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Newsletter 1 October 2018

Doesn\'t time fly - it\'s 1st October and I don\'t know where the year had gone!

  1. New Planning Applications:
    1. Lidl;
      As I covered in the last update, Lidl have submitted an application for a new store between Wantage and Grove. This is on one of the two fields between Grove Traffic Lights and the Mably Roundabout and the entrance will be off the turning to the business park. See P18/V2300/FUL for details. A couple of people have already raised comments about the additional congestion and acees difficulties, but the comments in the press and at the public consultation about filling the gap between Wantage and Grove have not been repeated formally yet. If you want to comment, you have until 24 October.
    2. Elm Farm Business Park:
      The business park on the hill just above where the Lidl Store will be built wants to expand and has submitted an application to extend the park to the north. This extension to the Business Park will link the development at Crab Hill to the village of Grove represented by Elm Farm and will further close the gap between the settlements. If you want to see the application then go to P18/V2025/O
    3. Crab Hill:
      The next Crab Hill forum took place and we raised the dust levels in Charlton with the developers. We were informed that this was not a specific action for the forum, the developer acknowledged the concern raised and was liaising direct with individual complainants. The environmental health team and enforcement team have also been investigating and it would be more appropriate for them to follow up. Hopefully now that summer has finished the ground should be damp and the dust levels will reduce. It will probably be mud next! 
      There is an application in for the next phase of development. This is for 82 homes just north of the A417 and east of the new road junction. The developer is Hayfield Homes who are currently building at Southmoor. The roads, trees and other infrastructure will be the subject of other applications but we are concerned that there appear to be no unallocated visitor car parking spaces for 82 homes. The Application reference is P18/V2227/RM - comments can be submited until 10th October.
    4. Park Farm East Challow:
      The Developer who has planning consent for 88 homes on this site has obviously decided that they can squeeze more homes into the site and have applied for 87 homes on about 3/4 of the total site leaving the 27 homes to the West of the site as approved. This means that they will fit 114 homes on this site if this is approved. So if you live in this area and have any comments - you only have until 3 October. Application reference P18/V2049/FUL 
    5. Deans Farm West Hanney:
      Yet another farm in West Hanney is being turning into a small development. The Farm and outbuildings are proposed to become 8 homes in total.  Application reference P18/V2047/FUL 
    6. Grove Airfield:
      Persimmon are attempting to discharge planning conditions and have updated the open space plan, the phasing plan and the housing delivery plan. Application reference P17/V3083/DIS
  2. Planning Committee 3 October
    The only application for our area to be discussed this week is for the land to the East of Portway Cottages, East Hendred. This site is already being built and the original permitted scheme included bus stops with associated infrastructure and a Toucan type crossing with a cycle/footway along the southern side of the A417.  Since then Highways have concluded that on safety grounds a Toucan type crossing (designed for both cyclists and pedestrians) was not appropriate in this location|as the location of the boundary wall of Mather House abutting the approved pavement. The maximum available highway land along this stretch of pavement is 2m wide and that there would be safety concerns if pedestrian and cyclists were to use this as a shared surface. Consequently, a pedestrian footway and a Puffin crossing (designed for pedestrians only) would be the safer option on this southern side of the A417, hence the change in crossing details. 
  3. Wantage Town Council Health Committee
    At the last Health Committee we were informed that the Council had written letters as requested but received few replies.
  4. Save Wantage Hospital
    About 25 people in Save Wantage Hospital t-shirts attended the HOSC meeting on 20th Sept. We told them that the hospital should reopen and that more than 2 years temporary closure was much too long. HOSC proposed that the Oxforshire NHS Trust be asked to replace the pipework before the end of the financial year and that a  review of the needs of Wantage and area should be done as soon as possible.
    A slightly smaller number went to the OCCG (Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group) Annual Public Meeting on 27th Sept. We asked lots of questions about services in Wantage and they will be answered in writing within 20 working days. They gave a presentation about the finances and we asked how much money had been spent on beds in care homes by the NHS. They said £22 million and we said that some of those people could have been accommodated much more cheaply in our Community Hospital (and had better rehabiliation!).
  5. Road works for the next couple of weeks:
    - the traffic lights on Seesen Way and Grove Street should be finished today, as should the closure of Letcombe Hill in East Challow, hurrah!
    - The traffic lights on Springfield Road are there until 5th October.
    - Traffic Lights on the A417 near the Crematorium will be there all this week (until 5th).
    - The traffic lights and roadworks on Hanney Road between Hanney and Steventon are also staying until 5th.
    - Charney Bassett will have mulitple traffic lights from 1st - 10th October
    - High St Steventon will be closed from 11pm until 7am on 7th October.
    - There will be traffic lights on Naldertown from 8th - 13th October for sewage works. 
    - The Autumn Fair will mean that the Market Place will be closed in Wantage on 13 October.
    - Slightly further afield: Sutton Courtenay Lane (between Sutton Courtenay High Street and Milton Park) will be closed until 16 November.

That\'s enough for now. Thanks for reading

Best wishes
Julie Mabberley

Campaign Manager
Wantage and Grove Campaign Group
www.wantageandgrove.org 


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