Planning Committee is to be held on Tuesday, 14th November to hear about proposals from a developer to build six houses on South Side. Members of the public are invited to attend and will have an opportunity ask questions.
The meeting has been called because the Parish Council has been approached by the developer Rectory Homes. They have asked if they can present their proposals for six detached houses on a site on South Side, opposite the driveway to Hill House. The council’s Planning Committee has been convened to receive this presentation in advance of a planning application by the developer to Cherwell District Council.
Rectory Homes is a privately-owned company founded in 1991 and based in Haddenham, Buckinghamshire. It specialises in building high quality homes, often in quite small numbers, in London and the South East. To find out more about the company and see examples of its work go to its website, www.rectory.co.uk
The meeting will take place at 7.30pm in the Village Hall Committee Room and all are welcome to attend.
Candidates still needed for council election
Candidates are still sought to fill the two remaining vacancies on the Parish Council after recent resignations left four of the seven places vacant. One of these must be filled by election, the other can be a co-option.
After no one stood for election at the two previous opportunities, a further Notice of Election has been published. This one was published on 2nd November. Nominations must be received by Friday, 10th November. If there is more than one nomination , the election will take place on Thursday, 7th December. To see the Election Notice, please click here.
Of the two vacancies that have now been filled, Graham Porcas was elected unopposed in August and Charlotte Clarke accepted an offer of to be co-opted on to the council following the September meeting.
The Parish Council has appealed for candidates to come forward for both the vacant posts. For further information please contact the Parish Clerk, Cathy Fleet on 01869 347000 or email parishclerk.steepleaston@gmail.com.
A general election for all members of the council will be held in May 2018.
OCTOBER
Local farmer Charlotte joins Parish Council
Charlotte Clarke is the latest member to join the Parish Council, leaving a further two vacancies to be filled.
Charlotte has lived in Steeple Aston for most of her life. And even before she moved here from Lower Heyford at the age of seven, she knew the village well through her grandparents Roy and Edwina Kinch.
She attended Dr Radcliffe’s School, then the Warriner and Banbury College for her sixth form. She knew from a young age that she wanted to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps working with animals. She spent three years studying at Writtle College in Essex, graduating with a BSc in Animal Science.
Charlotte works for a global genetics company as Team Leader with responsibility for a group of animal technicians in the Home Counties region. In addition she and her husband Sam are tenant farmers on her grandfather’s farm in Steeple Aston. There they keep cattle and sheep along with two horses for recreation.
Life changed quite a lot for Charlotte with the birth of baby Olivia in January this year. She has recently returned to work after maternity leave but part-time for two days a week. In addition to her new role as parish councillor, she has also taken on running the local Baby and Toddler Group which meets every Thursday morning in the Sport and Rec Building.
Charlotte said she put herself forward as a parish councillor because she thinks it’s important to have a wide range of people involved. She says she is a sociable character, speaking to many people in the community from different social circles and locations in the village in her time around the village working on the farm, when out riding or with her daughter. She already tries to take an active part in village life around her work commitments, helping each year at the Church Fete and more recently through the Baby and Toddler group. Now, as a parish councillor she says, “I am keen to enhance the village community experience for all our residents. I hope we can do more to make the village a community. Over the years I think it has become less of one.
“I feel there could be more support and companionship offered for our most vulnerable residents both youngest and oldest. The Baby and Toddler group will make a start to this and I have ideas for older villagers too.”
She, like the other new councillor Graham Porcas, is keen to get people involved in keeping the village tidy and helping with the upkeep of the common areas. She has already put out a call to villagers for help to keep the village in a better state.
Charlotte hasn’t any experience of local government, though she did get involved in college politics when she was doing her degree. Both her grandparents though, were parish councillors in Steeple Aston in their time. She knows she has a lot to learn, but she is determined to play her part. In her working life she is often the only female voice in a very male dominated profession, so she’s used to making her voice heard!
Big response to Neighbourhood Plan, but objections from landowners
The Mid Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan (MCNP) had a big response with 93 comments received during its pre-submission consultation, the Parish Council was told at its October meeting.
But the controversy over development in Steeple Aston continues with three of the owners of the four areas in the village designated as ‘green spaces’ objecting to the designation. In the case of the old sandpit site off Fenway, the planning consultant for the new owner has said explicitly that they ‘would like to nominate this area for housing’.
Other comments about the Steeple Aston area include requests for slight changes to the exact boundary of the settlement area to enable some infilling and concerns about the Rousham conservation area. Also there is concern about the concept of non-coalescence ie that villages which are separate now should not be allowed to be joined up. This is particularly relevant for Caulcott, many of whose residents have said that they want an extensive “zone of non-coalescence” between themselves and Heyford Park. The Dorchester Group, the developer of Upper Heyford, is arguing against this.
Dorchester is also publishing its plans for the next stage of extending Upper Heyford and the proposals are likely to go for planning approval in the spring. This will take the numbers of new houses to 1,600, with consequent increases in traffic. But there are some goodies such as a central park area and a hope to get a health centre and ‘extra care’ housing for the elderly or disabled.
This large response to the plan has given the MCNP Forum a much increased workload. Oxfordshire County Council alone provided a 27-page response from 10 of its departments. Five working parties have been set up to consider the comments and respond to them. All the comments will be published in due course, together with MCNP’s response.
John Coley’s monthly report gives some more detail. He writes: “We have received a very good response rate (by other Neighbourhood Plan standards). There have been 93 responses. These comprise 71 from local residents, eight responses representing landowners affected by policies, three developers, and 11 statutory consultees (OCC, Historic England and so on). At the time of writing, there hasn’t yet been a response from Cherwell District Council who, whilst not obliged to respond at this stage, have promised to do so.
“We must now to look at each comment and see what exactly is said. Where a comment needs a response, we will have to explain what we have done to encompass it into the final Plan document, or else say why we cannot incorporate it. This crucial stage demonstrates to the Examiner that we have considered all observations in an unbiased fashion.
“To do this the Neighbourhood Plan Forum has formed a series of working groups, each tasked to look at a different set of policies. Martin Lipson is leading the working group on Development policies, and I will be leading on Housing policies. Members from all the other parishes are involved too. This isn’t an easy task: any preconceptions are challenged and we must look at comments dispassionately, even the less friendly ones. We hope to have this stage completed in the next month, and then the final Plan document is scheduled to go for consultation in early December. More on this as we go along.
“The Dorchester Group at Heyford Park has recently held an exhibition about their “masterplan” for the remaining development there. The impact of the new housing, additional traffic, proposed “health hub”, extra-care housing, new commercial activity, and a new park will be felt for miles around. It will be submitted formally early next year, and the Forum will certainly have comments to make. I’m sure there will be more on this later.”
The Plan is available to view online at www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
Two council vacancies still to be filled
There are still two vacancies to be filled on the Parish Council after recent resignations left four of the seven places vacant.
Two of the vacancies have now been filled. Graham Porcas was elected unopposed in August and Charlotte Clarke has accepted an offer of to be co-opted on to the council following the September meeting.
Of the two remaining vacancies, one is open to election. A Notice of Election was published on 5th October, and nominations must be received by Friday, 13th October. If there is an election, it will be held on Thursday, 9th November. To see the Election Notice, please click here.
The second vacancy can be filled by co-option if a volunteer can be found.
The Parish Council has appealed for candidates to come forward for both posts. For further information please contact the Parish Clerk, Cathy Fleet on 01869 347000 or email parishclerk.steepleaston@gmail.com.
A general election for all members of the council will be held in May 2018.
SEPTEMBER
From Steeple Aston to Westminster calling for a revolution
Local resident, Helen Wright, has been to Westminster calling for a revolution! She wants to see a revolution in the work place, and an end of the 9 to 5 – and she has the support of our local MP and a Government Minister.
Helen, who is also a Steeple Aston parish councillor, has set up 9-2-3, a recruitment agency that specialises in finding flexible work for experienced professionals. Now she’s had the support of local MP Victoria Prentis to set up The 9-2-3 Club, which will host meetings in London and across the Thames Valley, aiming to enable people to get together and share their flexible working experiences, and hopefully help those who have had a career break to re-enter the workplace.
The 9-2-3 Club was launched at an event in the House of Commons on13th September, where Helen revealed the findings of a new survey commissioned by 9-2-3. It found the British workplace landscape will be changing substantially over the next five years as nearly three out of four4 (73%) office workers envisage that working flexibly will become the norm. The survey also showed that flexibility (26%) is often the third most important key influencer on career choices after pay and location.
The launch was also attended by Margot James MP (Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility) who spoke passionately about the benefits of flexible working – for employees, employers and society as a whole.
Helen called for all businesses to advertise their next hire as a flexible one, and said: “It’s our hope that through this event and future events, the perceived negative connotations of working flexibly will be reversed and a greater uptake of flexible arrangements will occur across Britain – in fact I would like to see all vacancies being advertised with some flexible arrangements. I am also calling on all candidates to ask about flexible working practices in their next interview, not a demand, just a question.”
Victoria Prentis MP is adding her support to the campaign and states: “Having job shared before I became a MP, I am really supportive of any initiative that encourages flexibility in the workplace. It is not just mums and dads who have career breaks – increasingly we are seeing people taking on caring responsibilities for elderly relatives as well. Helping these talented professionals to continue to work is so important.
“I know that the Government is keen to encourage flexible work days and programmes aimed at Returners. £5m in funding has been earmarked to help people – in particular mothers – back to work, and last month it was announced that some of this money will go towards schemes to help civil servants, teachers, social workers and health workers get back to work after a career break. We are making good progress in the right direction.”
Mum-of-three, Helen is passionate about this campaign to drive flexible working in workplaces everywhere, and she says the idea came to her while she was pushing her children on the swings in Steeple Aston playground. “I had been struggling to find any flexible or part-time work, and I looked around and realized I wasn’t alone. The playground was full of talented and experienced professionals all looking for flexible opportunities. And at the same time there are lots of businesses out there struggling to find the talent they need to help their business thrive and grow.”
9-2-3 now has more than a thousand candidates on their books, and they look forward to welcoming many more. Companies of all sizes are also being invited to take part, and join in the conversation. For more information, go to http://www.923jobs.com
To see a short video of Helen, Victoria Prentis and Margot James speaking at the meeting, please click here
No local sites chosen for Oxford overspill housing
All the six sites in Steeple and Middle Aston offered for development to help with Oxford’s housing needs have been rejected as unsuitable in a recently published report.
Cherwell District Council last year issued a “call for sites” prompted by the demand for housing from Oxford City. It subsequently carried out its first ever Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) and the results have now been published.
The report concludes that none of the six sites in the two villages are suitable for housing development. One site, Hatch End Industrial Estate between Steeple and Middle Aston, known locally as the chicken farm, is considered suitable for providing rural employment.
The other sites put forward by their owners were two large sites on Fenway (part of a farm which has recently been sold), two smaller sites on Southside and Middle Aston Lane and the former sandworks at the Old Quarry House on Fenway. This site, which has been a source of recent controversy, this month became the subject of an area Tree Preservation Order by CDC. It has also been proposed as a designated Local Green Space in the draft of the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan.
The fact that these sites have been found unsuitable to provide housing for Oxford City doesn’t mean they can never be developed, but it does mean it is less likely. Parish Councillor Martin Lipson, who is Chair of the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum commented, “These assessments do not mean that applicants will not attempt to obtain planning permission at some point in the future, in the hope that they may get CDC’s likely refusal overturned on appeal. However the assessments should discourage them.”
Details of the local sites considered by the council are below with a summary of the council’s commentary. Each assessment notes that Steeple Aston is a Category A village in the council’s Local Plan, the category of the most sustainable villages in the district. The plan makes provision for some development (10 or more homes and small scale employment) in Category A villages. Middle Aston is a Category B village in the Local Plan (satellite village). The plan does not direct additional development at Category B villages other than extensions to existing employment sites. Also it notes that Steeple and Middle Aston lie outside the main Areas of Search identified by the council as suitable for Oxford overspill. They were Kidlington and the surrounding area, which are much closer to the city and have good transport links.
The local sites considered were as follows:
Land to the rear of The Old Quarry House, Fenway, Steeple Aston 6.51 hectares
Greenfield site outside the built‐up limits. The site’s only frontage with a highway is that of the Old Quarry House on the south western part of the site with residential properties either side. With the exception of the Old Quarry House, the site comprises an area of ancient woodland. The south eastern part of the site is adjacent to Steeple Aston Conservation Area. The north western boundary abuts arable and horticultural with an area of similar habitats also within the north eastern corner of the site. Access works could have an adverse effect on the character and appearance of the area. The site is considered to be unsuitable for development as it has a rural character and relates much more to the countryside than to the built form of Steeple Aston.
Land to South of Fenway, Steeple Aston 2.37 hectares
Greenfield site outside the built‐up limits. The site is considered to be unsuitable for development as the site is on the edge of the village and does not relate well to the existing village in terms of being able to accommodate development. The area feels rural in nature given the farm to the east before you get to the village. It would not be possible to achieve a satisfactory form of development that satisfactorily links with the village without harm being caused to the character and appearance of the rural approach to the village.
Land to North of Fenway, Steeple Aston 3.32 hectares
Greenfield site outside the built‐up limits. A restricted byway runs along the eastern boundary of the site. The southeast corner of the site abuts the Conservation Area boundary. The western boundary of the site is adjacent to an Archaeological Constraint Priority Area. The site is considered to be unsuitable for development as the site is on the edge of the village and does not relate well to the existing village in terms of being able to accommodate development. It would not be possible to achieve a satisfactory form of development without harm being caused to the character and appearance of the area. The site would also be detached from Coneyger Fields by the restricted byway and would result in two separate cul‐de‐sacs.
Land East of Southside between Kiftsgate House and the small industrial unit, Steeple Aston 1.25 hectares
A part greenfield, part brownfield site outside the built‐up limits. The northern and eastern boundaries of the site abut the Conservation Area. The site is considered to be unsuitable for development as it would be out of character with the village and its setting but would also change the rural approach to the village. There is a potential access constraint. It would be difficult to achieve a satisfactory form of development that would suit the character of this area of the village and it would also be difficult to achieve satisfactory connectivity/footpaths to the rest of the village.
Land adjoining Middle Aston Lane, Middle Aston 2.67 hectares
Greenfield site outside the built‐up limits. A Public Bridleway crosses the site and runs along part of its southern boundary. The site is considered to be unsuitable for development as the site would extend development beyond the village envelope into the countryside and would be out of keeping with the built form for the village. The village is predominantly a farming village and the open farmland forms part of its character and setting. Development would be particularly prominent on approaching the village from the north impacting on the rural approach to the village.
Hatch End Industrial Estate, Middle Aston/Steeple Aston 2.3 hectares
Brownfield site outside the built‐up limits. The site falls partly within Middle Aston and Steeple Aston parishes. A previous assessment in 2014 considered this site and concluded it was unsuitable for residential development as it would have a poor, detached relationship with the village to the detriment of the character and appearance of the area, and would result in loss of rural employment land. This remains relevant. A public footpath runs along the southern boundary of the site. The southern‐ most tip of the site lies within the Steeple Aston Conservation Area. The site is considered to be unsuitable for residential due to the narrow access road from Fir Lane but is also not suitable for significant intensification over that already experienced. The site is outside the village and feels within a rural location. Residential development would be out of keeping with the character of the area and would represent an isolated housing site. The site could potentially be suitable for employment based on planning history.
To see the full report with appendices and maps please click here and scroll down to PR54 to find the HELAA report.
“Quack Pot” repairs completed despite heavy showers
The potholes outside the White Lion in Southside, Steeple Aston became famous across the world after some rather appealing yellow ducks appeared floating in the puddles.
Parish Councillors Martin Lipson and Helen Wright engineered the stunt with the help of a few local residents when there was no response after 18 months of complaints to Oxfordshire County Council. The story went viral and council was persuaded to act.
It took them some time to get all their ducks in a row! But finally the work was done on Friday, 8th September, despite heavy showers again bringing a few ducks out to enjoy the scene.
The story featured once again on the BBC Oxford website. To read it, please click here.
Thank you to Glynn Haines of Kempsford Cottage who took these photos of the work as it progressed.
TPO imposed on Old Quarry and extended at Hill House
Following the controversy about Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) in Grange Park, Cherwell District Council has introduced a new area TPO on the site behind the Old Quarry House, Fenway and extended another one at Hill House on Sixty Foot.
The Old Quarry House site was itself the subject of some controversy earlier in the year, after the owner John Bowerman died. Solicitors for his niece Penny Ferreiro Cives wrote to Steeple Aston Life objecting to an obituary describing the area behind the house as a nature reserve.
Since then the site has been proposed as a designated Local Green Space in the draft of the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan. Now as a result of a request from a number of concerned local residents (including some from Grange Park), Cherwell District Council has designated the whole of the site as an Area TPO. This protects all the trees on the site, including the ones that are visible from the Beeches footpath that runs between Middle Aston Road and Raspberry Break.
A tree preservation order prevents the cutting down, topping or lopping of the trees included in the order. The order is provisional for six months, and before it is confirmed, interested parties may make objections or representations to the council about any of the trees affected. Representations about the Old Quarry House site have to be made in writing by 2nd October. Details are in the copies of the orders below.
The Parish Council discussed and approved the nomination of the site as a Local Green Space at its meeting in February. It is included in the draft MCNP document, which is now open for consultation.
The draft plan describes the site as special to the community because of its historical significance, the richness of its wildlife and its tranquillity. It says it is a wildlife site undisturbed for 40 years, following land restoration after sand works ceased operation around 1960. There are about six hectares of open grassland with scrub including gorse, broom and bramble with some small walnut and hazel trees. Bats are common, together with owls, raptors, woodpeckers, and many other bird species. Apart from various vertebrates that inhabit the site, there are also reptiles such as lizards and grass snakes, and it is believed to be the last site in North Oxfordshire for adders. It suggests that the area is a possible candidate for protected status as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI).
In addition to proposing the new Area TPO at the Old Quarry House, CDC reviewed another existing Area TPO in the village in August, affecting the block of mature trees on the Hill House estate on the western edge of the village that runs at right angles to Sixty Foot (next to the field gate) heading off towards Fenway. Protection of these trees was reclassified as a Woodland TPO, and a further nine individual trees that were not previously protected were added; these front Sixty Foot between the field gate and the entrance to Mulberry House.
To see the Tree Preservation order on the Old Quarry House, please click here.
To see the details of the extension to the Hill House order, please click here.
Neighbourhood Plan consultation period extended
The consultation period for the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan has been extended by two weeks to October 3rd.
The Plan was published in August with a six week consultation to September 19th. Now the consultation period has been extended because, according to the MCNP website, “In mid-August we experienced some problems with our website – the draft Plan documents were unavailable to view for a few days.
“In addition, we’ve added some background documents to our Evidence Base, which you can see in Appendix L. We’ve therefore decided to provide an extended period for anyone who has not yet had a chance to respond with comments – supportive or otherwise.” The new Appendix L gives details of the evidence base for the Plan’s proposals.
In his monthly report from the Plan Forum, John Coley wrote: “After three years of hard work we have launched one of the largest Neighbourhood Development Plans in the UK.
“On our website www.mid-cherwell.org.uk/presubmissiondocuments you will find a full version of the Plan, together with Appendices. For those who don’t want to go into too much detail initially, there is a Summary on the site as well. The policies include traffic, housing development, and community infrastructure, and incorporate designation of 29 “Local Green Spaces”. Hard copies are also available from the Parish Council.
“We want feedback on the Plan, especially from residents and businesses in the area. The Plan is at what is called the “Pre-submission” stage, so we need responses before we submit the Plan formally to Cherwell District Council….. We will then consider all responses and a final version will go to CDC before the end of the year. The Plan will then go for Examination and if it passes that stage, to referendum to become part of the statutory development plan for the area.
“On the website, we have a response form for easy and quick submission of your views on-line. There is also a version to print off and send back to Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum, Heyford Park House, 52 Camp Road Upper Heyford OX25 5HD.
“There will be a final occasion for comments when CDC undertakes its formal consultations in 2018.”
A press release published when the Plan was launched described it as follows: “Unique in the UK because of its scale, the Mid-Cherwell area comprises eleven rural parishes in the Cherwell District of North Oxfordshire. At the heart of the neighbourhood area is the former RAF Upper Heyford airbase, now a strategic development site called Heyford Park, whose developer is also involved in the plan. It was this development that was the stimulus for many surrounding villages to get together to create a statutory plan covering the wider area for the next 15 years.
“The hard work of the Forum, the body leading the plan and representing all the participating communities, has now resulted in a list of policies concerning traffic, housing development, and community infrastructure – including the proposed designation of 29 “Local Green Spaces”.
The Plan is available to view online at www.mid-cherwell.org.uk . Paper copies can be found at village halls and from parish councils.
New parish councillor will be “hands on”
Graham Porcas, who has joined the Parish Council after an uncontested election, has promised he will approach his new role with a ‘can do’ attitude.
After the recent spate of resignations, his aim is to help the council to be a happier and more open environment where there’s more doing than talking. And he’s starting as he means to go on by finding a couple of volunteers to help him renovate the pagoda in the Millennium Park.
Graham and his wife Sue came to Steeple Aston in the 1980s thinking they would stay for a couple of years. After more than 30 years here working hard and travelling a lot for work, Graham is about to retire. Now he’s looking forward to having time to take a more active part in village life.
Their three children Emma, Katie and James, who grew up here and went to the village school, have all left home now. Graham and Sue have border collie Charlie as their constant companion, but are enjoying spending time with their four grandchildren too.
Graham is originally from Watford, studied engineering at Bristol University and then spent time in Germany after graduation. He has spent his working life as a mechanical engineer specialising in plastics. He was managing director of Krupps Plastics Machinery until 2005. Since then he has been based at home in Grange Park working as director of Plasmatreat UK, an international company that is the world market leader in atmospheric plasma-jet technology, and his own company, Proma Machinery Ltd.
He has developed an impressive workshop at home where he’s been working on new plasma treatment of plastics. Now that he’s retiring the company, is opening a new workshop in Culham.
He won’t give up work completely but he will have more time for his hobbies of model engineering and working as blacksmith. Not only did Graham teach himself how to be a blacksmith, he also built his own forge in his garden at Grange Park.
He hopes some of his practical skills will be put to good use for the village when he’s a parish councillor. He also thinks there are many other villagers with skills who could be brought in to help fix things in the village.
He was disappointed that there were no other volunteers to stand in the Parish Council election, but says he is hopeful that once there is more stability others will be keen to get involved. He said, “I am comfortable that we will soon get a full council again.”
He says he intends to get heavily involved himself and hopes that his ‘can do’ attitude will mean that the interests of villagers are better looked after in the future. He knows he has a lot to learn about local government, but he has plenty of experience working on committees both in this country and internationally.
Graham and Sue have a particular interest in making sure the play area continues to thrive. Not only do they take their grandchildren there when they visit, but back in the year 2000 their daughter Katie was one of the two children chosen to open the Millennium Park.
Only one nomination means no September election
There will be no Parish Council election in September as there was only one nomination for the two vacancies. Graham Porcas of Grange Park was the only person nominated and has therefore been elected to the Parish Council unopposed.
But this isn’t the end of the matter. The legislation requires that the election for the remaining vacancy will be reopened again in October after a statutory 35 days wait, and if more than one person is nominated this time an election will be held in November.
There are also two more vacancies on the Parish Council following recent resignations. If there are any volunteers, it should be possible to co-opt one more person at the next Parish Council meeting on Monday, 18th September to fill the vacancy created by Richard Preston’s resignation back in May.
There is still time for villagers to request an election to fill the vacancy created by Anna Allen’s resignation in July. A request for an election from 10 villagers must be received by 31st July. If no such a request is received, then councillors will be able to co-opt a further councillor if there are any volunteers.
So for the time being there are now four parish councillors in office, and it may be not until October or November that all the three remaining vacancies will be filled.
A general election for all members of the council will be held in May 2018.
AUGUST
Road closure for “Quack Pot” repairs
Part of Southside in Steeple Aston will be closed to traffic on Friday, 8th September for repairs to the road surface following the recent “Quack Pot” protest.
The original plan was to close the road for four days, but now Oxfordshire County Council’s contractors, Skanska, have decided to bring in a specialist external surfacing contractor to do the job. This will enable the work to be completed in one day meaning less disruption to the village, they also hope it will deliver a better finish of work.
The Paines Hill road junction will remain open, but with no turn into Southside. Whilst the junction is patched there will be stop and go signs to control the traffic, but it is hoped that most local traffic will choose an alternative route to avoid any delays.
Villagers will be relieved that this work is to be done at last. The Parish Council had been asking the county council to fill in the potholes for over 18 months without any response. It was only in May when parish councillors Helen Wright and Martin Lipson organised their “Quack Pot” protest that there was a response.
Their idea of floating 100 rubber ducks in the puddles created by the potholes went viral. Within hours it appeared in local papers, then Helen Wright appeared on local radio and television. Soon the story was buzzing around the internet. It was for a while number 10 in the stories most read on the BBC website, Facebook was humming
and it appeared on news websites such as The Poke. Later, it also appeared in national newspapers including The Times, the Sun and the Daily Mail, and Martin Lipson was interviewed on Radio 5 Live.
Oxfordshire County Council’s Highways Department also noticed the publicity. An official visited the road immediately, and then sent a team to do a detailed inspection. At first it was thought they could just patch the potholes but detailed inspection showed more extensive resurfacing was required. This mean the work had to be delayed because of legal processes necessary to close the road.
During the closure on Friday, September 8th the S4 bus will enter the village from the Heyford bridge direction only and turn around in The Crescent as they have done previously.
Neighbourhood Plan published and open for consultation
The Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan has now been published. A six-week consultation period will end on September 19th,, and villagers and local businesses are asked to respond.
The plan is available online at www.mid-cherwell.org.uk . Paper copies can be found at village halls and from parish councils.
The following press release from the Forum gives the details:
“Oxfordshire’s latest neighbourhood plan – for the Mid-Cherwell area – has been launched after three years of preparation. Unique in the UK because of its scale, the Mid-Cherwell area comprises eleven rural parishes in the Cherwell District of North Oxfordshire. At the heart of the neighbourhood area is the former RAF Upper Heyford airbase, now a strategic development site called Heyford Park, whose developer is also involved in the plan. It was this development that was the stimulus for many surrounding villages to get together to create a statutory plan covering the wider area for the next 15 years.
“The hard work of the Forum, the body leading the plan and representing all the participating communities, has now resulted in a list of policies concerning traffic, housing development, and community infrastructure – including the proposed designation of 29 “Local Green Spaces”. The documents can be viewed online at Mid-Cherwell’s website www.mid-cherwell.org.uk and hard copies are available at local community centres, village halls and from the parish councils concerned.
“Responses are invited from any interested parties, but especially residents and businesses in the area itself. The pre-submission consultation period starting on Monday, August 7th 2017 lasts for six weeks to Tuesday, September 19th 2017. Following a review of all the responses, a final version of the plan will be submitted to Cherwell District Council before the end of the year. The plan will then be subject to independent examination and a referendum before becoming part of the statutory development plan for the area.”
Contact Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum at info@mid-cherwell.org.uk
The members of the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum are:
Ardley with Fewcott Parish Council (lead parish)
Duns Tew Parish Council
Fritwell Parish Council
Kirtlington Parish Council
Lower Heyford Parish Council
Middle Aston Parish Meeting
Middleton Stoney Parish Council
North Aston Parish Meeting
Somerton Parish Council
Steeple Aston Parish Council
Upper Heyford Parish Council
The Dorchester Group (associate member)
Heyford Park Residents Association (associate member)
NOTICE OF UNCONTESTED ELECTION
Election of a Parish Councillor for
Steeple Aston Parish Council
on
Thursday 21 September 2017
I, being the Returning Officer at the above election, report that the persons whose names appear below were duly elected Parish Councillors for Steeple Aston Parish Council.
Name of Candidate Home Address Description
PORCAS 36, Grange Park, Steeple Aston
Graham James OX25 4SR
Dated Thursday 24 August 2017
Yvonne Rees
Returning Officer
Printed and published by the Returning Officer, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon OX15 4AA
Steeple Aston Parish Council
Clerk to the Council: Cathy Fleet
Westfield Farm Cottage
Fenway
Steeple Aston
OX25 4SS
Tel: 01869 347000 Email: parishclerk.steepleaston@gmail.com
NOTICE OF VACANCY
IN OFFICE OF PARISH COUNCILLORS
PARISH OF STEEPLE ASTON
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that pursuant to section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972, that Anna Allen has ceased to be amember of Steeple Aston Parish Council, and a vacancy now exists in the office of Councillor for the said Parish Council.
In accordance with the Local Elections Rules an election to fill the vacancy shall be held if, within 14 days after the date of this notice (i.e. no later than 31 August 2017), a request for an election to fill the said vacancy is made in writing to the Returning Officer, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury OX15 4AA by TEN electors for the said Parish.
In the event that no such request is received by 31 August 2017 the vacancy will be filled by co-option.
Yvonne Rees
Returning Officer
Dated 10 August 2017
Note: In computing the fourteen days Saturdays, Sundays, day of Christmas break, of the Easter break or of a bank holiday or day appointed for public thanksgiving or mourning are disregarded
Election called as yet another parish councillor resigns
More than ten villagers have requested a by-election to fill the two vacancies created by the resignations of John Coley and Rose McCready from the Parish Council in July.
The notice for the election was published on 16th August, but there is only a very short window for nominations to be received. Nomination papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer at Cherwell District Council no later than 4.00pm on Thursday, 24th August. Nomination forms are available from Cathy Fleet, the Parish Clerk (parishclerk.steepleaston@gmail.com) or Cherwell District Council.
If three or more candidates are nominated, the election will be held on Thursday, September 21st.
Meanwhile another vacancy has arisen with the resignation of recently co-opted councillor Anna Allen. Anna cited “cultural differences” as the reason for her departure. She said she didn’t agree with the direction in which the parish council is moving and felt there was a disconnect between the council and villagers.
Her resignation leaves only three members on the council, Acting Chairman Stuart Ferguson and Councillors Martin Lipson and Helen Wright.
A notice has been posted about filling the vacancy created by Anna’s departure, which could trigger a further election if ten villagers request it, or be filled by co-option. Requests for an election must be received by Cherwell District Council by 31st August.
The vacancy created by the previous resignation of Richard Preston will be filled by co-option. But the three remaining councillors may face a dilemma at their next meeting on Monday, September 18th if the people who volunteered to be co-opted are also standing for election.
The situation is complicated, and the costs of holding one or more by-elections is considerable. There will be another election for all the members of the Parish Council next May.
Election of Parish Councillors
for the Parish listed below
| Parish | Number of Parish Councillors to be elected |
|
Steeple Aston Parish Council
|
Two |
- Forms of nomination for the Parish Election may be obtained from the Clerk Steeple Aston Parish Council or Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon, OX15 4AA from the Returning Officer who will, at the request of an elector for any electoral area prepare a nomination paper for signature.
- Nomination papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon, OX15 4AA on any day after the date of this notice but no later than 4pm on Thursday 24 August 2017.
- If any election is contested the poll will take place on Thursday 21 September 2017.
- Applications, amendments or cancellations of postal votes and amendments or cancellations of proxy votes must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon, OX15 4AA by 5pm on Wednesday 6 September 2017.
- New applications to vote by proxy at this election must reach the Electoral Registration Officer, Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon, OX15 4AA by 5pm on Wednesday 13 September 2017.
- Applications to vote by emergency proxy at this election on grounds of physical incapacity or for work/service reasons must reach the Electoral Registration Officer , Cherwell District Council, Bodicote House, Bodicote, Banbury, Oxon, OX15 4AA by 5pm on Thursday 21 September 2017. The physical incapacity must have occurred after 5pm on Wednesday 13 September 2017. To apply on the grounds of work/service, the person must have become aware that they cannot go to the polling station in person after 5pm on Wednesday 13 September 2017
Dated Wednesday August 16th
Yvonne Rees, Returning Officer
Printed and published by the Returning Officer, Bodicote House Bodicote, Banbury,
JULY
Beware Giant Hogweed in the Tchure
Steeple Aston resident Stan Owen reports that a Giant Hogweed plant has been found in the field at the bottom of the Tchure, through which the footpath from North to South Side runs.
The plant is extremely dangerous, and can cause terrible blistering if you are exposed to the sap.
The Royal Horticultural Society says that Giant Hogweed, a relative of cow parsley, can grow as tall as three metres (10 ft). Its website warns “Although an impressive sight when fully grown, giant hogweed is invasive and potentially harmful. Chemicals in the sap can cause photodermatitis or photosensitivity, where the skin becomes very sensitive to sunlight and may suffer blistering, pigmentation and long-lasting scars.”
Stan says the plant is nowhere near the footpath, so presents little risk as long as people stick to the pathway. The plant has been treated to remove it, but he would like to warn people not to go anywhere near it.
Three Parish Council vacancies after more resignations
Steeple Aston Parish Council is reduced to only four members following the unexpected resignations of Chairman John Coley and Councillor Rose McCready at July’s meeting.
The two resignations were unconnected and for personal reasons. John Coley stood down on the advice of his doctors. He will continue with work on the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan as he doesn’t have to be a Councillor to take part.
The Parish Council expressed its thanks to John on behalf of the village saying:
“Just before the meeting on 17 July, the Parish Council was sorry to learn that John Coley, the Chair since 2014, had decided to stand down on the advice of his doctors.
The position of Chair is not without stress these days, with a constant barrage of government proposals to keep an eye on, alongside the day-to-day business of the Council.
In his desire to do the best for the village John has also spent a great deal of time on the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan (MCNP), in the belief that involving Steeple Aston under this umbrella organisation and participating in an eleven parish-wide coordinated plan for development would help the village avoid unwanted housing developments.
In addition, John has become a key figure in the OALC where he took on chair duties. Beyond all this he worked tirelessly on ‘home’ duties as well, diligently reviewing ever-increasing numbers of planning applications and chasing Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council over matters which in better financial times would have been dealt with expeditiously.
John has been a Parish Councillor for fifteen years. The Parish Council on behalf of the whole village wishes to put on record deep gratitude for all that he has done over so many years. We wish him a long period of completely relaxed full retirement. ”
There was already a vacancy on the council following the resignation of long-standing vice-chairman Richard Preston in May. The newly-appointed vice-chairman Stuart Ferguson will have to take over as acting chairman for the summer while the necessary legal process for electing or appointing new councillors takes place. And he will have only three other remaining councillors to help him.
A notice has been issued giving residents the opportunity to ask for an election. If 10 or more residents request an election by 9th August, it will have to be held. But elections are costly and it is possible to co-opt members instead pending the next regular local elections. The next opportunity to vote for the whole council will be in May 2018.
As there is no parish council meeting in August the first opportunity to co-opt three new members will be at the meeting on September 18th. If you are interested in becoming a parish councillor and would like to find out more about the role, please contact the Parish Clerk Cathy Fleet on 01869 347000 or email parishclerk.steepleaston@gmail.com.
Neighbourhood Plan publication delayed to mid-August
It was hoped that the latest draft of the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan would be published in July. There has been a slight delay, but it will now be published on 12th August with just a short period for consultation finishing on 18th September. The final stage in the process, a referendum has now been put back to September 2018.
John Coley is continuing to work on the Plan, despite his resignation as Chairman of the Parish Council. Here is his latest report on the progress made so far:
“By the time you read this we will have sent our draft to be printed in full. A copy will be available on our website www.mid-cherwell.org.uk by 12th August.
“This is what is called a “Pre-Submission Consultation” where we ask others to comment on our policies. When the consultation period is over (18th September) we then must consider what has been aired, making changes to take account of those views where we feel able to do so in the context of what was agreed earlier in public meetings.
“Following on from what others have told us about the amount of work involved in collating, discussing and considering all the opinions, we will require a fairly lengthy timescale. We hope, therefore to finalise all our policies together with various formal Statements which must put together and formally to submit the Neighbourhood Plan and all its associated annexes to Cherwell District Council early in December 2017. CDC in turn must have an official consultation, then send our Plan plus all the comments from their consultation to the Examiner for formal and final Examination. We expect that to take until July 2018. Any suggested modifications and recommendations by the Examiner must be discussed with CDC before we can go to a Referendum. That is unlikely to happen before September 2018.
“So, you see, the end is getting nearer, but there’s a long road to trek yet before we get to the end. Just bear with us as we travel it.”
To find out more about the Forum and its proposals, go to www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
JUNE
Disappointment as majority of Grange Park TPO’s to stay
Cherwell District Council has decided that nearly all the individual Tree Preservation Orders imposed on Grange Park will stay in place despite objections from residents.
Individual tree preservation orders covering more than 40 trees were announced in November 2016 in place of the controversial and outdated Area Order covering most of the trees on the estate. Residents had until mid-January to make their objections known to the council.
Twelve objections were received by the council including a detailed report from Peter Wharton of Wharton Tree and Ecology Consultants Ltd, who had been commissioned by the Grange Park Residents Group.
The council had six months to consider the residents’ objections, and they took it right to the wire only giving their final response in mid-May. They confirmed that the vast majority of TPOs would remain in place, but agreed that six individual trees and one group of two trees should be excluded.
Council officers considered in detail 32 individual objections from residents, and gave their responses in writing. In most cases they rejected the residents’ comments. But they accepted the objections that two trees were too close and three weren’t visible to the public. Of the other three trees excluded, one has bleeding canker, a second has co-dominant stems and the third had already been removed with the council’s consent.
A Tree Preservation Order prohibits the cutting down, topping or lopping of the tree without first obtaining permission from the council.
Andy Allen, who led the fight against the Area TPO, described the imposition of the individual TPOs back in November as a “bitter blow”. After the latest decision to go ahead with most of the orders he explained there were clearly winners and losers as the burden of ‘preserved’ trees falls very unfairly on some (four trees in the case of one house). But he didn’t hold out much hope of further protests by residents.
He said, “The problem we have now is that, rather than having the old Area TPO reviewed and revoked as we had hoped (with possibly one or two trees of special merit still protected), we have new TPOs on individual trees ‘set in stone’ in perpetuity. The only way we can object further apparently is to take the matter to the High Court for which I’m sure nobody would be prepared to risk the expense.”
“Quack Pot” protest repairs may be delayed
The Steeple Aston “Quack Pot” protest against the potholes on South Side provoked an immediate response from Oxfordshire County Council’s Highways Department. But it seems that it may take a while for the repairs to be done. Officials have said they will do the work without closing the road if possible, but if the road needs to be closed the legal process takes three months.
The protest certainly caught the public’s imagination. Within hours it appeared in local papers, then Parish Councillor Helen Wright appeared on local radio and television. Soon it was buzzing around the internet. The story was for a while number 10 in the stories most read on the BBC website, Facebook was humming and it appeared on news websites such as The Poke.
Later, it also appeared in national newspapers including the The Times, the Sun and the Daily Mail, and Martin Lipson was interviewed on Radio 5 Live. To listen to his interview, please click here.
Oxfordshire County Council’s Highways Department also noticed the publicity very quickly. An official visited the road immediately, and a team were sent soon afterwards to do a detailed inspection. Now we await a decision on when the work will be done.
The idea for the protest started as a bit of a joke when Parish Council Chairman John Coley suggested in his Annual Report that the rash of holes had become so bad that the council might consider a “Quack Pots Day” where they would fill all the holes with water and float plastic ducks in the ponds.
Fellow councillor Martin Lipson happened to have several hundred plastic ducks in his basement (previously used for a children’s charity event). So on a very rainy Wednesday, 17th May he floated 100 of them in the potholes outside the Old White Lion.
Young Woody Wright, pictured above, had lots of fun playing with the yellow ducks. But his mother Helen explained it was a serious attempt to get something done about the potholes which have been worrying villagers for nearly two years, causing at least three of them to trip and fall recently.
In a press release sent to local media and to county councillor Aresh Fatemian the parish council said, “Drivers and pedestrians in South Side, Steeple Aston were astonished last Wednesday to find their much-loved potholes inhabited by one hundred bright yellow ducks.
“Villagers and others have had to negotiate this particularly bad stretch of potholes in the centre of the village for over 18 months. Every month, like a lot of other parishes, the Parish Council has reported a worsening situation to Oxfordshire County Council Highways. So this month the Parish Council resolved to highlight the problem so that OCC can’t continue to duck the issue.
“Parish councillors Helen Wright and Martin Lipson, aided by other villagers, floated 100 rubber ducks in the rain-filled potholes. Helen said “Despite our reporting that since the start of the year three residents had tripped in these holes and fallen, precisely nothing has been done.”
“Smiling drivers wound down their windows, braving the heavy rain, to ask what was going on, and passing local residents applauded. Woody Wright aged three said “I think the ducks like their new ponds”.
“After the ducks had been re-homed, Martin Lipson said “We can now only hope that OCC will finally do something to put into decent repair the main road through our village. This has gone on long enough.”
To read the Parish Council Chairman’s Annual Report in full, please click here.
Neighbourhood Plan to be published in July
Following a report from an Independent Examiner, the Mid Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan is being revised with a view to publication in July. Under this revised timetable, if all goes well, there will be a referendum around April next year.
The MCNP Forum met for the first time in public on Wednesday, 17th May in Steeple Aston Village Hall. This gave members of the public a chance to see the Forum in action, and to question the representatives of the 11 parishes, the Heyford Park developer Dorchester and Heyford Park Residents Association.
Traffic, transport and the provision of health services were the main concerns of the members of the public. And the Forum members were able to reassure them that these items are high on their agenda too.
The report from the Examiner suggested it may be possible to include more about traffic in the plan. It also suggested that the number of policies should be reduced, partly by joining up some of them, and that some unacceptable wording should be removed.
In addition, the Examiner advised that the boundaries of the five villages where development is anticipated should be loosened up to provide more space for a limited number of new dwellings. Steeple and Middle Aston are included in the five, and so are currently revisiting this issue.
Further work is also continuing on many details including: preserving views; providing a green buffer between Heyford Park and Upper Heyford, and maybe Caulcott; green corridors in general and biodiversity sites and the possible inclusion of ‘extra care’ housing.
In his monthly report, Parish Council Chairman, John Coley, gives some more details. He starts with a quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: “Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.”
He continues: “This has been our theme for the month. The Forum Executive has looked again very critically at all our policies in the Mid-Cherwell Local Plan. This inevitably means that we have had to take time to reconsider them in the light of updated information and what already appears in the Cherwell Local Plan – to which we must conform. There have been several Neighbourhood Plans where the final Examination has struck out those policies which simply duplicate National or Local policies. It is better now to try to get these correct, or better still, to add our own detailed evidence to enhance them, rather than rewrite them when we are up against very tight deadlines for a Referendum. We must make sure we say exactly what we mean, or we are all hostages to fortune.
Other policies have emerged from community engagement meetings, such as establishing wild life corridors, types of street lighting, if any at all. We need to ensure these are soundly based on evidence, not preference. For example, if we want grass verges, not concrete, we need to show evidence that grass is the more “sustainable”. The next stage is that we will publish the Plan for the so-called “pre-submission” consultation, after which it goes formally to CDC. After their comments, it will be out for formal Public Consultation, when we expect developers and statutory bodies to respond.
Some parishes are earmarked by CDC to take future housing development because of the infrastructure they, or a “satellite village”, have (we have a pub, a shop, a school). We need to review the proposed boundaries of those five settlements to ensure that they are adequate for some development to take place between now and 2031 -the length of time our Plan will stand. The number of new small-scale developments could be a few a year up to 2031. We have asked those parish councils to look again at the sufficiency of their provision.”
To find out more about the Forum and its proposals, go to www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
MAY
Hear SAL Editor Cathy on Radio Oxford
Photo by Paul Ekert
Cathy Lawday, the award-winning editor of Steeple Aston Life, was interviewed for a feature on parish magazines for BBC Radio Oxford.
Cathy was asked about her role as editor, and about the part that SAL plays in promoting a sense of community in the village.
The interview was broadcast early in the morning on Sunday, May 21st. The BBC kindly gave us an audio copy of the interview so that villagers who missed it could hear what she had to say.
To listen to Cathy talking to presenter Sophie Law, please click here.
Richard Preston stands down from the Parish Council
Tributes have been paid to Richard Preston, the Vice-Chairman of Steeple Aston Parish Council, who has unexpectedly resigned after more than 25 years of service.
The current council Chairman, John Coley wrote: “Richard’s contributions have been so distinguished that the Parish Council and all parishioners, past, present, and future owe him a great debt. How great that debt is will soon become apparent when all the many things he has undertaken fall on the shoulders of other councillors.”
Margaret Mason, the former Chairman who worked with Richard for many years, said the village would surely miss him. She went on, ” Richard has been a mainstay of Steeple’s Parish Council since 1994 when he agreed to be co-opted. Blessed with huge energy, enthusiasm, a deep love of the village and a very ‘can do’ attitude when bureaucratic attitudes or lack of finances make things difficult, Richard likes nothing better than a challenge to overcome.
“He would probably say that getting the playground up and running would be the thing he was most proud of in his time on the Council, though there are certainly more to choose from. The project had a rather negative beginning but a change of membership, during which Richard joined the council, created a more positive environment. The Parish Council applied for the leasehold from the Dr. Radcliffe’sTrust, and a Play Area committee was formed, with Richard chairing it. After this the plans took flight and, a year and a lot of hard work later, it was opened at the VE Day celebrations in 1995. Twenty seven years on, and still pleasing yet another generation of children, I think we would all agree what a tremendous asset and success it has been.
“Richard’s energies have always been focussed on getting the best for the village, and the older members have not been ignored either. Getting the Dial a Ride service running here was one of his initiatives. He can always be relied on to know where help is needed, (and to give help too), who to talk to to get things done and, very importantly, where to apply to raise funding for a project. He is a very skilful form filler-in and many projects would not have seen the light of day without his expertise and commitment.
” As vice chairman of the Council during most of the years I was chairman he was immensely supportive in so many ways, which I valued. The village has benefitted greatly from his hard work and initiative. More time to look after his garden now? Perhaps, or perhaps not, he still has many other village interests. We all owe him our gratitude for the years he has spent as a Parish Councillor.”
And Julia Whybrew, who has worked with Richard in several roles over the years, echoed the views of many when she described “Richard’s boundless exuberance and enthusiasm, his astonishing energy and his ability to get others to co-operate.” She said, “He has made the village a better place to live, especially for children. The play area is hugely successful, as demonstrated by the number of its users, and it is Richard’s vigorous support that made this dream into reality.”
Richard himself has not explained much about his reasons for resigning, although there may be some clues in the letter he wrote for publication in Steeple Aston Life. He wrote, “After a quarter of a century representing the concerns and aspirations of the parishioners of Steeple Aston I have made the decision to retire as a parish councillor. Not maybe exactly when or as I expected to leave the position but on reflection, the correct decision………….”
“……….. It has been a wonderful quarter of a century of serving the community and giving something back to a village that supported me and my family so well in my days of self-employment as a market gardener and greengrocer.
“The role of parish councillor has changed somewhat over that time and I feel that bureaucracy and red-tape are now getting in the way of progress. In my opinion there is too much time spent ticking boxes and not enough time made in taking this village forward. On saying that it is still possible to make things happen and with a little determination and talking to the right people anything can be achieved.
“This gives me the opportunity of thanking everyone who has supported me through my time as a councillor especially the villagers who make their own contribution to village life by passing on their thoughts and comments on various aspects of village life. After all, it is the residents of Steeple Aston who I have served for the last 25 years and that is what the position is all about and for that I have been extremely privileged to have served with so many superb councillors and hopefully enhanced and improved village life for all.”
John Coley spelled out the extent of Richard’s achievements, writing, “Richard’s greatest legacy is the Play Area. This was established in two phases, first for the younger age group and subsequently for the older group. Happily, when Richard inaugurated the zip-wire and trampoline, they didn’t suffer a Boris-style breakdown!
“To realise his project required a good deal of fund raising and here behind the scenes Richard has been masterful. He seemed to know of every conceivable fund to which the village could apply for funds. For instance, he found out that, although we were right on the edge of one business zone, he could apply to a largely unused fund designed to compensate for some disturbance which most of us didn’t realise we had! But it is one thing to know about funding sources, quite another to fill out the 50 page forms in duplicate, or triplicate, and acquire quotes, signatures, etc. and submit a successful application. He masterminded funding, secured the purchase of apparatus, and commissioned and project-managed construction work. He also stayed responsible for ongoing maintenance, persuading contractors to give priority to Steeple Aston.
“Ironically, although Richard’s passion is cricket and not football, he was instrumental in this hugely successful project, persuading the Football Foundation to provide hundreds of thousands of pounds to extend Robinson’s Close football pitch, improve the school paying field and upgrade the Sport and Recreation Centre changing rooms to the level required for higher league football.
“I could go on for pages more, because Richard has made similar contributions to many aspects of the life and fabric of the village. He will be sorely missed on the Parish Council and all Councillors thank him warmly for all that he is done as a councillor.”
To read the full text of Richard’s letter, please click here.
Community Speedwatch already making a difference
Long running radio soap, The Archers, is mirroring life here in Steeple Aston, as residents of the fictional Ambridge set up a Community Speedwatch campaign!
Steeple Aston’s very own Speedwatch campaign is now up and running, with around a dozen volunteers taking it in turns to don hi-vis vests and use a speed gun to monitor and record the speeds of vehicles using roads in our village. The results are then forwarded on to Thames Valley Police, who decide what action to take.
So far volunteers have set up on Paines Hill, and on South Side (by Bradshaw Close), and those who walked by all commented on what a difference having them there made. The consensus was that the presence of the Speedwatch team really slowed cars down, and made pedestrians feel safer.
Pictured here on South Side braving a miserable wet day are volunteers Paul Beadman, John Coley and Martin Lipson.
Helen Wright, one of the Parish Councillors involved in setting up the campaign said: “We are really pleased with the start we’ve made so far. The aim of the campaign isn’t to catch people speeding – it’s to slow vehicles down, and encourage people to think about their speed when they’re driving through our village.”
If anyone wants to join the initiative, they’re encouraged to email Helen (Helenewright@rocketmail.com).
Parish Council expenditure explained
Council tax bills have a number of different elements covering county and district council expenditure as well as police and parish council charges. Julia Whybrew, who covers parish council meetings for Steeple Aston Life, explains what the Parish Council receives and what it spends our money on.
She writes: “Our Council Tax has a number of elements and 3.7per cent of the total is for the ‘Precept’ ie the spending by our Parish Council. Between us all this comes to £26,698.44. Every household in Steeple Aston contributes to the precept though those in Middle Aston don’t pay any precept because they do not have a Parish Council. This is not necessarily the exact amount spent because if there is an unforeseen disaster the Council may have to spend more by drawing on the reserves.
“There are six major areas of expenditure; the upkeep of the play area, cutting the grass, paying the Clerk, the Play Area loo, repaying the loan to flatten Robinsons Field and insurance. In addition there are a number of grants to support local activities and some unavoidable administrative expenses. I have described these in turn below.
“The upkeep of the play area and the Millennium Park comes to £2,900 and this year there is expected to be another £2,400 needed for repairs and a new trampoline mat. The area is regularly inspected and kept clean and the sand and bark are replenished as needed. The need for regular repairs is inevitable considering the enormous use made of our excellent play facilities.
“Cutting the grass, looking after the hedges and the weed spraying is expected to cost about £4,800 of which the grass cutting accounts for £4,000. Cherwell used to pay to cut the grass but their contribution has been gradually reduced and this year, for the first time, the Councillors are not expecting them to contribute anything for this. In addition the Parish Council pays £600 to the church towards the cost of cutting the grass in the churchyard and the cemetery.
“We are lucky to have a fully trained Parish Clerk who does some hours for this village and is also a Parish Clerk in two other places. Her salary and her expenses together come to £4,600.
“The lavatory in the play area has to be kept clean and supplied with lavatory paper. Together this comes to about £2,300. It cost more last year because then paper towels were supplied but now there is a hand dryer instead. If only there was an easy alternative to the costly lavatory paper.
“We are paying off the loan taken out to flatten Robinsons Close and turn it into a football pitch and general play area. The loan has about another fifteen years to run and costs £2,300 a year. The only other large expense is for insurance for which the cost this year is £2,000 a year.
“Then there are some oddments, none of which are very large individually but they add up to £3,800 in total. These contribute to a wide range of village facilities and include; £500 to Steeple Aston Life, £440 for the Mid Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan, £350 to SAVA, £84 to the website, £50 to the Deddington library and £17 for a poppy wreath.
“Finally there are some unavoidable expenses such as the audit fees, training the Councillors and hiring the committee room of the Village Hall for meetings. Altogether these come to about £900.
“I find it reassuring that frequently I have listened to the Parish Councillors agonising about what they are paying and there has been no occasion when I have thought they were profligate or thoughtless about what they were spending.”
“Quack Pot” protest goes viral – and gets results!
The Steeple Aston “Quack Pot” protest against the potholes on South Side certainly caught the public’s imagination. Within hours it appeared in local papers, then Parish Councillor Helen Wright appeared on local radio and television. Soon it was buzzing around the internet. The story was for a while number 10 in the stories most read on the BBC website, Facebook was humming and it appeared on news websites such as The Poke.
Later, it also appeared in national newspapers including the The Times, The Sun and the Daily Mail, and Martin Lipson was interviewed on Radio 5 Live. To listen to his interview, please click here.
It seems that Oxfordshire County Council’s Highways Department also noticed the publicity. An official visited the road immediately, and said a team will be sent soon to do a detailed inspection. Then they will fix the potholes using their fire-breathing Dragon Patcher.
The idea for the protest started as a bit of a joke when Parish Council Chairman John Coley suggested in his Annual Report that the rash of holes had become so bad that the council might consider a “Quack Pots Day” where they would fill all the holes with water and float plastic ducks in the ponds.
Fellow councillor Martin Lipson happened to have several hundred plastic ducks in his basement (previously used for a children’s charity event). So on a very rainy Wednesday, 17th May he floated 100 of them in the potholes outside the Old White Lion.
Young Woody Wright, pictured above, had lots of fun playing with the yellow ducks. But his mother Helen explained it was a serious attempt to get something done about the potholes which have been worrying villagers for nearly two years, causing at least three of them to trip and fall recently.
In a press release sent to local media and to county councillor Aresh Fatemian the parish council said, “Drivers and pedestrians in South Side, Steeple Aston were astonished last Wednesday to find their much-loved potholes inhabited by one hundred bright yellow ducks.
“Villagers and others have had to negotiate this particularly bad stretch of potholes in the centre of the village for over 18 months. Every month, like a lot of other parishes, the Parish Council has reported a worsening situation to Oxfordshire County Council Highways. So this month the Parish Council resolved to highlight the problem so that OCC can’t continue to duck the issue.
“Parish councillors Helen Wright and Martin Lipson, aided by other villagers, floated 100 rubber ducks in the rain-filled potholes. Helen said “Despite our reporting that since the start of the year three residents had tripped in these holes and fallen, precisely nothing has been done.”
“Smiling drivers wound down their windows, braving the heavy rain, to ask what was going on, and passing local residents applauded. Woody Wright aged three said “I think the ducks like their new ponds”.
“After the ducks had been re-homed, Martin Lipson said “We can now only hope that OCC will finally do something to put into decent repair the main road through our village. This has gone on long enough.”
To read the Parish Council Chairman’s Annual Report in full, please click here.
“Quack Pot” protest over South Side potholes
Young Woody Wright had lots of fun playing with the 100 yellow ducks floating in the potholes on South Side.
But his mother, Parish Councillor Helen Wright, explained it was a serious attempt to get something done about the potholes which have been worrying villagers for nearly two years, causing at least three of them to trip and fall recently.
The idea started as a bit of a joke when Parish Council Chairman John Coley suggested in his Annual Report that the rash of holes had become so bad that the council might consider a “Quack Pots Day” where they would fill all the holes with water and float plastic ducks in the ponds.
Fellow councillor Martin Lipson happened to have several hundred plastic ducks in his basement (previously used for a children’s charity event). So on a very rainy Wednesday, 17th May he floated 100 of them in the potholes outside the Old White Lion.
Now councillors are hoping that the publicity generated by the ducks will prompt Oxfordshire County Council to finally mend the potholes.
In a press release sent to local media and to county councillor Arash Fatemian they said, “Drivers and pedestrians in South Side, Steeple Aston were astonished last Wednesday to find their much-loved potholes inhabited by one hundred bright yellow ducks.
“Villagers and others have had to negotiate this particularly bad stretch of potholes in the centre of the village for over 18 months. Every month, like a lot of other parishes, the Parish Council has reported a worsening situation to Oxfordshire County Council Highways. So this month the Parish Council resolved to highlight the problem so that OCC can’t continue to duck the issue.
“Parish councillors Helen Wright and Martin Lipson, aided by other villagers, floated 100 rubber ducks in the rain-filled potholes. Helen said “Despite our reporting that since the start of the year three residents had tripped in these holes and fallen, precisely nothing has been done.”
“Smiling drivers wound down their windows, braving the heavy rain, to ask what was going on, and passing local residents applauded. Woody Wright aged three said “I think the ducks like their new ponds”.
“After the ducks had been re-homed, Martin Lipson said “We can now only hope that OCC will finally do something to put into decent repair the main road through our village. This has gone on long enough.”
To read Parish Council Chairman’s Annual Report in full, please click here.
APRIL
Parish Council opposes “One Oxfordshire” plan
Steeple Aston Parish Council has decided that it’s not in favour of the proposed unitary authority for “One Oxfordshire”, and would favour a more local set of arrangements.
The parish joins Cherwell and West Oxfordshire District Councils and Oxford City Council in opposing the plans. But despite this opposition, Oxfordshire County Council has already gone ahead with its proposal to disband all the area’s city and district councils and replace them with a single authority responsible for delivering all services.
It has already submitted the plan to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid MP, with the support of Oxfordshire’s two other district councils, South Oxfordshire and Vale of the White Horse.
They said: “We believe local government reorganisation is vital to protect council services as central government funding is reduced, and to secure the investment in infrastructure needed to support sustainable economic growth in Oxfordshire.
“It is expected that the government will make a final decision on our proposal later this year, but work is already underway to ensure all six councils work together effectively on delivering a new council for Oxfordshire in 2019.”
Leaders of the opposing councils have asked for an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss the plan before any decision is taken. They say that four of the county’s five MP’s oppose the plan and there is growing opposition among local residents and a concern about increases in council tax. They “want to avoid committing taxpayers’ money to commissioning further studies and analysis in response to the county’s proposals” given there is “no realistic chance of a consensus being achieved” between the city, district and county councils.
Edward Dowler, the Chairman of Middle Aston Parish Meeting, said he was strongly opposed to the plan in a letter to Steeple Aston Life. Now Steeple Aston Parish Council has joined the opposition and laid out its reasons in a letter to the Barry Wood, the Leader of Cherwell District Council, copied to local MP Victoria Prentis and local district councillors.
In his letter, Parish Council Chairman, John Coley makes several criticisms of the proposals including:
- Lack of proper consultation, especially as the proposals have changed over time
- Doubts over whether the revised proposals will achieve the “theoretical” savings claimed
- No suggestion that the savings, if achieved, will result in better outcomes
- With 15 or 20 areas now proposed, more power and control will end up in the centre
- The enormous amount of work already done on the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan (and others) will be lost.
To read the full text of the letter, please click here.
Parish Council increase is less than a fiver a head
Parish Council Chairman John Coley writes: “The Parish Council has voted for an increase in the budget for the next Financial Year. The increase is £3,574, or £4.60 per elector over the whole year. This is less than one portion of fish and chips from our mobile chippy, or two pints and a packet of crisps at the Red Lion.
“We have made the increase out of necessity rather than by choice. The government has postponed subjecting parish councils to budget restraint this year but is monitoring the reason for increases and has issued a challenge to parish councils to demonstrate restraint when increasing precepts that are not a direct result of taking on additional responsibilities and Government will monitor the sector’s response to the challenge. Just this week the minister made it clear parish precepts remains very much a priority, stressing he had not taken extending council tax referendums to parishes off the table.
“There are two main increases we could not absorb:
- We are unlikely to receive any grant from the County Council (as we have in all years up to March 2016) towards cutting the grass verges within the village. We now must bear the full cost ourselves of around £4,000. If we don’t do it, grass would soon become overgrown, unkempt and possibly a danger for drivers’ sightlines.
- Our Clerk, Cathy Fleet, has gained the Certificate in Local Council Administration, which automatically carries an increase in pay.
“Other increases have been agreed to meet costs cost we know we will incur in the year. Included is tree work in the Millennium Park (Play Area) identified by consultants to Dr Radcliffe’s Trust who own the land we lease from them. Left undone we not only break our lease but may cause injury to those who use the Park.
“We have also donated £200 to the Bartons Bus project. This needs our support and will provide additional facilities to those who rely on public transport, and which takes passengers to Heyford rail station in the morning and picks up again at night. It has routes to Banbury, Oxford and Chipping Norton and is prepared to change routes based on projected requirements. The bus has wheelchair access and is available for private hire.
“Despite our efforts, increases outweigh savings we could make to keep Steeple Aston looking smart and well-tended, and a pleasant place in which to live.
“All your councillors are unpaid volunteers and only exceptionally claim expenses for attending meetings outside the village. They tend to meet their own travel costs, unless it is to a distant destination. I believe that parishioners get very good value for the money you are asked to pay to have your home in Steeple Aston.”
MARCH
Age UK pilots local Drop-in Information Sessions
A new pilot scheme by Age UK Oxfordshire will provide monthly drop-in information sessions for the first time in Steeple Aston.
Age UK Oxfordshire’s free information service aims to help people stay independent and live life to the full. Whether you need help at home, want to discover local activities in your area, find out about benefits, or get in touch with support services the Community Information Network can help.
From Wednesday, 29th March they will be holding monthly Information Sessions at the Sport & Recreation Centre in Steeple Aston. Older people, carers and adults with support needs are invited to drop in and meet local Community Networker, Libby Griffin.You will be able to browse the information table, pick up a range of helpful booklets, and ask any questions – no appointment is necessary. All are welcome; the kettle will be on!
The Information Sessions will be held on the last Wednesday of each month, from 2.00pm to 4.00pm at Sport & Recreation Centre, Fir Lane. For more details contact Libby Griffin on 07827 235410 or email libbygriffin@ageukoxfordshire.org.uk
Richard Preston, our Age UK Oxfordshire local-link adds: “Age UK Oxfordshire is not just about the elderly but offers support and advice to all those who have contact with the elderly. Our perception of ‘elderly’ is probably of someone who may have experienced the last world war or seems to have been around for ever but that is so far from the truth.
“Support for the elderly probably touches all of our lives at some point. It might be your parents who have now retired, the lady next door who appreciates the opportunity for a chat over the garden fence. It might be that you know of someone who gives time to help someone of a certain age who needs some shopping done or wants a light bulb changed. The reality is that you probably have some contact with ‘the elderly’ and maybe you could find out more ways of providing help.
“Steeple Aston is piloting a scheme where Age UK Oxfordshire is coming to you each month to provide useful support and advice on how we can all help our neighbours, relatives and friends and show what a caring society we live in today. Please call in and see what is available even if you are not classified as ‘elderly’.”
If you have a question but can’t get to an Information Session please call the Helpline on 0345 450 1276. For more information about Age UK in Oxfordshire, go to their website: www.ageuk.org.uk/Oxfordshire
Schoolkids video raises over £1K for Red Nose Day
Four years ago, a group of five-year-olds from Steeple Aston made a video to raise money for Red Nose Day. Now aged nine, they’ve done it again – and they’ve persuaded some grownups you might recognise to join in as well.
Last time they made £800 for the Comic Relief charity by making their own version of One Direction’s ‘One Way or Another’ music video. This year they’ve raised £1,064 by performing to Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’.
Both videos were made by Laura Jobe. The new one features children now in Class 4 at Dr Radcliffe’s School along with friends and family. They also persuaded their teacher Becky Roberts and Headteacher Frances Brown to take part, along with other locals such as Raj and Pari from the village shop.
For links to both videos, and, if you want to, donate to Comic Relief and help them reach their target, go to: http://www.justgiving.com/cantstopthefeelingforrednoseday
Mid-Cherwell Plan sent to the Examiner
The draft Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan has been sent for comments to an Independent Examiner before the start of the formal consultation process which will culminate in a referendum next year.
Following the Examiner’s report, it is expected to be sent to Cherwell District Council in early August. This date matters because as soon as Cherwell have a copy of the draft Plan they are obliged to take its recommendations into account.
Meanwhile villagers from across the Mid-Cherwell area are to be invited to an open meeting of the Neighbourhood Forum on Wednesday, 17th May at Ardley Village Hall. The Forum consists of a group of 40 people from the 11 Mid-Cherwell parishes, the Heyford Park Residents Association and the Heyford Park developer, the Dorchester Group.
In addition the eight-person Executive, chaired by Steeple Aston Parish Councillor Martin Lipson, has offered to visit all the 11 parishes and sit in on a Parish Council meeting in each place to answer questions from Councillors and the public.
In his monthly report, Parish Council Chairman John Coley explains more about the work being done to ensure the Plan is accepted.
He writes: “It was Proust who wrote “What we call our future is the shadow which our past throws in front of us.” So, this month I’m looking back and looking forward. Everything we have done thus far, and the work we are doing now, will form part of our submission for a Neighbourhood Plan. Increasingly developers are looking to appeal or go to court to challenge Neighbourhood Plans; so we must take pains to make sure that what we in the Plan is clearly supported by good evidence, and where we choose between alternatives, we must show that we have applied the same weight to all options. This is a daunting prospect for such a large geographical area. It will take time as well as effort.
“One example is our determination to show that Mid-Cherwell has its own character, and should not treated just as a ‘standard development location. You may have seen a black bus (shades of the Magical Mystery Tour for those old enough to remember The Beatles’ 1967 album) going around villages one day last month. This carried consultants and Forum representatives as they travelled round the Plan area and attempted to epitomise and define the ‘character’ of the various Parishes in the Plan.
“The whole ethos behind the Neighbourhood Plan is that neighbourhoods can decide where they would prefer development to take place; it is not so they can use a Plan to block all development – so not “Strawberry Fields Forever”. We need to make sure our policies are not stating the obvious, or reinventing the wheel, and to this end we have begun a series of meetings inviting all those making Neighbourhood Plans in Cherwell to come together and swap ideas and policy wordings. This includes Bloxham which has already had its own Plan adopted. It will be very handy to see what works, and what doesn’t.
“It also helps us to begin to work out the timescales for various consultations, based on actual time taken rather than on the time we think it should take (“Back to the Future” for someone who carried out Activity Based Costing!). Inevitably there can be significant variances which we can try to ease by having policies which are soundly researched and written. The better our policies and wishes are described, the less the chance of them being challenged. Work done now will save time much later.”
To see the draft plan and find out more about the Forum, go to www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
FEBRUARY
Anna Allen joins the Parish Council
Steeple Aston’s newest parish councillor is Anna Allen, who was co-opted on to the council at its February meeting following the recent resignation of Bridie Mulcahy-Hawes.
Anna has lived in Grange Park, Steeple Aston for 25 years with her husband Andrew. Their children Antony (now 30) and Judy (28) went to Dr Radcliffe’s School.
With a Norwegian diplomat father and an English mother, Anna spent her childhood years travelling the world. But at the age of 18 she decided she wanted to make her future in Britain. She went to Bangor University to study marine science and it was there that she met Andrew, who had been seconded from the Royal Navy.
They ended up in Steeple Aston when Anna got a job with Pergamon Press, by then part of Reed Elsevier. She spent nine years there managing their environmental sciences programme. It was an exciting time to be involved in environmental issues, she says, and this is where she developed her interest in wildlife and the environment.
She left this job in 2000 to work in electronic publishing, joining an American dotcom company but working remotely in the Cherwell Innovation Centre at Upper Heyford. Here as the editorial director for The Scientific World she developed new ways of open access publishing peer reviewed scientific literature. Then after a spell working on pharmaceutical marketing she retired in 2013.
On retirement Anna thought she would continue to develop her technical interests and learnt how to build websites. But she decided she’d had enough of spending her days in front of a computer, and took up the offer of a gardening job. She started gardening just four hours a week, then she put an advert in Steeple Aston Life and was overwhelmed by offers of work. She now has two partners in Anna’s Garden Services, and they work with three other associates.
Anna says they have now worked in 50 gardens over an area from Bicester to Great Rollright. She finds gardening much more rewarding than the corporate world. “We meet wonderful people,” she said, “it’s a real privilege to work in such lovely gardens often with historic buildings, and we learn a lot from the garden owners.”
Anna is pretty busy in her spare time as well. Two years ago she founded the Steeple Aston Walking Group, now 35 strong. She is Treasurer of the Allotments Association and a keen beekeeper. She also helped set up the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan website and newsletter.
It was this experience which prompted her interest in local government, and eventually led to her application to join the parish council. “Since I retired,” she said, “I’ve got more involved in the community and got to know the village better. I’m very busy, but I like the idea of putting something back locally.”
Her main contribution, she thinks, will be her business experience and her knowledge of environmental issues. But she isn’t against development in the right place, and recognises the importance of providing more housing, especially to keep young people in the village
She will also take an interest in fostering small businesses locally, and hopes her marketing skills will be particularly useful to the council in helping it communicate better with villagers.
Grange Park residents await TPO verdict
Residents of Grange Park who have objected to the imposition of individual tree preservation orders to replace the controversial and outdated area order on the estate are waiting for a response from Cherwell District Council.
The proposed new orders cover more than 40 trees. Following representations, the original deadline for objections was extended by a month to 12th January. Most of the residents of the 26 Grange Park properties affected who wanted to object were able to do so in that time.
In addition, the Grange Park Residents Group engaged a consultant, Peter Wharton of Wharton Tree and Ecology Consultants Ltd (www.whartontrees.co.uk) to assist them with their objections. He produced a very detailed and comprehensive objection letter which was submitted, on behalf of the residents group, to the Head of Law and Governance at Cherwell District Council before the deadline.
The letter made a clear case for rejecting the proposed TPOs on technical and legal grounds. As yet the residents have had no response to their objections, apart from an email acknowledgment that Peter Wharton’s letter was received and passed to the Arboricultural Department for consideration.
Cherwell District Council said previously that the TPO must be confirmed before the end of six months from when it was made otherwise it lapses. If there are objections then a report will be required to respond to the issues raised before the TPO can be confirmed in full or modified. The new TPO was issued on 14th November 2016, so there is some time to go before the six month deadline is reached.
To read the full text of the letter sent to CDC, please click here.
District starts petition against ‘One Oxfordshire’, parish yet to decide
Steeple Aston Parish Council will decide at its March meeting whether to support or oppose the proposal to do away with a layer of local government to create ‘One Oxfordshire’.
This proposal from Oxfordshire County Council, which would do away with district and city councils, is aimed at saving money. But it is strongly rejected by Cherwell District and others. They have requested a meeting with the Secretary of State to put their case. Cherwell has also started a petition against the idea.
It argues that the district council is strong and financially sound . It has protected all frontline services without increasing the cost to residents. It says that plans for a unitary authority would mean local voices would be lost and that decisions affecting the district would be made by people at a county level, who would prioritise the needs of Oxfordshire over those of Cherwell.
Villagers in Middle Aston have been quicker off the mark than their Steeple colleagues. Edward Dowler, the Chairman of Middle Aston Parish Meeting, feels strongly in favour of Cherwell’s stance. He has signed the petition and forwarded the following message to many Middle Aston residents, who are thought to have signed the petition too.
On February 24th, Cllr Barry Wood, leader of Cherwell District Council sent out the following message:
“Earlier this month I wrote to you all to inform of you Oxfordshire County Council’s plans to disband the area’s city and district councils (including Cherwell) and replace them with a single unitary authority for all of Oxfordshire.
“At the time, I told you that Cherwell, Oxford City Council and West Oxfordshire District were united in their opposition to this. That still remains the case and earlier this week, we wrote to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Sajid Javid MP, to request a meeting before any decision is made. We are now awaiting a reply.
“In the meantime, Cherwell has set up a petition to stop the proposals from going ahead and since its launch last night more than 220 people have now signed it. I would encourage each of you to also show your support in opposing these proposals by adding your own name to the petition and encouraging friends and family to do the same. The signatures gathered will be used as evidence in our ongoing effort to protect the future of Cherwell District Council and services to our residents”.
As of March 10th there were over 1,100 signatories to the petition. If you would like to add your signature, please go to https://www.change.org/p/stop-plans-for-a-unitary-authority-in-Oxfordshire
Governors consult on academy status for village school
The Governors of Dr Radcliffe’s Primary School in Steeple Aston are consulting with parents, staff and others on the conversion of the school to academy status as part of the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust (ODST).
Parents and carers were invited to meet with representatives of the Trust, governors and the school’s leadership team on Tuesday,17th January. This meeting formed part of a period of open consultation during which governors are seeking the views of staff, parents/carers, Church and community representatives and the children.The consultation is expected to end on 4th February.
Chair of the Governors, Lise Boote wrote to parents: “The Governors consider that becoming an academy as part of ODST will bring many advantages to Dr Radcliffe’s School. It will support us in our continued journey of improvement with access to high quality school improvement services; it will help us ensure that the ethos and values at the core of our school will remain intact; it will give staff and governors more freedom of choice about how the school develops and we believe it will help us to better withstand educational changes at a national level.”
She said that in practical terms academy status will change some things behind the scenes. The Governors feel these changes will enhance the running of the school but otherwise parents and children will see very little difference. There will be no impact on the curriculum or admissions policy. The Governors will continue to work closely with the Diocese, the Local Authority, the schools in The Warriner Partnership and other local primary schools who have converted to academy with ODST. There will be no change to the name of the school, the school uniform or term dates.
ODST is a not for profit organisation set up by the Diocese of Oxford in 2012. Dedicated to providing excellence in education, it allows schools to develop and share best practice and work in support of one another whilst benefiting from central support services. There are currently eighteen primary schools working with ODST and it is planning to expand this to around 30 schools over the next year.
To see the full consultation document and other information, go to the school website www.dr-radcliffes.org.uk and look under Key Information.
For more information about ODST, go to their website www.odst.org.uk.
Extra policies and local green space added to Mid-Cherwell Plan
Following recent public consultation on the Mid-Cherwell Development Plan, new policies on light pollution, protection of trees and hedgerows and adequacy of technical infrastructure have been added to the list.
And a new timetable will now allow for a further period of public consultation from 30th April to June 9th before the plan is submitted to Cherwell District Council. And members of the public will be invited to attend a meeting of the Forum on May 17th. If all goes well, there will be a referendum on the final plan in February next year.
Meanwhile, after a heated discussion at February’s Parish Council meeting, it was decided that the old sandpit behind the houses to the west of Grange Park should be proposed for designation as an additional “Local Green Space” in the village.
Local green spaces are those areas which benefit the local community because of their recreational value, beauty, tranquillity, historic significance or richness of wildlife. The designation, if finally approved, does not depend on agreement by the landowner.
In his monthly report, Parish Council Chairman John Coley writes: “During January over 300 people braved the weather to show their support for the Neighbourhood Plan and to ask many questions. Most of these were answered on the spot by Forum members, and all of them will influence the policies and the Plan document that is now being reviewed.
“Traffic-related issues were most commonly raised with concerns about speeding, increasing volumes of traffic – especially HGVs on country lanes, and the need for more bus services. Our Traffic and Transport working group has been gathering proposals from each of our parishes to develop an overall traffic mitigation scheme that can be included in our draft Plan. This will need to be successfully negotiated with CDC, OCC and major developers at Heyford Park if it is to have the desired effect.
“Ideas put forward at these events for additional Plan policies will be considered at the March Forum meeting. There has already been wide support for a new “dark skies” policy controlling light pollution – particularly from street lights in new developments. Others might be to control the loss of existing trees and hedgerows, together with other biodiversity-related policy: a further new policy would seek to protect important views in and across the neighbourhood.
“Some of our policies seek to protect the traditional rural character of the villages and the whole neighbourhood. To have real effect, the rather elusive concept of “character” needs careful definition, and to that end MCNP has received Government support to commission consultants AECOM to carry out a “Heritage and Character Assessment” of the Plan area. This is now under way. This document, when completed, will be an important plank of “evidence” supporting our policies. Parish councillors and local historians have been gathering relevant documents which detail the heritage and the history of our villages, which AECOM will use as a foundation for their recommendations.”
To see the revised proposals, please click here
For more information about the Forum, go to their website: www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
JANUARY
Villagers examine Neighbourhood Plan policies
Steeple Aston residents had the chance to examine detailed proposals from the Mid-Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum at a meeting in the Village Hall on January 24th.
The meeting was one of several held during the month so that residents of the 11 villages included in the plan could have their say on the policy proposals before they are presented to Cherwell District Council, hopefully in April.
Steeple Aston Parish Councillor and Chair of the Forum Martin Lipson told the meeting that the aim of the plan was to restrict development to within designated areas in order to enable the villages and the landscape to retain their historic character.
In addition to these policies, the Forum has developed a Community Action Plan to move forward with issues that are not strictly part of the planning remit, such as requiring utility providers to improve their services in the area.
After submission to the district council, the plan will be sent to an independent examiner who may require changes before a referendum can take place. It is hoped that the process will be completed by the end of the year.
In his monthly bulletin on the progress of the Plan, Parish Council Chairman, John Coley writes: “We can look forward to 2017 as the year in which all our work on MCNP comes to fruition. As you know, we are starting the year with community engagement meetings. They will tell us, after all our drafting and discussions, whether any of the policies need adjustment to meet with your approval.
“Local Green Spaces have been nominated by many of our parish councils and these will now go into the Plan. These will add extra protection from development to valued community spaces.
“We have been instrumental in setting up a group meeting for all those Cherwell parishes who are in the process of forming Neighbourhood Plans (Cherwell District Council having declined to set this up). The first meeting to share experiences and knowledge gained will be “in the middle of February.
“The Plan Forum has received Government funding to commission a consultancy firm to undertake a Heritage and Character Assessment of all the larger settlements in the neighbourhood area (and their surroundings). The report will sit alongside our policies to make sure that future development fits in with the special ambience (lovely word, that) and history of our part of Oxfordshire. This will take place over the next few weeks, ready to go into the Plan Report.”
To see the draft policies proposed, and the Community Action Plan, please click here
For more information about the Forum, go to their website: www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
Draft planning policies published before community meetings
Draft policies produced by the Mid Cherwell Neighbourhood Plan Forum have been published in advance of a series of community engagement meetings to be held during January. Villagers should have already received a leaflet summarising the policies and inviting them to a meeting to discuss them.
The Steeple Aston meeting will be on Tuesday, January 24th at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. But if that date isn’t convenient, you are welcome to attend any of the other meetings listed below.
Steeple Aston Parish Council Chairman, John Coley writes: “All 24 draft policies have now been published, and community engagement meetings in January 2017 have been announced. You should have a leaflet summarising the policies together with a lot of additional information, and you can see the full policies on www.mid-cherwell.org.uk
“In January, we will be holding our final round of community engagement meetings. At each of the events below there will be a display of the final draft Policies of the Neighbourhood Plan, together with maps showing the proposed Settlement Areas and nominations for Local Green Spaces that our parish councils want to see incorporated in the Plan.
“There will also be opportunities for discussion with members of the Neighbourhood Plan Forum representing your community, and a question and answer session. Each meeting will cover the same neighbourhood-wide agenda for all 11 parishes, so you are welcome to attend whichever is most convenient.
Saturday, 14th January 2.00 – 4.00pm, Reading Room, Upper Heyford
Sunday, 22nd January 10.00am – 12.00pm, Village Hall, Ardley
Tuesday 24th January 7.30 – 9.00pm, Village Hall, Steeple Aston
Wednesday, 25th January 7.00 – 9.00pm, Nicholson Orchard Barn, North Aston
Thursday 26th January 7.00 – 8.30pm, Village Hall, Somerton
Saturday, 28th January 10.00am – 12.00pm, St. Mary’s Church, Lower Heyford
Saturday, 28th January 10.00am – 1.00pm at Heyford Park Community Centre
Saturday, 28th January 3.00 – 5.00pm, Village Hall, Kirtlington
Monday, 30th January 7.30 – 9.00pm, Village Hall, Fritwell
“We have had wide-ranging meetings with Cherwell District Council to persuade them of the need for certain policies and to ensure that they all comply with national and local planning legislation. After the January meetings, MCNP has to make the full draft Plan document publicly available, in the run-up to formal submission in the Spring.”
If you aren’t able to attend a meeting, you can still read the policies and leave your comments on the Forum’s website www.mid-cherwell.org.uk