1. Firstly, I\'m sorry for the short notice but CPRE are holding their Vale of White Horse District AGM this evening in Letcombe Bassett Village Hall at 7pm - they will be including a talk about Oxfordshire’s Joint Statutory Spatial Plan to 2050. Please go along if you are interested. This plan will include the Oxford-Cambridge expressway and the thousands of houses which will come with it.
2. New Planning Applications
   (to view all planning applications mentioned below please go to our website http://wantageandgrove.org/applications.php and click on the appropriate area - this will show you the current applications for major developments):
1. Lidl;
   As you know 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. If you want to comment, you have until 24 October.
   The Vale\'s own Landscape Architect objects as he points out that a Landscape Assessment prepared for the Local Plan states that “The hill top south of Elms Farm and the steep hillside down to the A 338 would remain in agricultural use or be developed as public open space in order to retain this locally very important landscape that makes a big contribution to the character of Wantage and Grove.” 
   OCC Highways also objects that the application does not include satisfactory proposals for site access from A338 or for the provision of pedestrian/cyclist facilities.
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. See P18/V2025/O for details. As with the Lidl application - Highways have placed an objection based on access.
3. Crab Hill:
   There is an application in 82 homes just north of the A417 and east of the new road junction. Application reference is P18/V2227/RM - Once again Highways object. They suggest that to avoid unwanted street parking, it is recommended that 18 unallocated visitor parking spaces should be provided.
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. See P18/V2049/FUL. Oxfordshire NHS object because of the pressure this is putting on already stretched health services.
5. 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.
3. Save Wantage Hospital
   Healthwatch Oxfordshire has revealed that residents of Wantage and Grove are worried that local health services are not keeping up with the increasing numbers of new houses in the area.
   Rosalind Pearce, Executive Director of Healthwatch Oxfordshire, said: “Wantage and Grove are clearly expanding very quickly, and residents want an assurance that their services are going to be able to continue to meet their needs.
   “In particular, people feel a great sense of ownership over the community hospital, and they are entitled to more transparency concerning the decisions being made about this facility.” For more details go to www.wantageandgrove.org.
4. Road works for the next couple of weeks:
   - The Abingdon Marathon takes place next Sunday 21 October so there willl be a number of road closures around Milton, Sutton Courtney, Drayton, Abingdon and Radley.
   - There are also road closures and stop-go boards around Uffington and Woolstone on 23rd October
   - The A415 north of the Kingston Bagpuize roundabout to the Rose Revived will be closed from 22nd to 26 October
   - There will also be roadworks with traffic lights in Steventon for most of next week so avoid it if you can.
   - Seesen Way and Grove Street will be closed from 29 October until 6 November from Broadway Motors Roundabout to the Sainsburys Roundabout
   - There will be traffic Lights on the A417 to Faringdon near the Circourt Road junction on 31 October.
   - Slightly further afield: Sutton Courtenay Lane (between Sutton Courtenay High Street and Milton Park) will remain closed until 16 November.
5. Finally - we\'ve had some reports of rats being seen in the Stockham Park area between the new housing development and Stockham Park - if anyone can add any more details then please get in touch.

That\'s enough for now. Thanks for reading

Best wishes
Julie Mabberley

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