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Abingdon, Wantage and Faringdon Thursday, January 25 - Wednesday, January 31, 2018
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Taste of the Big Apple
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Who next for United after Pep sacked? Sport
New centre will ‘not be of use to the community’
Teenager rescued from belltower
Concern over parking space at Kingsgrove By Owen Hughes A CAMPAIGN group has criticised plans for a neighbourhood centre in a 1,500 home development as it will not be “useful” to the wider community due to inadequate parking. A second public exhibition will take place next month for the neighbourhood centre and community building at the newly named Kingsgrove development in Grove. Campaign manager Julie Mabberley, from the Wantage and Grove Campaign Group, said: “We believe it will be a new community hall with a café but don’t believe there will be enough parking to make it useful by the wider community. “We understand there will be other facilities nearby (possibly shops or restaurants) and think it might have been better to combine parking to make both facilities more useful. “We’ll wait to see what the exhibition brings, but encourage everyone to go and give their comments.” Around 1,500 homes, a primary
school, community facilities and central park will be built on the site formerly known as Crab Hill. In October, developers St. Modwen held the first public consultation and will share how the feedback shaped its development brief during a second consultation on Saturday February 3 between 11am and 4pm. The Neighbourhood Design Brief will establish the principles planning applications will be required to follow.
We believe it will be a new community hall but don’t believe there will be enough parking to make it useful to the wider community Campaigner Julie Mabberley Wantage and Grove Brook councillor Julia Reynolds said: “We had a forum last week where they took us through what they were planning on doing. There’s a woodland area and grassy
area, so they kept us informed of what they intend to do there. “We asked for a ‘trim track’, which is a track used for running and keeping fit, and we also asked for green gym equipment, but whether we’ll get that I don’t know.” Rob Draper, land director at St. Modwen, said: “We received an excellent level of interest and feedback from the October consultation. “We were able to gather lots of views on the design and layout of the neighbourhood centre and community building, along with ideas about what other uses and functions should be considered – as the facilities are not only for the new residents of Kingsgrove but for the wider community. “We look forward to presenting the draft development brief to the community, ahead of submitting it to the council.” The exhibition is being held at The Beacon (The Lockinge Room), Portway, Wantage on February 3. Plans can be viewed online at kingsgrovewantage.co.uk.
A TEENAGER found entangled in bell-ringing ropes 40ft above the ground had to be rescued by fire crews. Firefighters found the 17-yearold suspended mid-air inside the belfry of St Helen’s Church in Abingdon at 7pm on Friday. Crews used a rope rescue system to reach the bell-ringer who had suffered a number of
injuries from the ropes. He was lowered to the floor on a stretcher and taken to hospital. Station manager Paul Webster said “it was an unusual incident” for the firefighters. “Due to the steepness of the spiral staircase to the bell ringing room, there was not the option to carry the casualty out of the church on a stretcher,” he added.
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