Brookes plans called in again
Oxford Brookes University's revised plans for the redevelopment of its site were approved by the City Council's Strategic Development Control Committee on 24 February but were called in again. They were due to be decided at a special meeting of the full council on Thursday 18 March.
The brief description of the plans is "Erection of new library and teaching building (NLTB) consisting of lecture theatre, library, teaching accommodation and social facilities, plus linked extension to the Abercrombie building and arcaded building to new entrance piazza to Headington Road".
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QL appeals dismissed
Both appeals by QL at 136 London Road (formerly Café Bonjour) have been dismissed by the Planning Inspector. These appeals were (1) against the enforcement notice served by the city council following refusal of the first application for A3 (café) use, and (2) against the council's decision to refuse the second application for the same.
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Jacobs & Field open
Jacobs & Field opened at 15 Old High Street (the former Thresher's off-licence) on Tuesday 9 March.
The new shop plans to provide "a range of locally reared meat, seasonal fruit and vegetables, sustainable fish, a large selection of artisan cheeses, charcuterie, home baked dishes, sandwiches, fresh baked bread and [their] own label fine foods including chutneys, relishes and jams, hampers of fine wine, pork pies, artisan cheeses and chocolates. The products will be available for take away and also to be consumed on the premises".
An application for change of use to A3 (café) usage was turned down in November 2009, and a second application for "Erection of two-storey side extension to provide stairway to first floor flat. Internal alterations to provide enlarged retail area on ground floor and enlarged bathroom in first floor flat" was approved in December 2009.
A third application has been withdrawn. This was for "Demolition of rear storage area and erection of three-storey building to provide new financial and professional services (use class A2) unit with 2x2 bed flats above".
An application for a licence for on and off sales of alcohol 11.00–23.00 hrs, seven days a week, has been approved.
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Sikh temple appeal dismissed
The Sikh community has lost its appeal against the North-East Area Committee's decision on 20 January 2009 to refuse retrospective planning permission for a semi-detached house at 69 Cherwell Drive to operate as a Sikh temple after neighbours spoke of the problems caused by traffic and parking. They have to move out within one year of this decision.
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Heart surgery suspended at JR
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Warneford Meadow: judicial review
The Judicial Review requested by the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Mental Health Trust of Oxfordshire County Council's decision to register Warneford Meadow as a Town Green took place on 25 and 26 February 2010.
The Judge has reserved judgment on the case until a later date.
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New unit on cricket ground approved
The Strategic Development Control Committee has approved plans for a new 20-bed adolescent psychiatric unit to be built on the cricket ground of the United Oxford Hospitals Cricket Club at the Warneford Hospital.
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Dial House applications
The application by the Dial House at 25 London Road for "Erection of three storey building accommodating 5 flats (1x3, 2x1 and 2x2 bed). Provision of bin and cycle storage" has been approved.
An earlier application for "Erection of first floor rear extension to provide 3 x en-suite guest bedrooms and a store" was refused.
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Bury Knowle Park
An application for the refurbishment of Bury Knowle Park is being submitted:
Details of how to become a Friend of Bury Knowle Park are on their website, which includes a description of the park's facilities and a brief history.
The Friends are hoping to get green flag status for the park:
The park now has a new management plan:
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Barton gym plan approved
The North-East Area Committee has approved the plans for Barton gym, and it could be open by October.
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Headington NAGs amalgamate
The Headington North and South neighbourhoods have now amalgamated to just Headington. The new neighbourhood team is as follows: Sgt Claire Grant, PC Chris Miles, PCSO Dave Hession, PCSO Rachel Cooper, PCSO Steph Barras and PCSO Eva Jordan. |
Landlords of all Headington multiple-occupied houses to be licensed
Housing & Planning Minister John Healey announced in Oxford Town Hall on 26 January that existing legislation will be amended so that local authorities can introduce compulsory licensing schemes for landlords of student houses from April.
Oxford City Council has announced that it will adopt the scheme immediately in April, and it will then have the power to license one- and two-storey houses with three or more unrelated tenants. Existing landlords as well as new ones will have to apply for a licence.
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Poor television reception
Headington people are currently reporting poor digital television reception from the Beckley transmitter on ITV channels. This problem will continue until April, as a temporary transmitter is being used while the main one is being converted ready for the digital switchover.
This switchover takes place in March next year, and all old televisions will then need to be fitted with a set-top box.
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Elections
The seat of one candidate in each of the six city council wards covering Headington & Marston will be contested at the local elections on 6 May 2010, namely those of Chris Scanlan (Barton & Sandhills); Joe McManners (Churchill); David Rundle (Headington); Mohammed Altaf-Khan (Headington Hill & Northway); Mary Clarkson (Labour); and Dee Sinclair (Quarry & Risinghurst).
At the General Election, the prospective candidates for Oxford East are Andrew Smith (Labour), Ed Argar (Conservative), Steve Goddard (Liberal Democrat), and Sushila Dahl (Green).
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Park-and-Ride expansion
Oxfordshire County Council officers have recommended that another 540 spaces should be added to the 850 at the Thornhill Park & Ride. They are also investigating the possibility of charging people who park there in order to go to London.
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PCSOs "bought" by Brookes
Oxford Brookes University has "bought" two police community support offices to patrol the Headington campus and
surrounding areas where students live.
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Joint ticketing for buses
The London Road in Headington is one of the routes chosen by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach for their new joint ticketing scheme, which they hope to bring in by the end of the year. This will include a new £2m multi-operator smartcard ticketing system.
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London Road Phase 2
The county council plans to hold a public information exhibition in March 2010, and construction is due to start in early April and run until late November 2010.
One important new addition to the earlier plans is a trial zebra crossing near Stile Road, in addition to the pelican crossing that will replace the subway.
The footway works will take place in stages, each one being completed before moving on to the next. Carriageway resurfacing will take place towards the end of the project and will require some overnight working and road closures.
Meanwhile although the plans have been agreed, Mick Haines is still campaigning to save the subway.
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Dangerous dogs
In six months to January 2010 there have been five attacks by dangerous dogs in Headington, and four in Wood Farm, Barton, and Marston combined.
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Wood Farm School to be rebuilt
Work on Wood Farm Primary School will start this year, and a planning application has been submitted for:
"Demolition of existing school. Erection of new building to provide primary and nursery school accommodation (primary school to be increased from 1.5 form entry to 2 form entry), community facilities, children's centre and primary care trust facilities (new building to be constructed in 3 phases). Erection of temporary classroom accommodation for duration of construction works and relocation of existing Youth Action Group Building."
The county council is also planning to rebuild Bayards Hill Primary School.
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Johnson's Cleaners
The Lord Mayor formally opened Johnson's Cleaners, on the London Road on 15 January 2010. The shops (which has replaced Sketchley) is the first in Oxford to be fitted with a GreenEarth cleaning system, which used liquid silicone instead of petrochemicals. |
Londis licensing hours
Londis (on the corner of Windmill Road and London Road) has been granted an extension to its premises licence, and can now serve alcohol 23 hours a day, 7 days a week, from 6am to 5am the next day.
Because there were objections to this proposal, a hearing was held on 7 January 2010. Conditions have been imposed.
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More Park-and-Rides to the JR
RH Buses has been running two new bus services from the Seacourt and Redbridge Park & Rides since Monday 4 January. The services run half-hourly from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
- The 100 service from Seacourt stops at Frideswide Square and Banbury Road, reaching the JR via Marston Ferry Road: Timetable
- The 200 service from Redbridge dovetails with the X13 bus, thus providing a 15-minute service: Timetable
- Oxford Mail, 3 January 2010:
"New buses will be a tonic for patients"
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All Saints' Church and its centenary
All Saints’ Church in Lime Walk has been granted planning permission for "Erection of single storey side/ rear extension to provide disabled WC, servery and new rear entrance. Provision of disabled ramp":
The church celebrates its centenary in 2010, starting with a special service on 29 May (the anniversary of the consecration of the church) and ending with special service for the church’s Patronal Festival on 1 November (All Saints’ Day).
As well as the church’s traditional Summer Music Festival there will be a celebrity Paraguayan Harp recital in April and a performance of Rossini’s "Petite Messe Solennelle" by the Oxford Harmonic Society in June, as well as three concerts by the Headington Singers. An exhibition of the history of the church will be on display in the church from Easter Day onwards.
Improvements will be made to the church for its centenary, including the enhancement of the chancel ceiling with coloured panels.
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Ruskin’s move to Headington
Ruskin has launched an appeal against the city council's refusal of planning permission for "Installation of car parking areas to provide 38 car parking spaces".
Ruskin College is selling its old site in Walton Street to Exeter College and moving its entire operation on to the Ruskin Hall site in Old Headington. Following the approval in July 2009 by the city's council Strategic Development Control Committee of seven of the eight planning applications for the Ruskin Hall site, work is now likely to start at Easter 2010, with a possible completion date in the summer of 2012.
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Staff parking at NOC
Staff at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre may have to pay 15% more for parking permits, and those who live within 20 miles of two park-and-ride sites may be refused a permit.
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Slade Barracks development
This £30m project now comprises 374 student study bedrooms and 72 houses and flats.
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Black Boy
Since 15 November 2009, the Black Boy restaurant has been open seven days a week. It is featured in the Good Food Guide 2010 and the Michelin Guide 2010
The Black Boy's planning application for "Change of use of first floor to provide 5 en-suite guest bedrooms and a studio flat. New external door to replace existing window and new external fire escape" was approved in July 2009.
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Northway Centre to be demolished
The city council's executive board has decided to demolish the Northway Centre in Dora Carr Close and replace it with affordable housing. Demolition work is expected to start in August.
The Centre comprises offices, and the adjoining Northway Community Centre and sports hall will not be affected by the proposals.
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Research Centre for Headington
The University of Oxford’s Institute of Biomedical Engineering at the Old Road Campus is to become a centre of excellence in medical engineering.
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Dorset House
The developers who own the Dorset House site, Quintain, demolished the nineteenth-century house during the fortnight beginning 8 June 2009.
They have not yet submitted any planning applications for the site (except for the removal of one tree, for which it transpired that permission was not required).
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Richens plans approved
Plans submitted by Neil Richens for the old Dring’s bus garage site at the top of Windmill Road were approved in August 2008. The existing Richens building is due to be replaced by a new three-storey building providing two B1 units on the ground floor, with three flats (which will have an amenity courtyard) upstairs.
Richens Mobility occupied the site until 22 July 2006, when their workshop suffered a severe fire. They are now based at 6 The Roundway (Mon–Sat, 9.30am–1.30pm). Their telephone
number remains unchanged: 01865 769778.
Two earlier sets of plans for the site which included more flats were rejected.
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Meeting re Warneford development
The Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is holding a meeting on Monday 15 March, 6.45–8.15pm at the Warneford Chapel, Warneford Hospital so that people can learn more about the Highfield development. The Trust is building a brand new 18-bed adolescent mental health in-patient unit to replace the current outdated Highfield Unit, which provides services to young people aged 11–18, on the Warneford Hospital site.
Initial enabling works are starting on site from Monday 15th March and include the development of a new temporary road to allow construction traffic to access the site without causing any disruption to the main entrance. The road will link Roosevelt Drive to the development site from a temporary entrance which will be closed when the development is complete. |
North East Area Committee
Tuesday 16 March 2010 at 6pm
The next meeting will be held in the Royal British Legion in Barton. All residents of Headington and Marston are welcome.
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Headington "Windmill" Fair Trade shop
The Windmill (an independent Fairtrade shop) is now open at 104 London Road (the former opticians next to Cartridge World).
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New letting agent
First Move Letting & Property Management has moved into the former Sirz hairdresser's shop at 4d New High Street.
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Repatriations
The funeral cortège of war dead from Afghanistan always passes along Marsh Lane and Headley Way on its way to the John Radcliffe Hospital, and members of the Royal British Legion hold tributes as they approach the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Members of the general public are welcome to join them.
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Graffiti
Headington is suffering from a spate of graffiti; contact streetscene@oxford.gov.uk to get it cleaned. |
Oxclean
Voluntary groups cleaned up areas of Headington and Marston on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 March.
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IAD moves to Bury Knowle
Impact Advertising and Design has moved from the London Road to Bury Knowle Coach House.
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Highfield traffic
The county council is exploring a traffic management scheme for the Highfield area in Headington.
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@headingtonnews
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Barton, Risinghurst, and Sandhills now on Google Street View
The Google van with its rooftop camera must have visited Barton, Risinghurst, and Sandhills in 2009, because those areas are now available on Google's Street View. The rest of Headington was visited in the summer of 2008.
To see your house, first go to Google maps and put your postcode in the search box to get a satellite view of your street. Then move the little orange person on the left on to the street that you want to view house by house.
The links below show the shops on the London Road in Street View: keep clicking the left and right arrows on the picture to view them all.
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Royal British Legion saved
The Royal British Legion Club in Hadow Road, Marston has been saved by a loan. It had faced closure over an unpaid £52,700 tax bill.
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Headington Farmers’ Market
Next farmers' market at the top of Kennett Road on Friday 26 March from 8am to 12.30pm
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Coco Noir
Coco Noir (Headington's new chocolaterie) and its owner Majid Yazdani have been featured in the "In Business" magazine of the Oxford Times:
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Headington & Marston websites
New websites in 2010:
Directory of Headington & Marston websites |
Marston added to World War I dead
Brief biographies of the 36 men of Old and New Marston who died in the First World War have been added to the 120 Headington ones.
Memories and photographs from family members would be very welcome.
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Former fish & chip building
Building is now nearly complete on the new coffee shop replacing the former Smart’s Fish & Chip takeaway at 81 London Road near the subway.
Work started in September 2008 on the new four-storey building comprising a Class A3 unit on the ground floor, and three flats over the first, second, and third floors.
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Headington Car Club
Headington Car Club, operated in conjunction with Commonwheels, has acquired a second car.
The first car, based in St Leonard's car park, was booked 112 times between July and December and it was driven for 354 hours, clocking up 2,891 miles.
As registration takes some time and there is no yearly fee, it is a good idea to sign up for the scheme well before you actually need to borrow a car. You can then book it instantly online if an emergency occurs.
Local people who join the scheme can hire the car for as little as half an hour for £4 an hour (plus mileage). Members are issued with a Smartcard which unlocks the vehicle, and booking can be made by phone or online via Commonwheels.
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Shops vacant or for sale in central Headington in 2010
- Alliance Pharmacy at 8 Windmill Road moved to Bury Knowle Surgery in 2008 and the premises are still vacant in 2010
- Reynolds Blinds moved to premises behind Windmill Road in 2008, and their former shop at 118 London Road is still empty
- London Beauty Boutique, 1 Simon House, Windmilll Road is vacant
- Matthew Clulee hairdressers moved out of its Holyoake Hall branch on the London Road in November 2009
Shop changes in 2010
- The Headington Fairtrade Co-operative ("The Windmill") is due to open in the former opticians at 104 London Road
- Smart’s Fish & Chips at 81A London Road was demolished in September 2008 and is being rebuilt as a coffee shop.
- The Manor Dental Surgery has been granted permission for change of use of Evoke Hair & Beauty at 4 Manor Buildings (upstairs) from A1 (hairdresser) to D1 (dental surgery).
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Retail shops and the Local Plan
The Local Plan is designed to protect the Headington shopping centre. No café or takeaway (A3/A5) use should be granted until the number of A1 (retail) shops at ground-floor level rises above 65%. Hence planning applications by coffee shops (A3) and offices (A2) are being turned down.
The link below gives further details about recent applications and appeals as well as similar applications in the past:
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Can’t find a news item?
Older news items are moved to separate pages Links to news pages from 2009 back to 2001 can be found here. |
Windmill House
Windmill House at the south-east end of Windmill Road has been demolished and is being replaced by facilities for vulnerable young adults and people with learning difficulties.
Windmill House was built as a children's home on the site of the old windmill in 1957.
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Islamic Studies Centre
The Islamic Studies Centre on the Marston Road is due to open in 2011. More than £50 million has already been spent on the building, but another £25 million is needed.
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North East Area Committee
Tuesday 16 March 2010 at 6pm
The next meeting will be held in the Royal British Legion in Barton. All residents of Headington and Marston are welcome.
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Maggie's Centre
Planning permission has been granted for a charity centre on stilts near the Julia Durbin day nursery.
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Thousand new houses west of Barton
Oxford City Council proposes 1000 dwellings on land west of Barton. There is also a proposal for a new flyover dubbed the "Barton Bridge" to ease the impact of the new 1,000 homes in Barton. This would be for buses, cyclists, and pedestrians only.
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Headington Library disabled access
The city council has raised no objection to the proposed county council plans for "erection of extension to provide wheelchair access to rear of library building, including: creation of a platform lift; accessible w.c.; a new door opening between the existing library building and new entrance and other associated works.”
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Headington Inc scam
This current international scam is being operated in different languages throughout Europe. An email claiming to be from "Headington Inc" offers a modelling contract opportunity with Coca Cola, but in fact just tricks people out of their money.
The message is signed by "Pamela Jones", allegedly the Financier of Headington Inc. Oxford, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BP (the address and postcode of Oxford Brookes University). The telephone number given is +447031903987, and Oftel records show that numbers starting 07031 9 are allocated to Magrathea Telecommunications Ltd. |
Thames Valley Police
To find out which Neighbourhood Action Group you are in
For press releases about local crime, follow the link below and search for "Headington" etc:
The Headington North Neighbourhood Action Group area includes the shopping centre and is holding surgeries at Headington Baptist Church this summer:
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Parkopedia
Enterprising householders living near the hospitals are renting their driveways via the Parkopedia website. The going rate appears to be £5 or £6 a day.
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Headington in Wikipedia
Many parts of Headington now have their own entry in Wikipedia.
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“Charity” clothes collections
Despite having six genuine charity shops, central Headington has since 2006 been targeted by commercial firms asking people to give all the spare clothes they have for them to sell to the poor.
There were 15 bags or leaflets delivered in Headington in 2007 and 9 in 2008. So far in 2009 there have been only three, all from "Helping Arms". A kidney charity, however, is now working jointly with "UK Clothing Collections Ltd".
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Geograph Britain
Central Headington is now well represented on the Geograph British
Isles website by seven pictures, including the shark and the
new Baptist Church.
Other parts of Headington mapped with pictures are Barton
(St Mary’s Church), Sandhills (Thornhill Park & Ride),
Shotover (egg-rolling), Headington Hill (Cuckoo Lane), Marston
(Vicky Arms), and the west side of Quarry (Rock Edge).
Other parts of Headington and Marston are still waiting for
people to submit pictures; and it is always possible to add
extra pictures to occupied squares.
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Aerial views of Headington
Google Earth has now
covered the whole of Headington and Oxford (special download
required).
You can also see all of Headington on Microsoft’s maps site
(no downloads required unless you want to use the 3D effect).
You can use your keyboard arrow keys to move away from the
shark in the link below to visit your part of Headington.
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Licensing for all HMOs?
Following consultation in late 2007, Oxford city council is the first authority in the UK to apply to the government to bring in an additional licensing scheme for all houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in Oxford.
At present, licensing is only mandatory for houses that have both (1) three or more storeys and (2) more than four occupants.
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Food hygiene
The Scores on the Doors website launched on 16 June 2009 made councils' food hygiene ratings available to the public for the first time, and the 2010 round of reinspections has begun.
Four local eateries which are open to the general public got the top rating of five stars: McDonald's at the Green Road roundabout; Subway in central Headington; the Brookes Training Restaurant; and the Mediterranean Fish Bar in Cherwell Drive.
At the bottom end of the scale, two restaurants or cafés in central Headington have no star at all because of their “very poor” kitchen hygiene standards: La Croissanterie and, Yummy. (A third which originally had no stars, the Hang Chow, has subsequently been taken over and has been reinspected and awarded four stars under its new name The Chinese Restaurant). In Marston, the Bricklayers Arms has no stars . Those with no stars are either given either a written warning or an enforcement notice to improve or else face court action.
Twelve establishments in Headington and Marston which are not open to the general public also get the top five-star rating: Mulberry Guest House; Cotuit Hall; Galliano's at Brookes: Albany Nursing Home; Kids Unlimited Nursery; Sandfield Day Nursery; Ruskin Hall; Slade Park Fire Station; Carillion Health at the JR; Aramark at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre; Catermasters at Sobell House Hospice; and Centromere in Roosevelt Drive.
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Headington city council ward
City councillors David Rundle and Ruth Wilkinson have a website with news relating to the central Headington ward. As their ward includes most of the central shopping area, it will also be of interest to people in other parts of Headington.
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Collecting post
Since the closure of Lime Walk sorting office, Headington people have had to collect packages that could not be delivered from the East Oxford Delivery Office in Ledgers Close (off Sandy Lane West in Littlemore).
If you cannot collect, you can arrange for parcels to be redelivered to a local post office (50p fee) or to your house (free) by telephoning 01865 747585.
Do not attempt to collect Saturday parcels first thing on Monday morning, as they will not have been sent back to Littlemore from storage in Headington Post Office. |
New pedestrian footway
An application for the formation of (1) A cycle/ pedestrian path from Old Road to car park and (2) a 240m pedestrian footway along the north side of Roosevelt Drive was decided at the North-East Area Committee meeting in May 2008.
The first part of the application was refused, but the footpath along Roosevelt Drive was approved.
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| The War Dead of St Margaret's Church,
north Oxford
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