Category: Missed a ThameNews story?

THE Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, has responded to a letter from the Minister of State for Housing, Kit Malthouse, asking the council to provide proposals for housing growth, within a proposed Oxford to Cambridge Corridor,  or ‘the brain belt’.

The Minister has stated that this new ‘Economic Hub’ which will include an Oxford to Cambridge Expressway, will need up to one million new homes to be built by 2050 – an average of over 30,000 per year.

Cllr Jane Murphy has written a statement summarising her response, in which she questions why the Minister is asking for details of the district council’s proposals for helping to meet this need, before the final route of a proposed Expressway through the corridor has been decided. Her statement reads:

“We welcome the opportunity to respond to Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Housing, request for housing growth proposals within our district that support the Oxford to Cambridge Corridor.

“We have written to the minister to request more information on the reasons behind the need for one million new homes and have expressed our surprise that he requires information on any new developments prior to the route being decided.

“It is unclear from the minister’s letter if the new homes required include our ambitious planned growth, included in our emerging Local Plan, and takes into consideration other Oxfordshire authorities, who have signed up to the Housing and Growth Deal.

“The South Oxfordshire Local Plan is currently under review, with all strategic housing sites being reassessed. The Council will make their decision in December following completion of the review and aim to submit the plan for examination in March next year. This timetable is in line with all our partners, who have signed up to the Housing and Growth Deal.

“We continue to work together with other local authorities on the Joint Statutory Spatial Plan for Oxfordshire – a tool for considering the county’s growth in a co-ordinated, long-term way, which takes into consideration each district’s local plan.

“We have informed the minister that the spatial plan is a more appropriate method to explore housing growth and have sought assurance that the government won’t impose new settlements in our district.

“We welcome this letter and have requested to continue to engage and consult with the minister throughout the whole process to deliver this ambitious project.”

Why an Oxford to Cambridge Corridor?

The Government’s motivation for such a strategic route can be summarised in findings from the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) which concluded that the strong economic and population growth across the region has resulted in increasing demands on the existing transport infrastructure and housing supply. Rising congestion, journey times and housing unaffordability, the NIC stated, threatens further economic growth and these constraints reduce the attractiveness of the area as a place to live and work.

High house prices make it increasingly difficult for employers to attract and retain staff and attract new businesses – particularly in Oxford. Also, both Cambridge and Oxford are constrained by Green Belt designations. The NIC states: “The Expressway would help support the highly productive urban areas by helping to address some of these economic challenges. An Expressway and EWR (East-West Rail) would reduce congestion and capacity issues on local commuter routes (A34, A421 and A428), unlock local housing sites and improve connectivity between skilled people and important employment centres and thus support local economic growth in key urban areas within the study area including Oxford, Bicester, Buckingham and  Aylesbury (depending on the Expressway route option), Milton Keynes, Bedford, St Neots and Cambridge.”

The proposed routes

The recently published Oxford to Cambridge Expressway Strategic Study: Stage 3 Report has come up with a short list of Expressway routes to better connect the two university cities by completing the ‘missing link’ between the M1 and the M40, to create a new ‘Economic Hub’. These are:

* via Thame, Aylesbury and Leighton Buzzard (Option A)
* the East-West Rail (EWR) corridor (Option B) or
* the existing A421 corridor (Option C) – SODC’s preferred route, including sub-option C1 to the North and West of Oxford. The details can be found HERE

These options include on and off-line improvements and a number of sub-options in order to route around Oxford. All three Expressway options include conversion of sections of the A34, A421, A428 and A1 to Expressway standard to complete the route between the M4 and A14/M11. To quote the report: “Each Expressway option would form part of a package of transport measures including EWR, route technology, integration with rail interchange hubs and local access and mobility measures (including non-motorised users).” That’s pedestrians, cyclists and equestrian users.

What next?

The next stage of the NIC’s assessment will involve a more detailed ‘qualitative and quantitative’ assessment of the short listed Expressway schemes, and will assess the value for money, environmental (LINK HERE for concerns of one, major wild-life organisation), transport, and economic impacts of the Expressway interventions and will be reported in a Strategic Outline Business Case. This next stage of this study will also include further analysis of ‘the potential interaction between the short listed Expressway schemes and EWR to better understand the complementary benefits both schemes could provide’.

RELATED PREVIOUS REPORTS: https://www.thame.net/archives/28578

SOUTH Oxfordshire District Council has refused a planning application, to convert the guitar shop in Cornmarket, Thame, into a two-bedroom home.

The property is a Grade ll, listed building, originally a 16th Century corn warehouse. Planners gave their reasons for refusing the application as follows:

“In the absence of an acoustic report and recommended mitigation, the proposed development would lack sufficient information to demonstrate that the residential amenity of future occupiers could be adequately protected from external noise nuisance. As such, the proposal would be contrary to Policies G2, EP2 and H4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011.”

Thame Town Council had recommended refusal of the application citing loss of retail use, insufficient parking and ‘poor residential amenity for future occupiers’.

‘Online sales’ affecting business

At a meeting of Thame Town Council’s Planning and Environment Group, Jeff Lowe, Planning Consultant for the owner of Vintage & Modern Guitars Ltd, had explained that his client had specialised in the sale of guitars for many years and whilst the business remained successful, there was an increasing shift to online sales. It was for this reason, he said, that permission had been sought to alter the building to residential use and relocate the business.

No Appeal against the decision by SODC, has so far been lodged.

 

STUDENTS at Lord Williams’s School have been congratulated by their Headteacher for achieving ‘impressive heights’ with their achievements at A Level and equivalent Level Three courses. The pass rate was 99% with 46% of passes at A*/A and B grades.

Headteacher, David Wybron was full of praise for the students: “It is always an anxious time waiting for results, especially with new courses. Our students have worked very hard to secure such pleasing results. It is time for celebration and to look forward to an exciting future.”

The following students achieved A* or A grades in three or more subjects: Marcus Birmingham, Harriet Burdett, Harriet Caiger, Harry Cooke, Annabel Davies, Luke Eaton, Sam Goode, Alessia Grant, Isabel Jackson, Marc Leaney, Lucy Miller, Jacob Powell, Michael Shearwood, George Shreeve, Charley Sydenham and Rebecca Van Walwyk.

This year, of the Lord Williams’s pupils who took A levels, 18% gained grades at A*/A level. Last year, the figure was 22%.

David Wybron added: “Results are broadly similar to last year but there are some baffling results in one or two areas, which we are following up with the exam boards. Lots of students are celebrating and students who didn’t get their hoped-for grades are getting university places.”

The national picture

Across the nation, 26.4 per cent of students were awarded either an A or A* this year, the highest since 2012 when 26.6 per cent achieved these grades, and the second year in a row that the A*-A pass rate has risen. However, overall, nationally there has been a drop in A* A-levels.

For the second year running, nationally, boys are winning slightly more of the highest grades than girls, with 26.2 per cent of girls achieving A or A* compared to 26.6 per cent of boys.

Praise for teaching staff

Lesley McPherson, Head of Year 13 at Lord Williams’s school, added: “We would like to congratulate the Year 13 students on achieving such excellent results in their A Levels and Level Three qualifications. We are extremely proud of their achievements and they have demonstrated a strong work ethic which has allowed them to fulfil their potential. Their hard work has now paid off and they are in a great position to embark on the next stage of their lives, whether that is higher education or employment.

“It is also a testament to the staff who have worked tremendously hard in teaching and supporting the students throughout their time in the Sixth Form at Lord Williams’s.”

 

THE Chilterns Conservation Board is to use cutting-edge imaging technology to produce a specialist ‘light and radar’ survey of the Chilterns as part of its ‘Beacons of the Past: Hillforts in the Chilterns Landscape’, a National Lottery-supported project.

The survey, officially known as a LiDAR survey, will enable the three-and-a-half-year project to uncover more about the Chilterns in the Iron Age, but also encourage and inspire people to find out more about and help protect the heritage environment. The survey will be carried out by  Cyient Europe Ltd

LiDAR is a type of airborne laser scanning. The innovative surveying technique will cover 1300km2 at 25cm resolution and will digitally peel back the forest canopy to reveal the hidden ancient landscapes. It is the first time the entire Chilterns AONB and environs will be subject to such a survey.

Largest survey of its kind

This summer’s weather has revealed a plethora of new archaeological sites across Britain and Ireland as dry temperatures scorch the vegetation around ancient features. But aerial photographs only show up archaeology like this if the ground is visible; woodland archaeology requires LiDAR. Flights begin in late November, to allow the best result after most leaves have fallen.

Project Manager, Dr Wendy Morrison, said: “These hillforts can’t be thought of as just being individual monuments – they didn’t exist in isolation when constructed, and they don’t now. Understanding their wider context in the landscape is crucial to understanding the roles hillforts played in society over the longue durée (Ed. their time in history). We are thrilled to be working with Cyient to discover more about the archaeology of this region,” she continued. “I believe this is the largest bespoke archaeological LiDAR survey at this resolution in the UK.”

Volunteer help

The project intends to use Citizen Science to help identify new archaeological features across the Chilterns. The processed LiDAR data will be available through an online portal in the form of images for interested volunteers to digitally annotate. Training and guidance will be provided both online and through a series of workshops held across the region over the autumn months in the run up to the survey.

Landscape Heritage Officer, Dr Ed Peveler, said: “This will be a brilliant opportunity to enrich our understanding of the history and prehistory of the Chilterns landscape. Volunteers can learn exciting new digital and practical skills, and at the same time help us to discover previously unrecorded archaeology, and to tell new stories about these hills.”

Located across four counties and only a stone’s throw from London, the Chilterns AONB is perhaps best known for is chalk streams and it leafy woodlands, but it also boasts a large number of hillforts in the UK, with 20 known monuments and potentially more which the survey may reveal. The Chilterns Conservation Board is an independent body established by Parliamentary Order in 2003 with 27 members drawn from local communities, with a statutory duty to protect, conserve and enhance the Chilterns AONB.

Advantages of airborne LiDAR surveys

Established in 1991, Cyient is a leading geospatial services provider and has a range of airborne and mobile survey products to carry out traditional aerial photography, LiDAR and oblique imagery to hyperspectral imaging and 3D modelling. “We are delighted that Chiltern Conservation Board has selected Cyient as their partner for what promises to be a very interesting project,” said Simon Kraeter, Commercial Director of Cyient. “One of the key advantages of airborne LiDAR surveys is the ability to scan a large area quickly, safely, and without the need to visit the site and potentially disturb any hidden archaeological features.”

Seeing ancient ‘lumps and bumps’ beneath the trees

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) can be used to record and observe archaeology on the surface of the ground that is otherwise obscured, such as by forestation. LiDAR instruments record landscapes in three dimensions by use of a laser scanner. An airborne LiDAR system sends out small pulses of light at the rate of hundreds of thousands per second. They are reflected back from the objects they strike, and the distance is measured and recorded. When the millions of measurements are combined by computer, then a digital three-dimensional image of the landscape is formed. From this data, objects can then be digitally grouped (classified) or deleted, thus an entire forest can be removed, revealing the ground surface, and all the humps and bumps ancient people left behind.

RESIDENTS of Thame are being invited to have their say on the Green Living Plan (GLP) for the town over the next six weeks.

A consultation on the Thame GLP will be launched on Monday, August 20, and is expected to run until September 30.

Everyone who lives or works in Thame can comment on the plan, which will shape the future of the town’s environment and future decisions about its sustainability. Drop-in sessions will be held over the coming weeks for people to find out more, meet the team and ask questions. These will be held at:

* Thame Market on Tuesday, August 21, between 9am and 1pm
* Town Hall on Saturday, August 25, between 9am and 1pm
* Thame Town Hall again, on Wednesday, September 12, 4pm to 7:30pm

A link to the online consultation survey will be available via www.thametowncouncil.gov.uk/GLP, where you can also find out more about the Green Living Plan and view the draft GLP document in short and full versions.

Hard copies of the Green Living Plan document and consultation surveys will be available in the Town Hall.

The GLP has been prepared on an honorary basis by the RSA Thame Group on behalf of Thame Town Council.

If you would like to know more, or get involved, please email consultations@thametowncouncil.gov.uk

NB The RSA Thame Group are a local group of Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce. They have been appointed by Thame Town Council as honorary consultants to assist in the creation of a Green Living Plan for Thame.

AS seems to have become a regular occurrence lately, Thame Town Council has once again been defending the town’s Neighbour Plan from rapacious developers, with one councillor accusing a developer of attempting to ‘drive a train’ through Thame’s Neighbour Plan policies and of ‘a blatant attempt at intensification’.

Cllr Mike Dyer’s comments came after a representative for Persimmon Homes spoke before the full council last Tuesday, July 31, in defense of a planning application for 25 new homes, including eight ‘affordable’ homes, on land off Thame Park Road, Thame, to replace an existing permission for eight, 4-bedroom, two-storey properties with studies, on the same 0.5 hectare area of land.

Caroline Owen, for Persimmon Homes, sought to explain some confusion as to which houses were two-bedroomed and which were three-bedroomed, as some of those described as two bedrooms, had an extra room upstairs described as a study. She said that the plan had been amended because of an apparent greater demand for smaller two and three bed dwellings and less demand for larger detached houses. Ms Owen said that the proposal represented the way Persimmon market their homes. There are a number of rooms, within the houses that have studies, and whether these are counted as bedrooms depends on the size of the dwelling, she explained.

(In the plans some rooms shown as double-bedrooms have smaller areas than rooms of 9.3 sq. metres, described as offices.)

Sleight of hand?

But, speaking after Ms Owen’s presentation, Cllr Dyer would have none of it and told councillors: “This is sleight of hand pure and simple. We know that those offices upstairs (Ed. designated as ‘studies’ in the plans) will be used as bedrooms.”

During her presentation, Ms Owen said that TTC did not have a specific policy for housing mix and therefore Persimmon Homes had taken input from a range of documents; the District 2008 Housing Needs Assessment, the Oxfordshire Strategic Housing Market Assessment, the 2011 census and informal advice from the District’s Housing Team.

Cllr Dyer took Ms Owen to task over her description of Policies in the TNP, as ‘recommendations’. “Any change of housing policy, including specific numbers of houses, would be up to us to address in the Neighbourhood Plan, not for anyone else to drive a train through Neighbourhood polices. The Local Plan has not yet gone to examination nor determined,” he added.

Why does all this matter?

This ‘confusion’ over room designations matters because the developer is claiming the scheme will provide:
 16 x 2 bedroom houses, 64% of the proposed scheme
 8 x 3 bedroom houses, 32% of the proposed scheme
 1 x 4 bedroom house, 4% of the proposed scheme

Whereas, Thame Town Council’s method of calculation, assuming the ‘offices’ may be used as bedrooms, means the scheme will yield:

 22 x 3-bedroom properties
 3 x 4-bedroom properties
 Zero x 2-bedroom properties

Councillors voted to recommend refusal of the application.

To read the full background to this application, click on the Report link at Agenda item 6, Land off Thame Park Road Thame P18S2069FUL HERE