The following planning applications have recently been lodged. Click on the address to see full details at the WODC website.
Mon 30 Nov 2015, 07:05 · Link
At a fantastic event at The Brewery in London today 26th November, Bring Your Brolly Day organised by Sustainable Charlbury with Charlie Clews, our very own landscape architect, won the award for Local Landscape Planning - as well as runner-up in the President's Award. The Landscape Institute President said "I love that this work has raised awareness of the role of the landscape architect with the community who now see the value of what we do. This was great and also fun!"
Liz Reason · Thu 26 Nov 2015, 19:37 · Link
There are now no tickets left for the Variety Show on Saturday 28th November. For those who have tickets, please arrive early as we have a full programme and need to start on the dot of 7.30pm, before which you will need to buy drinks and settle down at tables.Doors open at 7pm.
Tanya Stevenson · Mon 23 Nov 2015, 09:33 · Link
The following planning applications have recently been lodged. Click on the address to see full details at the WODC website.
Mon 23 Nov 2015, 07:05 · Link
Town Council elections 2016 - your chance to make a difference
In May 2016, elections will be held for all the seats on Charlbury Town Council.
Please do think about standing! It's important for the Town Council to represent all ages, backgrounds and viewpoints in Charlbury. The time commitment is typically two evening meetings a month, though councillors can also volunteer to represent the Town Council on other bodies and committees.
If you are interested, any current town councillor will be happy to explain what's involved. Our monthly meetings are open to the public if you'd like to get a first-hand view. Several current councillors have indicated a likely intention to stand down so there is a real opportunity for fresh blood on the council. The meetings are welcoming and (usually!) good-tempered, and offer a real chance to help make your town better.
Full details of the nomination process will be on the Charlbury website and in the Chronicle nearer the time.
Weight restrictions
There is a 7.5-tonne weight limit on all roads in Charlbury town centre (except for access and scheduled buses), and across the river bridge. 7.5 tonnes covers most small delivery/self-drive vehicles but not medium or large lorries.
Oxfordshire County Council can and does prosecute offenders - most recently in November 2014 - but can only do so if people report them. Please help to keep unsuitable traffic off our narrow streets by reporting any traffic you see breaking the limit.
You can do this online at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/cms/content/weight-restriction-orders (or search for 'oxfordshire weight restrictions'). For your own safety, don't attempt to follow or stop any vehicle.
Permissive paths
The permissive path across Nine Acres Recreation Ground will be closed all day on Wednesday 6th January 2016. We understand that the Wychwood Project will be closing the permissive paths across the Wigwell Nature Reserve on the same day.
Streets and paths
As the autumn draws to a close, please take a few moments to check your boundaries and cut back overhanging branches and excessive growth so that the pavements are kept clear for pedestrians. It would also be a great help if you could sweep up fallen leaves outside your homes as wet leaves can become a major hazard, particularly to those who are older or infirm.
Then as winter approaches, be aware of the hazards of icy pavements and roads. Please look out for any of your neighbours who may find it difficult to get out and about in such weather. The salt bins are now full and the town council does also have a further supply of salt available, so if you become aware of bins becoming empty during severe weather, please contact the Town Clerk for replenishments. (This salt is, of course, only for use on the public highways and pavements.)
As at all times of the year, we remind dog owners to "scoop it, bag it, bin it"; and in the interests of the health of all, especially children, please respect the notices prohibiting dogs from the Playing Close, and keep them on a lead in public spaces such as Nine Acres. Thank you.
'Oxfordshire Together'
Oxfordshire County Council is seeking to engage town and parish councils in providing more of the services traditionally provided by the county, such as grass-cutting beside highways. (OCC's budget pressures are well-known and its council tax increase is effectively capped at 1.99%, whereas town/parish councils are not currently capped.)
Charlbury Town Council has engaged with this 'Oxfordshire Together' initiative and, after much discussion, is not averse to it in principle - indeed, providing more services locally could result in better results for residents. On the downside, it's unlikely that a small council can achieve the economies of scale that the county can.
The Town Council is setting up a working group to consider possibilities, and, as ever, would be interested to hear the views of Charlbury people.
In brief
Contacting your Town Council
All our meetings are open to the public. Full council meetings will be held in the Corner House at 7.30pm on Wednesday 25th November and 16th December, with Planning & Correspondence two days before (8pm unless there is a speaker).
The next open 'surgeries' will be in the Corner House from 10am-12pm on Saturday 5th December, 6th February and 2nd April.
You can email Roger Clarke, the Town Clerk, at charlburytc@btinternet.com or phone 01608 810608 (9am-5pm weekdays, not weekends or bank holidays).
(Report no. 77. This report also appears in the Charlbury Chronicle.)
Richard Fairhurst · Thu 12 Nov 2015, 22:07 · Link
Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed that it plans to withdraw all bus subsidies in the county.
The Pulhams X9 (Witney/Chipping Norton) and Go-Ride C1 (railbus) services are those in Charlbury which are affected. (The S3 to Oxford is not subsidised.) Bus operators will have the chance to run services commercially, i.e. without subsidy. Neither Pulhams nor Go-Ride have yet announced an intention but it looks unlikely that the C1 railbus will continue.
The withdrawal will be confirmed in February when OCC sets its budget. If savings can be found elsewhere, it is possible that subsidies could be kept for a small number of services.
The next OCC elections will take place in 2017.
Richard Fairhurst · Wed 11 Nov 2015, 10:00 · Link
The Thomas Gifford Trust are pleased to announce that the kebab Van is to recommence trading at the Spendlove site from the 10th November 2015.
With a new manager in place the opening hours will be:
Tuesday to Thursday 5pm to 11pm
Friday 6pm to 12 Midnight
Saturday 5pm to 12 Midnight
Sunday 5pm to 11pm
See the weekly listings for these opening hours once the news item has elapsed. All other food trders remain the same.
The following planning applications have recently been lodged. Click on the address to see full details at the WODC website.
Mon 9 Nov 2015, 07:05 · Link
Welcome to the new-look CRAG!
I'm pleased to say we held our establishment meeting (I really don't know quite what to call it!) of the Charlbury Refugee Action Group (CRAG) on Wednesday November 4. We now have a committee and an enhanced sense of purpose. A constitution and a bank account are in the pipeline.
The principal officers are Jon Carpenter (chair), Rosemary Galli (secretary), Gerald Draper (treasurer), Angela Gwatkin (fundraising and events). Other committee members, helpers and legal advisors include Frances Webber, Molly Brech, Nicola Turner, Nick Johnson, Helena Cullen, Felicity Brooks, Hannen Beith, Andy Turner and Liz Leffman. Plus an extended group of other volunteers with various skills and experience, about 25 in all.
It is a powerful team with a lot of know-how and experience. If you have skills and energy to contribute, please email us at charlburyrefugee@gmail.com
You can also become one of our supporters: simply email charlburyrefugee@gmail.com and we will add you to our email list. Please stand up and be counted!
Interesting recent videos and reports include:
Read our own site, www.facebook.com/charlburyrefugee.com for ongoing information. It's updated frequently.
Jon Carpenter
Jon Carpenter · Sun 8 Nov 2015, 12:39 · Link
Residents in West Oxfordshire are being asked for comments about their household waste and recycling collections to help the Council plan for any future changes.
A short survey asks residents for their views about the containers they use, the types of materials that are collected for recycling and how they use the service.
Cllr David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Environment said, "Thanks to our residents, we're one of the top recyclers in the country, but with our current contract up for review in 2017 we're taking the opportunity to evaluate our household waste and recycling collections. We'd like householders to tell us how we could improve our service and make recycling easier for them."
When the Council last renewed its contract in 2010 it introduced a weekly food waste collections and a fortnightly garden waste service. These have proved to be very popular and recycling rates have risen in West Oxfordshire from 34% to 60% in the past five years.
In addition, a range of other recyclable materials are collected weekly at the kerbside, including plastics, paper, card, tins, aerosols, glass, textiles, shoes and batteries. There are fortnightly collections for rubbish (non-recyclables).
The survey can be completed online at www.westoxon.gov.uk/binsurvey or in person at any of the following places: the Council's reception points, Burford Visitor Information Centre, Carterton Town Hall, Woodstock Town Hall.
Deadline for completion of the survey is midday on 7 December 2015.
(from a WODC press release)
Fri 6 Nov 2015, 12:50 · Link
Colin died at home after a short illness on 20 October. The funeral will be held at 10.45 on Wednesday 11 November at Oxford Crematorium. All welcome, dark clothing not necessary. No flowers, but donations to the Lawrence Home Nursing team are welcome, to be sent c/o the funeral directors: Jerrams Brothers, The Kidlington Centre, Kidlington 0X5 2DL, 01865 374444
Harriet Baldwin · Thu 5 Nov 2015, 16:16 · Link
Fun for all the family show starts 7.30 pm Thursday 19th / Friday 20th / Saturday 21st November. There is also a matiniee on Saturday at 2pm with a tuck shop for the children. Doors and bar open 1/2 hr before each performance, tickets £9.00, concs and children £7.00 (children under 16). For the matinee on Saturday children's tickets are £6.00. Tickets available from Cotswold Frames, News and Things and the Charlbury Post Office or www.wegotticket.com/cads Box Office 01608 811805. Hope to see you all there.
Tim Widdows · Thu 5 Nov 2015, 12:08 · Link
Charlbury was featured on BBC South Today at 6.30pm today as part of a report about Oxfordshire County Council's proposed cuts to bus subsidies. You can watch the report on the BBC iPlayer here: www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06mvlwt/bbc-oxford-news-03112015 - it's the lead item in the programme.
Thank you to those who came along this morning to be filmed!
Richard Fairhurst · Tue 3 Nov 2015, 09:46 · Link
West Oxfordshire District Council's Uplands planning committee today approved the Rushy Bank development, beyond the Forest Road industrial estate.
The approval is subject to access arrangements being made with Oxfordshire Highways; to an archaeological dig being carried out; and to Section 106 funding for community gain. Meeting minutes with full details of the decision will be published on the WODC website in due course.
The Sunnyside development on Ditchley Road was also approved.
Richard Fairhurst · Mon 2 Nov 2015, 18:03 · Link