Protected Green Spaces

Thu 17 Aug 2017, 12:14

Pat, I'd love just to say if you live in the Charlbury parish, you do - but inevitably there's more to it.

The sites that have been nominated will be considered by the Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group to see if they meet the published (national) criteria. As per the opening post here, account will be taken of any comments etc from the community. The nominated sites will then be put forward in the Draft Plan with a written justification in each case, which will be looked at (along with the rest of the plan) by WODC and by an independent examiner. Eventually the plan will be put to a local referendum. It's a tortuous process but a statutory one that has to be followed.

Wed 16 Aug 2017, 19:41

Who makes the decision to designate the suggested spaces as protected green spaces?

Wed 16 Aug 2017, 19:22

To answer Christopher Betts: No.

I'd love to leave it at that but... designation of one piece of land does not alter the status of other pieces of land so that applications for their development would still need to be considered against the same criteria as they would have before designation (of the other land).

Still my shortest post so far!

Wed 16 Aug 2017, 12:08

I don't want to sound cynical (well, not much), but once this list is established, does it mean that developers applying to build on other open spaces inside the parish boundart are that much more likely to get approval?

Tue 15 Aug 2017, 13:18

We now have a proposal that we should add the large fied to the back of Ticknell Piece and there is some support from this in the survey although it was not named as such
If you would also support this please email charlburynp@gmail.com

Sat 12 Aug 2017, 10:20

Actually Gordon one of the criteria for a protected green space is a mention in literature relating to the space. I was doing this for the field in front of the station when I found the reference to John Buchan
Thanks very much for your information Brigit I thought it must be something like that from quotes I found

Fri 11 Aug 2017, 22:06

Probably best to deal with the here and now.....

Fri 11 Aug 2017, 21:56

When John Buchan lived at Elsfield, to the east of Oxford, he became fond of the Evenlode valley and was a friend of Vernon Watney, the owner of Cornbury, whose 'Cornbury and the Forest of Wychwood' (1910) apparently inspired his 1923 novel 'Midwinter'. Set in 1745 at the time of the Jacobite rising, this features Cornbury and contains a dedicatory poem to Vernon Watney, evoking Wychwood and the Evenlode. (You can Google this by entering Buchan's name + Watney's.)

Fri 11 Aug 2017, 20:38

As part of the process in designating these spaces I have been looking into literary references and I have Found that John Buchan (author of the 39 steps) wrote a novel 'The Blanket of the Dark ' which is a historical novel set int his area with lots of references to the Evenlode , Whychwood Forest etc and there are also references in his autobiography.
A typical quote is ''Tis the great yeld hinds of Wychwood that he seeks. Pray for a cold wind and a drying wind, so long as it do not freeze." Darking guided them skilfully across the Charlbury bridge. '
I presume he was very familiar with this area and Cornbury does anyone know more about this?

Thu 10 Aug 2017, 12:06

Suzy. The path through Cornbury is not within the Charlbury parish boundary and therefore cannot be covered by our Neighbourhood plan

Thu 10 Aug 2017, 10:56

And is the footpath through Cornbury included?

Thu 10 Aug 2017, 10:54

Don't know what the land is called - a footpath goes up a hill through farmland on the right after you've passed through Centenary Wood or Ditchley footpath At the top of the hill, you have one of the best views over the whole of Charlbury, much loved by ramblers and dog walkers.

Wed 9 Aug 2017, 21:11

How about the open grass with the two lovely walnut trees at the entry to ticknell piece... is this on the list under a guise I don't recognise...?

Wed 9 Aug 2017, 19:39

We suggest that the list should include the small pocket of green space between Narrow Lane and Marlborough Place. This was originally set aside as a play area for children when the estate was built, and is being used in that capacity this summer. It is a valuable asset to the community here.

Wed 9 Aug 2017, 18:23

Yes thanks we will do that it was being considered but agree it should be included
We are preparing maps of each space and shortly will put links so anyone can check

Wed 9 Aug 2017, 18:02

Could you add the field at Ticknell Piece which has the little skateboard area and goalposts for children's football plus an excellent area for walking dogs.
Thanks

Wed 9 Aug 2017, 16:41

As part of the Neighbourhood Plan we want to put forward a number of sites in the Parish which are of special value or significant to people in the Town. This will help to protect such sites and help to ensure any developments take place on alternative sites. This list has been drawn up from the survey and other comments we have received but if you would like to put any other sites forward or make comments then please reply
The sites are
1. The Playing Close
2. Nine Acres
3. Cricket Club
4. Wigwell Nature Reserve
5. The Cemetery
6. Mill Field
7. Blenheim Farm Nature Reserve
8. Centenary Wood land
9. Land between Grammar School Hill and the railway line (from Shilson Lane to Fawler Road sub-station inc Five Ways allotments)

10. Field in front of the railway station
11. Bowls Club
12. Wychwood Paddocks
13. Oxpens allotments
14 Field off Church Lane (next to junction with Dyers Hill)
15. Clarke's Bottom
16. Field next to Wigwell NR (glebe land)
17 Land & stream from behind The Bell to the former police houses Hixet Wood (Sandford Slade continuation)
18. Grammar School Green
19 Land opposite Mill Field between footpath and Watery Lane

We will need to contact the landowners but they can still be nominated without their consent

We also need to say why they are special and if anyone can help with this please email charlburynp@gmail.com

Finally we complete a form which is sent off to WODC to check and if they agree it will go into the Neighbourhood Plan