I\'ll try to keep this brief:

1. Summer Weather
   The hot weather continues so please make sure that you are drinking enough and not getting dehydrated and keep as cool as you can (I find that running cold water on the inside of my wrists for a few moments helps to keep me cool). It\'s very tempting to leave all doors and windows open but it is an opportunity for burglars so please stay safe.
2. New Planning Applications:
1. King Alfred\'s East Site:
   There are a number of applications for discharge of planning conditions including tree protection (reference P18/V1879/DIS), footpath link details (reference P18/V1816/DIS), highway (reference P18/V1817/DIS),  drainage (reference P18/V1795/DIS), and boundary details (reference P18/V1691/DIS). 
2. Crab Hill:
   There is an application to change the barn near the cricket pitch to a single dwelling (see application P18/V1668/N4B).
3. Park Farm East Challow:
   The Vale are investigating if the works on site are really archeology only but in the meantime there is an application for discharde of planning conditions relating to the design of the road access (reference P18/V1838/DIS).
3. Planning Committee 1 August
   The committee considered application P17/V1154/LB for the demolition of the Grade II listed Steventon Overbridge, High Street, Steventon and the provision of a replacement bridge. After a long discussion they agreed that that the bridge should be preserved and that its loss would not significantly improve infrastructure at a national level.  National Rail had not demonstrated that there are exceptional circumstances which justified the demolition.
   The reserved matters application for the erection of 40 dwellings at Steventon Nurseries on the edge of East Hanney was approved.
4. Local Plan Part 2 Examination
   The second part of the hearings took place at the end of July and concentrated on reviewing additional sites at Fyfield, Marcham, East Hanney and Dalton Barracks if all were built this would bring an additional 2,200 homes to the Vale by 2031. The next part is at the end of August.
5. Thames Water Reservoir
   We have written to Michael Gove asking for a second consultation on the Thames Water plans. The letter is available through our website at http://wantageandgrove.org/reservoir.php
6. Wantage Town Council Health Committee
   After the march to save the Hospital the Town Council convened a meeting of the Health Committee. At the meeting it was noted that the OCCG (Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group) were proceeding with a consultation on \\\"Older People’s Strategy for Oxfordshire\\\" which closes on 3 September 2018 (https://consult.oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk/consult.ti/OPDeV/consultationHome). The Council will ask someone from OCCG to come to a future meeting. Also on the agenda were the following items of interest:
   - Although Wantage hospital is owned by the Oxford NHS Foundation Trust, the maternity services are provided by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The University Trust’s occupation at the Wantage Community Hospital is subject to a lease which is due to expire on 1 April 2019. The Clerk will to write to the University Trust asking about its intentions concerning the continuance of the maternity services and of renewing the lease with the Health Trust.
   - The Town Council will send a letter to the Secretary of State for Health seeking his intervention in getting the beds at the Wantage Community Hospital reopened.
   Don\'t hold your breath for these actions to happen though - we have found that it takes longer for the council to do things than it does to get to see a GP at the surgery.
7. Save Wantage Hospital
   The Hospital is currently owned by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (part of NHS Oxfordshire) and they report to HOSC (Health, Overview & Scrutiny Committee) and OCCG. We need to tell all of these bodies how we feel.
   So that we can get our message across as forcefully as possible, we need as many people as possible to write to the Chairmen of these two bodies and attend the following meetings:
   - the HOSC meeting on 20 Sept 2018 at 10am at County Hall,
   (Cllr Fatemian, County Hall, New Road, Oxford OX1 1ND -
   arash.fatemian@oxfordshire.gov.uk )
   - the OCCG Annual Public Meeting on 27th Sept at 6pm in Jubilee House,
   (Dr Collison, Chairman, OCCG, Jubilee House, Oxford, OX4 2LH -
   kiren.collison@oxfordshireccg.nhs.uk)
   Tell them what you think should happen to the Hospital.
8. Road works
   - There will be traffic lights at the junction of Charlton Road and Springfield Road for the next two days for BT work.
   - Delays are possible on the A417 near Mellors Garage from 9-22 August for BT work.
   - There will be traffic lights on Denchworth Road from 13 -18 August while new kerbs are fitted prior to the resurfacing and then it will be closed from the Airplane Roundabout to Camel Roundabout for resurfacing from 16-24 August.
   - There will traffic lights on the Denchworth Road from the Substation to Cane Lane for cable laying from 14 August to 27 November (yes I do mean November!).
   - Hanney Road Steventon will be closed on 19 August.
   - Thames Water will be working at the junction of Hamfield and Ham Road from 20-22 August.
   - The Market Place in Wantage will be closed for the Autumn Fair on 8 September.
   - 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