Please don't forget to complete the Oxfordshire NHS survey. It is available online 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 talk about how you get to all of the activities and NHS services and what would help you, 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.
No new major planning issues this week but lots of news about the plans for the reservoir beween Marcham, Steventon and Hanney.
Affinity Water, who are the partners with Thames Water in the proposed Abingdon Reservoir, have their revised draft Water Resouce Management Plan out for consultation (ends 26th April).
As Affinity's supposed needs are the driver for the early construction of the Abingdon reservoir (2025-2037), we believe it is very important for Oxfordshire Stakeholders to reply to this consultation.
The Group Against Reservoir Development's (GARD) analysis of the Affinity Plan found that Affinity Water has not proven the need for the Abingdon Reservoir at any date before the late 2060s, and there is no case for its construction starting early. There are other, more flexible, and more quickly delivered solutions to the possible supply shortages in Affinity’s central zone from the mid-century onwards, if indeed these arise at all. There are simpler, less costly and faster ways of achieving more chalk stream relief than Affinity’s plan, without waiting for Abingdon reservoir, which may never be needed at all for supplying Affinity’s customers.
For details on how to respond to this consultation (many of our members responded to thames Water and we need you to do it again) see http://wantageandgrove.org/reservoir.php for how to do this or go to the GARD website http://www.abingdonreservoir.org.uk/
Thames Water have now published their Statement of Response No 2 which responses to the further consultation and updates to parts of their revised draft plan. If you would like to read these documents please go to their website thameswater.co.uk/wrmp. For more detail on the progress see http://wantageandgrove.org/reservoir.php
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will review the revised draft plan, and updated documents, and in consultation with the Environment Agency and other regulators will decide whether to approve the plan, request further changes, or recommend further scrutiny either through a public hearing or a public inquiry.
Finally road works: It's definitely getting worse but at least the school traffic isn't running for the next couple of weeks.
Then the A417 again:
That was the A417 - now the rest...
If you want to look at road news yourself then go to www.roadworks.org
That's enough for now.
Thanks for reading.
Best wishes
Julie Mabberley
Campaign Manager
Wantage and Grove Campaign Group
www.wantageandgrove.org
If you want more details on planning issues or surveys then please go to our website www.wantageandgrove.org and finally some people have reported receiving spam which appears to come from us. It's not from us but please don't open any attachments.