WaGCG : Wantage and Grove Campaign Group
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At their Cabinet meeting on August 7th, Vale of the White Horse District Council are considering changes to parking charges in all of their car parks. They will determine whether they wish to amend the car parking fees in line with the proposals, and if Cabinet does agree to amend the fees and charges to start the process of making the changes.
Option A is to increase all fees (for up to two hours and above) by either 20p or 40p.
Option B is to introduce a flat fee of 60p for up to 2 hours to replace the current free parking.
Option C is to reduce free parking from two hours to one hour and introduce a charge of £1.50 for up to two hours and £2.00 for up to 3 hours.
Option D is to increase the cost of parking permits by ten per cent.
Other proposals include removing reduced cost residential parking permits to bring them in line with standard parking permits over the next two years. For example residents living in named streets in the vicinity of Limborough Road car park in Wantage can buy an annual parking permit for £143 whereas the cost of the equivalent parking permit is £455.
Don’t forget that there no parking charges between 6pm and 8am (Monday to Saturday) and on Sundays and there don’t appear to be any plans to change this.
Councillor Emily Smith, Leader of the District Council, said:
“We will take a very honest look at what each option might mean for the council and our district, particularly any potential impact on residents and businesses, before making any decisions. Any options we agree to take forward may require formal consultation, but we would welcome any initial thoughts on all the proposals set out in the paper ahead of 7 August. The paper is available on our website now and you can drop us a line with any thoughts you have to haveyoursay@southandvale.gov.uk.”
Oxfordshire 2050
Oxfordshire is asking residents if the changes they’ve made during lockdown life could create a better future. As we know Covid-19 has seen more people working from home, walking and cycling to get around and appreciating our public green spaces more than ever.
Open Thought, a new online tool, is asking if these changes – combined with new emerging technology – could be the key in creating a more resilient, successful county in the future.
As part of the Oxfordshire Plan 2050, it is looking for solutions to three big challenges facing the county as it plans for the future: how we will all live and work, how we will move around, and how we will tackle climate change.
People have until Friday 14 August to submit their views via the online form at www.oxfordshireopenthought.org
Councillor James Mills, leader of West Oxfordshire District Council said
“With the innovation on our doorstep in the county – such as AI, autonomous vehicles, renewable energy and low carbon housing – Oxfordshire has the right tools to emerge successfully from lockdown and work towards a sustainable future.
“But we need to make sure we use them in the best way, which is why we’re asking the people who know Oxfordshire best – our communities – what they think.
The District Council has announced that they have formally agreed that all work on the proposed new leisure centre between Grove and Wantage will now come to an end, as they are unable to raise the £18.8 million the centre was expected to cost.
The project has been paused since September 2018 while they waited on confirmation from the government on its intentions for future council funding.
They are intending to develop and introduce a new Active Communities Strategy, which will identify ways of providing leisure activities in the heart of local communities both in Grove and Wantage and across the district.
So over the last 10 years nearly £6 million has been spent on the leisure facilities in Abingdon and about £176,000 has been spent on our existing leisure centre. Once again, no funding for OX12. What will happen to the contributions from developers towards leisure facilities? What has happened to the new homes bonus received for the housing built in OX12 so far?
We wait for further explanations...
Some 7,000 houses are in the pipeline for Wantage, Grove and the surrounding villages. More may soon follow as the new Council is thinking about the plan to 2050.
Government guidelines say that development should be "sustainable". We do not think it is sustainable to put thousands of houses where medical facilities are increasingly inadequate, schools are virtually above capacity, there is little employment in the area, and roads to where there is employment are unsuited to commuting.
We came together to campaign for a better deal for our area. As it says in our Aims:
We are not against any development in Wantage and Grove but:
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