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  • Councillors urged to reject new housing figures

    THE countryside lobbying group, CPRE, is urging councils and councillors to reject new figures for housing needs that the local planning authority has based its revised Local Plan for the district on.

    greenbelt (400x240)The Strategic Housing Market Assessment – or SHMA – figures, have been used by South Oxfordshire District Council to decide how to meet the new housing target, and have outlined possible options for the allocation of new housing, including a new town between Walllingford and Thame, and building in the Oxford Green Belt.

    The SHMA found that far more houses than previously envisaged in the Local Plan (adopted in December 2012) would have to be built in South Oxfordshire, probably including Thame,  to meet demand. SODC had only planned to build 10,600 homes between 2011 and 2027, but the SHMA proposes that between 14,500 and 16,500 are needed by 2031.

    The consultation currently being carried out by SODC lists a number of options for distributing the additional housing.

    CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) has said that it is concerned that the options identified in the new Plan “……are not ‘options’ at all. We believe that all of the options identified – and more, will be required if SODC are to meet the unrealistic and unsustainable housing targets outlined in the SHMA.

    “This would be intensely damaging to the environment and to the amenity of everyone who lives in the District.”

    Helen Marshall, CPRE Oxfordshire’s Director, responding to a draft report by its own Consultants questioning the validity of the new SHMAR figures, has said: “The only beneficiaries of the Oxfordshire SHMA are house builders, who will have carte blanche to develop what and where they like (which is high-end housing on Greenfield land – a precious and finite resource). The price will be paid by those who will pay for new infrastructure and services to support this (all of us), and those who depend for decent housing on the regeneration of Oxford and our towns (especially new and lower income households). Balancing these interests is a matter for the local planning process – which the SHMA preempts.”

    The public consultation (details HERE) ends on July, 23.

    Details of CPRE’s challenge to the SHMAR figures can be found here: http://www.cpreoxon.org.uk/news/current-news/item/2368-new-shma-campaign

    PREVIOUS related story ‘More houses for Thame?’ : https://www.thame.net/archives/13474

  • Glow Worm spectacular at Aston Rowant

    OVER the next few weeks, strange yellow/green neon lights will start to appear on the grassland of Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve, near Stokenchurch, but don’t worry, the aliens haven’t landed! These tiny lights are actually female glow worms trying to attract a mate.

    Glow worm - Photographed by Matthew O’Byrne
    Glow worm – Photographed by Matthew O’Byrne

    From late June to the end of July, the Chilterns Conservation Board and Natural England will be giving you the opportunity to hunt for these fascinating creatures by night and learn more about them.

    Four glow worm walks are taking place between 9.45pm and 11.30pm on Friday, June 27th, Saturday 5th, Saturday 12th and Friday 25th July. Meet at the Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve car park.

    The walks cost £3 for adults and £1 for children. Spaces are strictly limited and booking is essential. Call early to avoid disappointment on 01844 355 500.

    Remember, it will be dark, so intrepid glow worm hunters should bring a torch, dress warmly and wear sturdy footwear. The event isn’t suitable for young children, but over 10’s are welcome with adult supervision.

  • Mayor’s response challenged

    DEAR Editor

    The Mayor, Jeanette Matelot Green, seems to have totally misunderstood the situation re the dismissal of the CAAC. Firstly this apparently happened at the town council AGM on the 13 may and not as a request to the Grants Panel.

    The CAAC is not a group which needs funding. They were set up to assist the Town Council and SODC, in January 1984, by looking at Plans in the Conservation Area. To do this they need to meet in the Town Hall as it is unlikely that they would be able to remove the plans and meet to discuss them elsewhere. The proviso of a meeting place in the Town Hall is set out in the Terms of Reference both in 1984 and again at a later date.

    The meeting does not cost anything as all correspondence is by email (minutes, agendas etc) and the meetings are made when the cleaner is in the building, so that no one has to be employed to unlock or lock up the building. The point of the group is to discuss the plans together and come to an agreed recommendation as a whole and not as individuals thus using a corporate knowledge of the towns buildings and their history. Whilst the Mayor and Chair of Planning may have building expertise they have not had the length of time and intimate knowledge of the Listed Buildings in the Town that the members of CAAC have.

    Once we agree that the Mayor is talking about the wrong meeting, the wrong issue ie funding and that the Town Clerk was at the meeting on the 13 May the whole of her letter becomes totally invalid and misleading.

    I still suggest that CAAC are reinstated.

    Ron Clanfield
    Thame

  • ‘What was the point of the Neighbourhood Plan?’

    Dear Editor,
    I have a glossy leaflet from South Oxfordshire District Council titled ‘Local Plan 2031’. Referring to Neighbourhood Planning Areas it includes the words ‘….in order to provide the levels of growth we need, and to be fair to all communities in the district, we may be required to consider increasing the amounts of housing provided in neighbourhood plan areas, as well as in other areas not covered by or preparing neighbourhood plans.’

    So what was the point of all the effort and time we all spent in Thame on agreeing a Neighbourhood Plan?

    A cynic might have expected something like this. And a cynic would have been right. I wonder what those who serve our community at all levels of Government think about this development.

    Norman Brand

    Thame

  • ‘Loose woman’ supports hospice charity midnight walk

    WITH less than a month to go until the fifth Gemstone Midnight Walk on Saturday, July 12, in aid of the Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity (FNHC), actress and TV presenter Lynda Bellingham has once again lent her support to the event, with a few words of encouragement for walkers taking part.

    Lynda bellingham wearing the trade-mark Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity pink bunny ears
    Lynda bellingham wearing the trade-mark Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity pink bunny ears

    Lynda, who was diagnosed with cancer last year, has been a long-term supporter of the Florence Nightingale Hospice, and said: “This is a wonderful event in support of the Hospice, which is celebrating over 25 years of local Hospice care. In this very special anniversary year, please show your continued support by taking on the Gemstone Midnight Walk challenge alongside family, friends and loved ones. I’ll be thinking of you all on Saturday,  July 12 – good luck.”

    With a few special silver tweaks, including 25 male walkers in celebration of the Silver Jubilee year taking on the challenge alongside over 600 ladies, plus changes to this year’s route – all six and 13-mile walkers will start and finish at Aylesbury College, Oxford Road, there will be some changes made to the route itself.

    The ever-popular walker ‘pitstops’ will of course include the must-have walker energy boost, Jelly Babies, and will see Aylesbury’s Waterside Theatre, opening its doors on the night with a Cinderella-theme in celebration of December’s Christmas panto. FNHC has been the chosen charity of the theatre since it opened in October 2010.

    Mix 96 Breakfast presenter, Katy Brown, will once again be providing the on-stage warm-up (a fantastic staging area courtesy of local company Class Act) with live music from The Zefrons, singer Sophie Del Ray and a second-chance to see the Charity’s Strictly Florence 2013 champions, Sian McCarthy and Mark Henderson, perform their winning CHA CHA on the night.

    Local diet and fitness guru, Joanna Beardsmore-Dilks, will be limbering up the crowd with a high-energy workout in the build- up to Midnight, which always goes down a treat with walkers. Joanna has supported the event for the past four years as a ‘thank you’ for the work of the Hospice, who cared for a friend through her battle with cancer.

    There is still time to take part in this, the walking challenge of the year. You can enter online at www.gemstonewalk.co.uk, contact the team on 01296 429975 to register over-the-phone, or pop along to Harris & Hoole, Aylesbury, (1st floor, Tesco Broadfields) on Thursday, June 26, and sign up in person. All ladies who sign up on the day can claim a FREE pair of the trademark pink bunny ears!

    Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity needs to raise over £600,000 this year to ensure the continued funding of local Hospice services including Day Hospice, a 12-bedded in-patient unit, Florrie’s Children’s Team and the Nightingale 24/7 Care Team, who provide vital care and support to sick people in their own home at a critical time of need.

    For more information, please visit www.fnhospice.org.uk

  • Thame housing development plans to be considered by council

    A planning application for new housing on Site C, as allocated by the Thame Neighbourhood Plan, will be presented at Thame Town Council’s own Planning Committee next Tuesday, June 24.

    SiteC_masterplan (500x412)The basic details of the plan, Application P14/S1619/O P14/S1619/O – Land East of Thame Park Road are:

    “Hybrid planning application seeking residential development for up to 187 new dwellings (including up to 40% affordable housing) with vehicular access from Wenman Road, structural planting and landscaping, informal and formal open space including retained agricultural land, childrens play space, allotments, surface water attenuation and ancillary works; comprising a full planning application for element A of 79 dwellings and element B which seeks outline planning permission for up to 108 dwellings. In respect of the outline element B only principle access to the highway is sought for
    approval and all other matters are reserved for determination at a later date.”

    Click on the application number above to read the full planning application details.

  • Thame pub’s life-line to ladies passed over for the ‘footie’

    THE Thatch in Thame is throwing a life-line to female guests who find themselves passed over for the football this month. Anyone whose other half refuses to make plans for the evening or who simply can’t face four weeks of wall-to-wall world cup, can treat themselves to their very own night out on Tuesday, June 24.

    The Richard OnslowThis one-off Ladies Night, will be filled with bubbles, ice cream and all things indulgent. There will be plenty of things to feast your eyes on, including handsome waiters and barmen keeping the fizz flowing on the night, starting with a tasting of champagnes from around the world with ice creams chosen to match, ending with music and dancing.

    “This year as every year we shall be making The Thatch a football free zone, but this time around we wanted to do something nice to help all the women out there escape from their world cup hell,” said manager of The Thatch, Evelin Rae. “With the dreaded day, the start of the world cup, now dawned, we decided to invite the ladies to put their men in the blokes crèche at The James Figg pub down the road to watch the game, and spend their evening with us at The Thatch.

    “We’re planning a wonderful night out with plenty of bubbly, sweet treats and excellent company, when the f-word will most definitely will be banned. Tuesday, June 24, coincidentally a world cup night, is going to be a very special night for the ladies. We’ll also be raising money for a great local cause by supporting Friends of O.S.C.A.R, the Didcot charity which supports children with brain and spinal tumours and their families. So join us and enjoy a fabulous night out.” 

    The Thatch’s ladies night starts at 7pm and tickets cost £10. They can be booked from the pub by calling 01844 214340 or by going online at  www.thethatchthame.co.uk 

    The Thatch is at 29-30 Lower High Street, Thame, Oxon, OX9 2AA. Tel: 01844 214340

  • Crash motorcyclist flown to hospital

    A Motorcyclist was rushed to hospital and the Junction 7, slip road closed for some time around 9am this morning, after the bike was involved in a collision with a red Volkswagen Golf car on the A329, near Great Milton.

    air_ambulance (400x241)The injured rider was flown to hospital by air ambulance. The road has since re-opened.

  • What a ‘quacking’ race!

    THAME & District Round Table hosted another successful duck race again this year, raising thousands of pounds for local causes.

    Captain Duckie alias Stuart Groves, launches hundreds of pastic ducks into the River Thame
    Captain Duckie alias Stuart Groves, launches
    hundreds of pastic ducks into the River Thame

    The race took place on Sunday (15/02) and enjoyed a great turnout with hundreds of local people coming to support the race and see if they had bought the winning ticket. The race raised £4,260, thanks to the ongoing support for this event from the people of Thame and the surrounding villages. Captain Ducky led the proceedings as usual and although his boat was a lot more shipshape than it’s been in previous years, it didn’t keep him any drier!

    In a busy weekend, Round Table were also in action on Saturday too, when they joined forces with Thame Lions to run the bar at Thame Carnival. Working together with the Lions, the two groups raised a further £1,000 for local charities.

    Neil Shorter, Chairman of Thame Round Table, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who supported the race by buying tickets and helping us to raise so much money. We would also like to thank all the family and friends who joined us on the day and helped to set the race up and in particular, to collect up all the ducks afterwards and get them cleaned and dried ready for next year. Finally, we’d like to thank The Falcon pub for providing their pop up bar for us to use and for helping throughout the day on Saturday too.”

  • Carnival Chair says ‘thank you’ Thame!

    CONGRATULATIONS have been flowing in to the new team that organised this year’s Thame Carnival, and the Co-ordinator, Sue Martin Downhill, Chair of Thame4Business, has expressed her gratitude to all concerned.

    One of Sue Martin Downhill's girls (left) enjoying themselves - without her mum - at Saturday's carnival
    One of Sue Martin Downhill’s girls (left) enjoying themselves – without her mum – at Saturday’s carnival

     

    The 'School together' carnival collected their winners cup from the Deputy Mayor, Nicola Dixon
    The ‘School together’ carnival collected their winners cup from the Deputy
    Mayor, Nicola Dixon

    The Carnival, themed  ‘the World of Sport & Recreation’, brought families, friends and local sports and activity groups together, to produce a great Carnival and festival fete, on the Southern Road Recreation ground – and the sun shone!

    A delighted Sue said: “With the help of some fantastic people of Thame, the Thame Carnival was as successful as I had hoped it would be. It was cool while we were setting up but the sun came out and shone for the rest of the day. cropped_tractor_cab_kids (400x267)

    “The parade was a great sight with a massive effort from all the floats. Congratulations to the combined schools’  float who produced a mass of colour. The steel band brought out the carnival feel and there was plenty of carnival music and noise throughout. Tom MacKriell of Thame Youth Theatre, and his team of marshalls brilliantly tackled the organisation of the order of the parade and keeping the roads clear and safe. Thanks to them, as without all 20 of them there would have been no parade!

    “Our MC, Dan Blasor, brought the whole event together and the Dog show had the best turn out of entries ever.carnival_dogs (400x348)

    “It was great to see so many sitting out in the sunshine enjoying the beer and Pimms tents and watching the entertainment in the arena and all around the ground. Although I would love to have been able to have spent more time wandering around with my girls,   enjoyed the day thoroughly.”Carnival_Andy_ford_emma (400x264)

    The Slade Tribute band, Slyde, entertained visitors at the end of the afternoon, with great humour and great memories of the music of other bands like ‘Sweet’ and ‘The Osmonds’ too!carnival_Slyde (268x400)

    Twitter and facebook followers of the Thame Carnival, like Ian English, who runs the popular Boodlum Band and the newly formed Thame Pop Choir, posted their comments: “Well done Sue and committee for organising an excellent Carnival and making it work so well – it was a great afternoon!”

    Thame Firefighter, Mark Nuns, posted on twitter: “Awesome sight seeing a Lancaster Bomber doing a low fly over of Thame!”carnival_Lancaster2014 (400x259)

    Karen Shardlow, Fund-raising Co-ordinator for the Florence Nighingale Hospice Charity, which took part in the carnival parade, posted: “Thank you Thame Carnival! Great fun day! We were all pleased to be a part of it.”Carnival_florence_nightingale_2014 (400x294)

    LOADS MORE PICTURES – here from Saturday’s carnival