Category: Thame news

FOLLOWING a 15 year wait, young people in Chinnor should be getting their skate park at last.
On Wednesday, South Oxfordshire District Council?s Planning committee discussed a request by Chinnor Parish Council to establish change of use from agricultural to a skate park on a field between Chinnor and Emmington.
Planning officers had recommended refusal of the application on the grounds that it would constitute an ‘unsustainable form of development that would extend into open countryside and detract from the rural character and appearance of the area.’ The plan would also, they said, be contrary to the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan and the Local Plan 2011, second deposit draft; ?A very severe breach of planning policy,? said one fuming planning officer.
After a very lively debate and discussion, the decision was overturned by the committee who approved the plan.

One of the local District Councillors who spoke in support of the skate park, told ThameNews.Net: ?The committee listened carefully to the arguments put forward by the representatives of Chinnor PC, local District Councillors and members of the public.
?The decision was greeted with much pleasure by the Chinnor representatives who now feel that they have a place where young people can play in fresh air, in the open countryside in safety.?

Chinnor?s Cllr Linda Cameron, told ThameNews: ?The kids have waited a very long time for this. We appreciate that this site, outside of the village and near a busy road, is not the ideal place and that a risk assessment will have to be done. We may, for instance, have to provide a cycle path to make it safer than it is. One of the conditions attached to the planning permission is that we keep the path clear.
?We are determined that although the skate park will be in the countryside, it will hopefully not be a blot on the landscape; we plan to provide hedging and trees to screen out noise.?

Fifteen year-old Josh Siler a pupil of Lord Williams?s school, told ThameNews.Net: ?This is great news. It would have been nice if the skate park could have been in a better place but it?s basically only about a 10 minute walk from Chinnor and it will be worth it to be able to practice what to us is our sport. We?re really grateful to Sue Brooks and all the others that have worked on our behalf for this.?

It is understood that the decision may be taken to full Cabinet.

THAME police are warning local residents to be aware of bogus callers in the area following an incident in Chinnor, on Wednesday.
A resident of Riders Way, in Chinnor, found a man in the backgarden, between 3.30pm and 4pm, who claimed he was doing a survey on new cars.
The intruder, described as being a white male, between 40 and 50 years-old, was smartly dressed and carrying a clip board. When he was challenged to show his ID, the man quickly pulled it away.
Sgt Greenwood, based at Thame, would like to hear from anyone who may have had a similar caller or who may have any other information about this incident. Contact him via the Police Enquiry Line 08458 505505, or anonymously via Crimestoppers 0800 555111.

THAME United has a new Chairman, following their AGM last night.
Former Vice Chairman, Bernard Wakelin, is now Chairman, and Jim Tite, the previous Chairman, becomes President.
Former Club Secretary, Jake Collinge, becomes Vice Chairman and Fred Salisbury remains as Club Secretary.
Considering the club?s recent trials and tribulations, an up-beat Bernard told ThameNews.Net today: ?I am very pleased and excited. There is a lot to do but we must now move forward.
?Coleman Properties, our old landlord, put us in an intolerable position for business reasons and we have had to accept that. We were caught in a little trap. Now we have had time to think about things and we have tested the water; we are swimming very well and encouraged by the results we have been getting.
?Although we have lost three matches and drawn one, our squad of mainly youngsters with one or two old heads, are drawing larger crowds at Aylesbury than we enjoyed at Thame, which is enabling us to pay expenses to the players and pay officials.
?We have played so far against teams of a higher calibre, but we stand a good chance of beating Brentwood Town on Saturday, and earning over

THE long wait was over for hundreds of Lord Williams?s Year 11 students today, when they received the results of their GCSE exams.
Despite the ritual criticism from some corners of industry and education in the national press, most of the students were proud of their achievements, waving their grade sheets in the air or excitedly contacting family and friends on their mobile phones to share their good news.

This year, 63% of Year 11 students at the school gained five or more GCSE passes at A*-C grades, which is above the National rate of 61.2%.
Amongst the individual successes were: Helen Scholey, Katie Wales, Stephen Thorpe, Jack Rees, Alasdair Lamb, Faith Green, Jeremy Shott, Lucy Brassell, George Bateman, Lucy Elkerton, Hannah Johnson, Lisa Snelling and Louise Hall, all of whom obtained at least 9 passes at A* and A.
Rebecca Mawby gained 7 A*, 2 A grades and 2 pases at grade B.

The Acting Headteacher of Lord Williams?s school, David Wybron, said: ?It is very pleasing to congratulate students who have done so well. Hard work has certainly paid off and most students will be pleased with their results.?

Languages teacher, Susan Head, who with retired Headteacher, Mike Spencer, was at the school to support and congratulate students, told ThameNews.Net: ?Those people who criticise our young people should come down here on what is one of my favourite days in the school year and just see for themselves the shear ecstasy and excitement that they rightly feel after all that hard work.?

ED: Do YOU think young people are leaving school unready for work? Do you think exams are becoming too easy? Share your experiences and views on the ThameNews forum

THE Chairman of beleaguered Thame United is to step down at tonight’s AGM.
Jim Tite will tell his committee of his intensions at the meeting which will be held at Thame town hall at 7.30pm.

Full report of the AGM on ThameNews.Net tomorrow (Friday).

DESPITE a further reduction in the number of units proposed, a third plan to demolish a Priest End house and replace it with a modern development, has not met with the approval of Thame Town Council.
Two previous proposals, one for eight units and another for even, were both rejected by the town council and the district council, on the grounds that they were Un-neighbourly, out of keeping in a Conservation Area and would have meant overdevelopment of the site.
Speaking on behalf of the Developer, Rectory Homes, Jake Collinge told the town council?s planning committee last night that he was of the opinion that the increased landscaping, reduction in car parking space and a reduction to five proposed units, now meant that the proposed houses would now :?Sit comfortably in the plot and would help meet local housing needs.?
However, two neighbours spoke against the proposal, being of the opinion that the three, 2 bedroomed houses, one, 1 bed and 1, three bed house, were unsuitable in design and constituted over-development of the site.
Brigit Hill, whose lives in Priest End, told the committee that she feared that, if permission was given for this proposed development, any other property in the High Street could get planning permission for a modern development, which would result in: ??an irreversible change in the nature of this historic part of Thame.?
Mr David Clifton, another close neighbour, called the proposals: ??a great, monolithic lump,? and was concerned about an increase in traffic out of what he called: ?a very dangerous corner.? Mr Clifton was also concerned that the view from the church, and from his own home would be ruined by the proposed houses.
?This whole plan is just a profit-making exercise,? he concluded.
Cllr David Laver said that he thought the new proposals were: ?A step in the right direction,? but that he was not happy with the design of the houses which, he said, needed to be more in keeping with the area.
Cllr Beatrice Dobie was concerned about the possible increase in traffic that might be generated in and out of Priest Lane, adding: ?..especially since we do not know what development there will be on the Rycote site.?
The committee voted unanimously to recommend refusal of the plan on the grounds that it was over development of the site, was unsuitable in a Conservation Area and did not include sufficient car parking .

The family of a young Haddenham man, who died on Sunday when the motorcycle he was riding left the road, have today paid tribute to him.
Jamie Wardell, of Townside, died after the Yamaha DT motorbike he was riding left the road and was in collision with a hedge off Woodway, Loosley Row at 12.05pm on Sunday, August 21.
His family have issued the following tribute:
?Jamie came from a large and loving family and will be missed terribly.
?He leaves behind his mum and dad, one brother, two half-sisters, a step-father, four grandparents and two step-grandparents as well as uncles, aunts and cousins, one niece and his beloved dog Rarn.
?At 18-years-old, Jamie was happy and content with his life. He had a job he enjoyed and loved spending time with his friends who were very important to him.

?Jamie was born in High Wycombe and spent most of his life in Walters Ash, before moving to Haddenham. He attended Walters Ash School and then Princes Risborough Upper. He loved football, snooker, computer games and reading, particularly Harry Potter and most recently the Da Vinci Code.
?He was funny and loveable. He was a good friend to many and very noisy. It is going to be incredibly quiet without him.

?Jamie will be sadly missed and loved forever by all his family and friends.?

The Police are still appealing for witnesses and would like anyone with information who hasn?t yet spoken to an officer to contact the investigating officer, PC Ken Johnson, at Amersham Roads Policing department via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Jamie?s funeral will take place at 2pm on Thursday, September 1, at Amersham Crematorium.
His family have requested donations for Stokenchurch Dog Rescue or Chiltern Dog Rescue instead of flowers.

Police are appealing for witnesses following a sexual offence in Thame, last Wednesday, August 17.

At around 4.45pm, two 14-year-old girls were walking through Cuttlebrook Nature Reserve when a man exposed himself to them.

PC Abi Derbyshire, based at Thame police station, said: ?The girls walked past the man who was sat on a bench wearing a pair of dark boxer shorts, trainers and white socks. They continued to walk on and the man followed them asking them what was wrong. The man then jogged past them and appeared from behind a small area of bushes with no clothes on.

?The girls ran away and later saw the man next to a dark coloured car wearing a pair of jeans. He then drove off in the direction of Lord Williams Upper School in Oxford Road.

?The man is white, around 45 years old, between 5ft 6ins and 5ft 10ins and of medium build. He has short greying hair and spoke with a local accent.

?I appeal to anyone who has seen a man of this description in Thame or has been a victim of this crime to contact police via 0845 8 505 505. If you don?t want to speak to police and don?t want to leave your name contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111″

FEATS of ‘Daring Do’ and spectacular demonstrations of Knightly skills will be on display at this year’s Thame Show.
The Knights of Arkley, who are based at Llanelli, South Wales, will be the star attraction at the show, which takes place on Thursday, September 15.

A typical Tournament begins with a parade of Knights who then demonstrate the Skills at Arms and the training exercises for the Knights and their horses. Each will then ride at a large, rotating target called the Quintain and strike it at a gallop. They will then pick up small targets with pointed spears and lance the rings.
The Knights will then challenge each other to a Joust riding with a sheild and a lance and try to strike their opponent and knock him off his horse. Challenges not settled on horseback can continue in foot combat with swords and axes.

To find out more about this year’s Thame Show and how to get tickets, visit their website.

A THAME toy shop, that has been fighting against its demolition to make way for a new library, has today announced that it is to close.
The Pied Pedaller, in North Street, Thame, was granted an extension to its lease by Oxfordshire County Council until September 2008, whilst the council made plans for the building’s replacement by a new library.

However, the Managing Director of the company that owns the Pied Pedaller, Ed Tilley, informed ThameNews.Net today:

“It is with great regret that I am informing you that J A Magson Ltd, the Company that owns and operates the Pied Pedaller toy shop in Thame, has decided to close the Pied Pedaller. The building of the library on the site appears inevitable and, as Xmas trading cannot be guaranteed, the decision has been made to pull out once all stock has been cleared.
“We will be commencing a closing down sale very shortly.”

The shop’s owners, J A Magson,’s Finance Director. Neil Mason, added:

?It is a shame that we could not continue to trade from this location. We would like to thank everyone who held a view about the development plans and who supported the idea of shops still being located here.
?We will make the most of our closing weeks of trading with a closing-down sale, and ensure that the closure process is smooth and that the store team are given fair and full redundancy packages.?