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Didcot, Wallingford & Thame Thursday, May 24 - Wednesday, May 30, 2018
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Is it the final curtain for Sherlock Holmes? Super sleuth at Oxford Playhouse
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oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
Declutter and help Helen & Douglas House
Gearing up for ‘even bigger’ cycling festival
Weekly leisure guide for in and around Oxford
leisure time in &
United’s year: New boss in to steady ship
Page 16
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Sport
Long-term housing plan up EVERY TRADE SECRET TRADE in the air afterSECRET sites rethink PRICE RE T, I E K I L , T SEE I T, TAKE By George YI BUWelch AYdelivery IT AarW range A FORMER council leader has branded a decision to delay a major n to two years as housing plan foraup or we c ‘perplexing’. The building of thousands of homes at contentious sites across south Oxfordshire is up in the air after the district council voted to reassess all 15 potential sites in its Local Plan. Former SODC leader John Cotton, who resigned his position after councillors rejected the original plan in March, was scathing of the proposal. Describing the decision as ‘cowardice’, he said: “The Local Plan has been kicked down the path – for now, but I can’t imagine the government responding glowingly to the idea.” The Local Plan, which allocates housing sites up to 2033, was expected to be submitted for independent assessment later this year. Under the new proposal however, the council wants to submit it by January 2020, meaning the future of contentious sites, such as at Culham (c3,500 homes) and Chalgrove Airfield (c3,000 homes), remain unknown. Cllr Cotton, who preferred a ‘cards on the table’ approach by including the Chalgrove homes in the plan, told the Guardian: “Some councillors have convinced themselves that looking at all the sites again will somehow
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OUTLET FURNITURE WAREHOUSE OUTLET FURNITURE WAREHOUSE
produce a different answer. However, Local Plan making is not a science and so it is possible that new sites could be allocated in place of the current ones. “But after the three years of work, dozens of public exhibitions and thousands of comments from residents and businesses, that would be due to a matter of preference rather than new information. “So the proposal to delay things for up to two more years is perplexing.” SODC said the reassessment of the sites would happen as long as there is no ‘significant’ impact on the Oxfordshire Housing and Growth Deal, a £215million funding pot for housing and infrastructure across the county. The Chalgrove homes would stay in the Local Plan with a reserve site(s) if there were a ‘significant impact’ on the deal, it added. Chalgrove councillor David Turner had a motion to scrap the airfield project entirely rejected. Cllr Felix Bloomfield, SODC deputy leader and cabinet member for planning, said it is important to take the time to ensure the plan is ‘fit for purpose’. He added: “By reviewing the housing sites, we’re looking to ensure the plan we submit stands the best chance of a planning inspector fi nding that it’s a ‘sound’ plan and gives us a robust base on which we can build a better south Oxfordshire for everybody.”
DUCEbig Courtney’s D date at Castle
DIDCOT’S not-so-secret Santa Courtney Hughes was “very honoured” to be in the company of royalty at Windsor Castle on Saturday for the biggest wedding of the year. The 20-year-old, whose charity has collected more than £100,000 worth of Christmas presents in seven years, said the day was “amazing” and “the bride looked beautiful”. She said: “It was especially lovely to see lots of the other people invited by the Lord Lieutenants, and hear their stories. There are so many people, many young people doing some inspiring things for others across the UK. “I felt very honoured and happy I got to share the once in a lifetime moment with my mum.” Courtney, who wore her British Citizen Award medal for the big day, added that Charity Secret Santa 365 Oxfordshire is “doing really well” with “lots going on and lots of donations still coming in”.
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