More surveys to complete:

First: The saga about Wantage Hospital continues, the Oxfordshire Health Oversight and Scrutiny Committee has pressed the Oxfordshire NHS Health Trust to do the necessary repairs and get the hospital re-opened, but to no avail. They insist that they need to review the health needs across OX12 first, to prove that the services in the Hospital are needed.
As part of their response to our campaign they have announced that physiotherapy services will return to the Hospital but no start date has yet been given.
So Oxfordshire NHS is performing a study to work out what the needs are and the Save Wantage Hospital team together with patient representatives and local councillors are part of the OX12 Stakeholder Reference Group in the study. This Group has produced a survey to be completed by the population of OX12 to identify what clubs, societies and other groups that you attend that benefit your health and wellbeing as well as the NHS services that are currently being used by people living in the OX12 postcode area. This can be completed online from tomorrow at http://bit.ly/surveyOX12 with hard copies available in the doctors surgeries, Wantage Library, Bretts Pharmacy in Grove, Hanney Community Shop, Letcombe Shop, Hendred Stores and the Beacon.
Questions 10, 11 and 12 are probably the most important. They ask about how you get to all of the activities and NHS services and what would help you to access these community assets, as well as asking about any services that you would like to have access to and why.
Just to remind you, Wantage Hospital used to provide minor injuries, X-ray, physiotherapy, respite care and rehabilitation services including end of life care, as well as midwife-led maternity. You could explain how these services, if they had been provided by the hospital, might have affected you differently or could affect you in the future.

Second: Healthwatch has launched a survey which looks at the national ten-year plan recently announced by NHS England, setting out all of the things it wants health services to do better for people across the country. They need to hear from you about what those changes should look like in our community. The survey covers 4 areas:

• Being supported to live a healthy life
• Managing and choosing the support you need
• Keeping your independence and staying healthy as you get older
• How you interact with your local NHS

I don't know about you, but one thing that is important to me is to be able to see my doctor not just talk to he/her on the phone.

Planning issues:

Grove Airfield Forum will take place later this week - The Campaign Group are members , so if you have something you want us to raise with the developers or the planners about the development then please let us know.

Crab Hill developers have submitted yet another detailed application - this one is for the patch to the south west of the footpath to Lockinge. The approved strategy permitted 80 homes here but the developers want to build 102 and some will be higher than the 10m maximum height.
At the current time, St Modwen are building 70 homes behind the cricket pitch, Cala homes have permission to build 174 in the centre of the site and Hayfield Homes have pulled out of the agreement to build 82 homes just north of the A417 and east of the new entrance to the site, we don't know who will take on that site but we've heard a rumour that it might be Persimmon yet again!
The Forum where these items could be discussed has been posponed to the end of May because the Vale Planners said "we could not get a room booking in Wantage, and the developer had little to report back on".

Lidl - the application to build a Lidl opposite Wolage Drive has been amended to create a new access to the A338 between the Elm Farm entrance and the Mably Roundabout.

King Park - Limborough Road, I've received several queries about what is being built here, it's a block of 14 flats with a retail unit and offices on the ground floor with private parking.

Grove Road Care Home - there was an application to amend the plans to allow them to leave all planning of landscaping for a year but that has now been withdrawn and landscape plans have been submitted - they don't bear much resemblance to the approved plans.

Still no news on the Leisure Centre - do you think the whole idea might be dropped before the elections?

Grove Post Office will be reopening on 12 April in the Co-op, Grovelands Shopping Centre, Savile Way. Hurrah!

Finally road works:

• The roadworks on the A417 in East Hendred are a figment of your imagination (they don't exist according to the website) but roadworks are planned until 4 April near the end of Featherbed Lane so beware!
• There could be traffic lights on Charlton Road near the Lord Nelson anytime from today until 3 July for Gas Works (but plans have changed several times so who knows?)
• Mill Street could be closed from 11-12 April for Thames Water
• Challow Road outside King Alfreds West site from 13-17 April (much shorter than originally planned)
• Traffic lights are still possible on the A417 at East Challow (Opposite Old School Lane until 31 May
• More traffic lights on the A417 Faringdon Road between the Esso garage and Circourt Road until 15 May
• Traffic lights on the A417 in Stanford in the Vale could continue most of this week.

That was the A417 - now the rest...

• The A338 at Grove Road near the traffic lights with Main Street could have roadworks this week as well as the northern edge of East Hanney
• The A338 in North Grove could keep traffic lights until 29 April
• There is also the possibility of traffic lights on the A338 south of the Mably Roundabout on 8 April
• Naldertown could be closed from 13-17 April
• The A4130 from the Milton Heights junction to the A34 roundabout will be closed from 29 April - 4 May so start planning alternative routes now!

If you want to look at road news yourself then go to www.roadworks.org

That's enough for now. If you want more details of surveys and planning applications please go to our website at www.wantageandgrove.org

By the way, we've had one or two people contact us to say they have received SPAM from us - it's not from us but anyway we would never include attachments so please don't open them!

Thanks for reading.

Best wishes
Julie Mabberley

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