Month: September 2020

As some of you will have found out for yourselves, the Stratton Park road from the A4421 to Poundon is closed along it complete length not just from the crossroads with Mill Road to Godington.

Despite our meeting with senior people on Friday from both EWR and OCC which confirmed that the road past Stratton Park to the cross roads would be open, it has been closed for repairs to the road which had not formed part of the discussion to date.

This is most annoying as it would seem that no one at the Friday meeting knew that the plan to repair and resurface parts of the entire length of the road were still scheduled for this week. According to the EWR Highways project manager controlling the works on the ground, he hopes that the resurfacing works on the stretch from the cross roads to the A4421 will all be complete this week and the road reopened by the weekend. The road in the other direction to Poundon will be closed for a couple of weeks as previously advised, because they will be installing about 16 passing points as well as undertaking road surface repairs.

Residents in Godington have been informed directly and there is access for all residents, farm vehicles or delivery vehicles. Diversion signs for through traffic will mean that the village sees a temporary increase in traffic.

A Helping Hand

With the on-set of Autumn, the rise in the number of new Covid-19 cases and the new Government restrictions, it is perhaps timely to remind everyone that we have a list of volunteers prepared to help anyone who is feeling poorly and may need assistance. I know that everyone is doing their bit and looking out for their neighbours and each other, so this is intended to back up that effort.

As you know the email database of people living in or connected to the Parish is more important than ever before, and although it is now sent to some 170 addresses, it is not universally received. So please encourage others to sign up by sending me an email or print it out if you are aware of someone who does not use emails regularly.

Stratton Park Road Closure due to East West Rail

This is just a reminder that the road to Poundon from the crossroads with Mill Road up to the turning with Godington is subject to a closure notice from this coming Monday 28^th up until Thursday 8^th October. Thereafter further closures are likely to this same stretch of road from Godington up to Poundon.

Diversions will provide access to Godington via the Poundon end, although the Mill Road crossroads end will be manned and residents and farm vehicles only will be able to gain access from this direction.

The important point to note is that the same road leading from the Mill Road junction up to the A4421 past Stratton Park will not be closed as these works have been put back to November.

Cake Sale in The Limes this Sunday

The Nash family girls, together with another girl in the village, are holding a cake sale on the driveway of no 5 The Limes, this Sunday, just for an hour from 11am. Do pop along and buy some. All proceeds to the NHS.

Hot off the press……. the cake sale this morning was a sell-out success inside the space of one hour. Well done to the three girls who organised the sale and made the cakes for it –  Scarlett, Martha and Ophelia. The girls raised a fabulous £168 for the NHS!

A big THANKYOU is sent to all those who came along to support the sale and apologies to those who were disappointed not be able to buy anything towards the end. All customers were entered into a draw for a toffee gateaux donated by Nash’s bakery and the winner was Annie from Cavendish Place.

Sadly no more Persian food on Mondays

Unfortunately Mitra will no longer be coming to the village on Monday’s to serve up her delicious Persian dishes. She has been in the process of setting up a wholesale catering business and has to concentrate on the new business with immediate effect.

She sends her sincere apologies for the very short notice, as she had hoped to be able to continue to come to Stratton Audley because in her words ‘everyone she met was so nice and made her feel so welcome’. It was fun whilst it lasted and I am sure we all would like to wish her good luck for her new business venture.

Thanks also to Stig for introducing her to the village.

Stratton Audley Barn

In line with Government guidelines, The Barn is now operating table service only in both inside & outside seating areas. Booking is advised especially at weekends, so please call on 01869 278184 to book your table.

Ice cream will continue to be served until the end of September but in order to manage this safely, during busy periods, this will be on a takeaway only basis.

Face coverings in all areas are also now mandatory by law and must be worn when moving around all areas of the shop & café. They may be removed when seated at a table to eat/drink.

Don’t forget the Coffee Morning in the Pub

This is now happening every Tuesday at 11.00 in the Red Lion. It is £2 per head for coffee and biscuits.  For the time being it is being held in the pub garden because of social distancing, so you might want to wrap up warm.  All welcome.

The Red Lion

In order to comply with the new regulations the pub will be operating in a slightly different way. Upon arrival you will be seated at a table and asked to register your name. Your drinks order will be taken at your table and there is no bar service or standing around next to the bar. The same applies in the garden.

Last orders will be at 9.30pm and everyone will need to have exited the pub before 10pm. This is now the law so please bear with the staff.

The Supper Club on Thursday, with numbers restricted to 30, was a sell-out success and will be repeated every month.  This coming Wednesday is Steak Night which will also be held inside and needs to be booked in advance by phoning 277 225 to make your reservation.

For the latest news check out the Red lion Facebook page or check their website www.redlionstrattonaudley.co.uk

Autumn Day at Evenley Wood Garden

Given that so many activities this year have had to be cancelled, this event outdoors on Sunday, 4 October is not to be missed. From 10am – 4pm, at Evenley Wood Garden, nr Brackley, NN13 5SH. A standard entrance price applies which is £6 for adults and £1 for children.

Welcome the change of season with a day of fun autumn activities.

Bring along your windfall apples for pressing with Paul, take a look inside a real beehive with Simon, see Wreath making and Wood Carving demonstrations and other seasonal crafts, all on sale.

Check out www.evenleywoodgarden.co.uk

Bicester Motion

As you may have heard, Bicester Motion have taken the difficult decision to cancel the 4^th October Scramble – unlike the Classic Car Drive-In Weekend which was designed to be COVID-secure – the Scramble’s essence is about coming together in groups, so they have taken the decision to cancel as their priority is the health and safety of their specialists, staff and visitors. Anyone who has bought tickets will be reimbursed.

Dogs off leads in the village

Unfortunately during the last week or so, there have been a number of incidents with dogs off leads not being under control and attacking dogs that are on a lead. I understand no serious harm has been done so far but as all dog owners know, if you walk your dog off lead you need to be confident that you can keep it under control. Unaccompanied dogs are of course another matter. Anyone who is concerned about this should contact the dog warden and ask him to have a word with the owners of the dogs if they can be identified. His name is Chris Cundy and his number is 01295 221621.

Loose dogs may explain some of the reports of dog fouling around the village.

EWR Temporary road Improvements by Stratton Park

There has been much discussion over the last few weeks between OCC, EWR Alliance, the Parish Council and residents who are immediately affected by  proposed works to the road from the A4421 past Stratton Park to Poundon. This is in order to accommodate HGV traffic accessing the East West Rail Poundon compound from now until the line is built in 2022.

A meeting took place on site this week for the residents supported by the Parish Council to explain their objection to the current proposals which are different from what was originally understood to be the case.

EWR presented a revised plan for one area which avoids removing a tree by reducing the length of the passing point. This was welcome news but the tree canopy will still need to be removed to a height of over five meters in a number of places if the current proposals were to go ahead. The residents proposed some alternative passing points on the same bit of road and EWR agreed to reconsider their plans. Other necessary works to the road were discussed and accepted.

A 30mph speed limit on this section of the road up to the cross roads with Mill Road was felt to be essential and OCC agreed to investigate whether this will be possible on a temporary basis. Additionally OCC undertook to consider improving the visibility at the crossroads junction with Mill Road where the hedgerow on the corner makes it difficult to see oncoming traffic/horses.

Works to this section of road will be undertaken in November and December.

Collection Point for disposal of Ink Jet cartridges

A collection box for used ink-jet cartridges is still located in the bus shelter on the Stoke Lyne Road and any money raised from their bulk return will go to the RSPB.

Covid-19 and Christmas

And on a lighter note, one of the current jokes doing the rounds:

1. Buy a live turkey
2. Prepare it
3. Invite 30 people to the funeral

All the best and stay safe.

Covid-19 – Just when we thought it was safe to come out of our homes!

Today’s new confirmed infection figures of 4300 are around 1000 higher than yesterday and the estimate is that the infection rate today is really closer to 6000. The spiralling figures bring the possibility of a new national lockdown ever closer.

Although we are fortunate to still live in an area of below average cases, the numbers are rising across the district and even more so in our local urban areas. It is all too easy to forget how unpleasant and potentially deadly this virus can be and become complacent and let down our guard.

There is growing evidence to suggest that the greatest transmission is happening between friends, family and people we know, rather than via offices, shops and public areas. So I for one am going to redouble my efforts to wash my hands more regularly, keep a decent distance when engaging with everyone and wear a facemask more often.

For clarification, under the new rules, it became illegal to gather in a group of more than six people in any setting indoors or outdoors, including beaches and parks. The ban applies to people of all ages in England, including children, and the police now have the powers to enforce these limits, with rule-breakers facing chunky fines of up to £3,200.

However, there are still quite a number of important exemptions:

• Single households, or support bubbles that are larger than six, can still gather together
• Groups with more than six people can also meet outside for work, charitable services and childcare
• The six-person limit does not apply to gatherings for an educational purpose, like school or university, or other training
• Covid-19-secure venues such as places of worship, leisure centres, gyms, restaurants and pubs, are still allowed to hold more than six people in total
• Religious ceremonies are also exempted, however, celebrations of these events is prohibited
• Organised team sports carried out in a Covid-19-secure way can also have more than six participants. However, this does not include informal sport or fitness activity with family or friends
• Additionally, weddings and funerals can still take place with a limit of 30 people providing they have taken precautions, but this does not include wakes
• Protests are also still allowed under the new law!!!
• Public transport is also not affected by the rules and current rules for face coverings are still valid
• Legal obligations such as court and jury service are also exempted.

Commenting on the new rules, Thames Valley Police say officers will in the first instance ‘engage, explain and encourage’ people to follow the new regulations before handing out fines. Surprisingly, in the early stages of the virus, between March 27 and April 27, the force had handed the most lockdown fines out of all the police forces in the country – including the capital’s Met Police. So don’t say you haven’t been warned!

Stratton Park Road Closure due to East West Rail

As you know from the last newsletter, the road from the A4421 towards Poundon is to be closed from Monday 28^th until 8^th October. Whilst it is perfectly possible that there may be a last minute change, at the moment I can now confirm that the closure will be from the crossroads with Mill Road up to the turning with Godington. Access to Godington will be via Poundon although the Mill Road crossroads end will be manned and residents and farm vehicles may be able to gain access from this direction.

The important point to note is that the same road leading from the Mill Road junction up to the A4421 will not be closed as these works have been put back to November.

EWR Temporary road Improvements by Stratton Park

There has been much discussion over the last week between OCC, EWR Alliance, the Parish Council and residents who are immediately affected by the works to the road being used as an access route to the Poundon Compound. Issues have centred on the avenue of trees by Stratton Park, the removal of branches and the number and size of tarmacked passing points. To resolve these matters an on-site meeting has been arranged for the coming week which will hopefully result in a satisfactory outcome.

Closure of Station Road to Launton

If you want to access Launton village from Stratton Audley this coming week please be aware that Station Road will be closed from the crossroads with Launton Road on Monday 21^st for two days for de-vegetation works near the hump back bridge.

Roll-on 2024 for the opening of the Line from Bicester to Bletchley

Recently I was asked whether I knew when the new EWR line would be operational for passengers from Bicester to Bletchingdon, so I made some enquiries and thought the answer was interesting. At the moment the compounds are being built and work in this area will start in earnest in early 2021. The plan is to have the line operational to Calvert by the end of 2022 but only for freight traffic. Freight for what? Apparently to supply the build of HS2 in the Calvert area where the two lines cross and a major bridge intersection is to be built. Assuming this remains on schedule the line from Calvert to Bletchley will be completed a year later and so it is hoped passengers will be travelling on the line by mid 2024.

A34/M40 Junction 9 Roundabout Carriageway Repairs

Work to resurface areas of the A34/M40 junction 9 roundabout, in particular to the northern side of the roundabout is currently scheduled to take place over the weekend of Friday 9 to Monday 12 October 2020. The junction will be closed overnight (between 9.00pm and 6.00am) on Friday 9, Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 October.

During the day, traffic will still be able to exit the M40 at junction 9 and join the M40 northbound carriageway; as well as travelling north on the A41 to Bicester, and travel north and south on the A34.

This will have a major impact on traffic congestion in that area in particular the A41 southbound carriageways between the B4030 Vendee Drive/Bicester Park & Ride roundabout and the junction 9 roundabout, so worth avoiding if you can.

Monday Night is still Persian Food Night

Mitra will be once again serving up her home cooked food between 5 and 8pm on Monday and her gazebo will be located at the junction of Bicester Road and Church Street. No pre-orders, just turn up. If you need to contact Mitra you can text her on 07444 364789

Stratton Audley Barn

The café and shop are now open, Tuesday to Sunday, 10-4pm. There is a new indoor seating area as well as the outside area under canopies all serving up a new menu ….you’ll need to reserve for the indoor area, so call them now on 01869 278184 to book your table!

Don’t forget the Coffee Morning in the Pub

This is now happening every Tuesday at 11.00 in the Red Lion. It is £2 per head for coffee and biscuits.  For the time being it is being held in the pub garden because of social distancing, so you might want to wrap up warm.  All welcome.

The Red Lion

The new website is the place to find out what’s happening in the pub www.redlionstrattonaudley.co.uk .

Of special note this coming week is the Supper Club evening on Thursday, for a set meal at £35 per head, which must be booked in advance. Phone 277 225 to make your reservation.

The pub is closed on Mondays, open Tuesday – Friday from 3-11pm; Saturday: 12-11pm; and Sunday: 12-9pm

Collection Point for disposal of Ink Jet cartridges

A collection box for used ink-jet cartridges is still located in the bus shelter on the Stoke Lyne Road and any money raised from their bulk return will go to the RSPB.

Classic Car Drive-In Weekend at Bicester Heritage – 18th-20th September

As previously publicised the Classic Car Drive In weekend is being held at Bicester Heritage today, tomorrow and Sunday. This event has been approved in terms of social distancing regulations by Cherwell District Council, as being COVID-Compliant.

The event will celebrate Classic Cars in all their glory, with over 500 cars on display, 25 of the UK’s leading Car Clubs present, daily track shows, access to the classic car specialists on the technical site PLUS the Classic Drive In movies in the evenings. Tickets are still available on line by clicking the link above.

There will inevitably be some noise and disruption but the organisers say they will keep this to the minimum possible. I am sure I will get feed-back if this is not the case which I will pass on to Bicester Heritage.

All the best and please stay alert.

John

Just a  short newsletter this week.

Stratton Park Road Closure

The road running past Stratton Audley Park to the cross roads with Mill Road and beyond to the road to Godington, is still on schedule to be closed during the daytime from Tuesday 28th September (at 07:30hrs) up to and including 8th October (at 16:30hrs).

The reason, as you know, is for temporary passing bays to be built alongside the road for the large HGV vehicles that will be traveling to and from the East West Rail compound at Poundon.

However we have just discovered that the location of some of the passing points appears to be along the old avenue of trees (shown below) and that the intention of the EWR team is to remove a considerable number of the lower branches of the trees, which will permanently change the look of the tree line.

Urgent discussions are taking place between the Parish Council, the residents immediately impacted by this work, OCC and EWR to see what can be done to reach a more acceptable solution.

Advanced Notice of another Road Closure

Station Road which runs from Launton village to the crossroads with our Launton Road (next to the fishing lake) will be closed on 21st -22nd September for further East West Rail preparatory works by the bridge.

Additionally, the same road will be closed on the 5^th  & 6^th of October.

Stratton Audley Barn

The café and shop are now open, Tuesday to Sunday, 10-4pm. There is a new indoor seating area as well as the outside area under canopies all serving up a new menu ….you’ll need to reserve for the indoor area, so call them now on 01869 278184 to book your table!

Monday Night is Persian Food Night

Mitra will be once again serving up her home cooked food between 5 and 8pm on Monday and her gazebo will be located at the junction of Bicester Road and Church Street. No pre-orders, just turn up. If you need to contact Mitra you can text her on 07444 364789

Don’t forget the Coffee Morning in the Pub

This is now happening every Tuesday at 11.00 in the Red Lion. It is £2 per head for coffee and biscuits.  For the time being it is being held in the pub garden because of social distancing, so you might want to wrap up warm.  All welcome.

The Red Lion

The new website is the place to find out what’s happening in the pub www.redlionstrattonaudley.co.uk   Alternatively see the pub Facebook page or phone 277 225. The pub is closed on Mondays, open Tuesday – Friday from 3-11pm; Saturday: 12-11pm; and Sunday: 12-9pm

Collection Point for disposal of Ink Jet cartridges

A collection box for used ink-jet cartridges is still located in the bus shelter on the Stoke Lyne Road and any money raised from their bulk return will go to the RSPB.

Drive-in Cinema at Bicester Heritage

Tickets are selling fast for the AA Getaway Drive-in this weekend at Bicester Heritage.  A few spaces still available for Sunday 13^th September – 2.30pm showing Baby Driver.

https://aagetaway.seetickets.com/tour/aa-getaway-drive-in-cinema

Next week will see Bicester Heritage play host to The Classic Car Drive In Weekend from 18^th-20^th September.  A socially distanced, COVID-compliant outdoor event celebrating Classic Cars in all their glory, with over 500 cars on display, 25 of the UK’s leading Car Clubs present, daily track shows, a live auction hosted by Bonham’s, access to the classic car specialists on the technical site PLUS the Classic Drive In.  Cult classic films like The Italian Job, Days of Thunder, Senna, Le Mans 66, Rush will be showing alongside recent blockbusters like Baby Drive, Gone in 60 Seconds and Fast & Furious.  Tickets available here.

Covid-19

I am sure we are all only too familiar with the new rules that come into force as of this coming Monday. Personally I find it disappointing that the Government is introducing a nationwide tightening of the restrictions when we live in an area that has a below average infection rate.

According to Public Health England data, as of last week, Oxfordshire has recorded only 286 people who died within 28 days of positive test for coronavirus, with 40 of these in Oxford. A further 10 people tested positive for coronavirus in Oxford within a 24 hour period on 7^th September and they made up an additional 27 new confirmed cases in Oxfordshire, as of the same day.

The rate of infection in Oxfordshire now stands at 522 cases per 100,000 people, lower than the England average of 537.

That’s it for this week.

Launton Road CLOSURE for Patching Works

The planned closure of Launton Road and Church Street over the next three weeks has been cancelled indefinitely.

As we understand it, a meeting took place at Oxford County Council on Thursday morning this week to look at ways to save money across the board, due to additional costs that have been incurred by the authority on Covid-19 at the same time as experiencing a reduction in revenues for the same reason. As a result, a directive was issued to manage any such overspends within the existing budgets as far as possible and the planned road repairs in Launton Road and Church Street became one of the first casualties.

This is disappointing as a great deal of time and effort over the last year went into persuading the County to carry out these works in the first place. In an attempt to take something positive out of this set-back, I have proposed that the time is used to reassess the programme of works. I have previously requested that if the road is being closed for such a long period of time, that the whole road should be repaired right up to the cross roads for the Launton turn-off by Billy Evans farm, as this is in an equally poor state of repair. Furthermore, given the significant amount of patching work that is required, consideration should now be given to resurface whole sections of the road. This might be possible if the project were to become part of a capital expenditure programme to materially improve the value of the asset. It will require a new site assessment and an initial undertaking has been made to pursue this route, although it will inevitably mean a delay to any major improvements until well into next year.

Stratton Audley Barn

Due to the 11th hour cancellation of the planned road closure, the good news is that the café and shop will be open as usual this coming week, Tuesday to Sunday 10-4pm. This weekend they are working hard to prepare their indoor seating area ahead of schedule, ready to serve up a new menu from Tuesday 8th September….you’ll need to reserve so call them now on 01869 278184 to book your table!

Advanced notice of Road Closure – Stratton Park Road

This is still happening as planned!

Notices have been posted for the temporary closure of the road that runs passed Stratton Audley Park to the cross roads with Mill Road and beyond to the road to Godington. The closure will take place from Tuesday 28th September (at 07:30hrs) up to and including 8th October (at 16:30hrs). This closure is for the day time from 07:30hrs to 16:30hrs. Distance of the closure is 1.75miles.

The reason, as many of you know, is for temporary passing bays to be built alongside the road for large HGV vehicles that will be traveling to and from the East West Rail compound at Poundon.

REMINDERS

Don’t forget the Coffee Morning in the Pub

This is now happening every Tuesday at 11.00 in the Red Lion. It is £2 per head for coffee and biscuits.  For the time being it is being held in the pub garden because of social distancing, so you might want to wrap up warm.  All welcome.

Monday Night is Persian Night

Mitra will be serving up again between 5 & 8pm on Monday and her gazebo will be located at the junction of Bicester Road and Church Street. No pre-orders, just turn up. If you need to contact Mitra you can text her on 07444 364789.

The Red Lion

The new website is up and the place to find out what’s happening www.redlionstrattonaudley.co.uk   Alternatively see the pub or village Facebook page or phone 277 225.

Opening hours are:

Monday: closed; Tuesday – Friday: 3-11pm; Saturday: 12-11pm; Sunday: 12-9pm

C0llection Point for disposal of Ink Jet cartridges

A collection box for used ink-jet cartridges has placed in the bus shelter on the Stoke Lyne Road and any money raised from their bulk return will go to the RSPB.

Barb Cabaret Night at the Red Lion – a musical success

A great time was had on Thursday evening with international cabaret artist Barb Jungr performing renditions of songs, in particular by Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen with many amusing anecdotes thrown in. The back-drop of the old stone wall to the rear of the garden was beautifully lit and provided a simple but perfect setting for what turned out to be a surprisingly warm evening.

Some 70 tickets were sold allowing for correct social distancing and Dillie is to be congratulated for staging the show and encouraged to organise another similar event soon!

Around the Village

Last Saturday Stewart Hopkins, Paul Roberts and myself expended a little energy on a few minor jobs around the village. We cleared debris at the bottom of Cherry Street to clearly show the footpath sign and bins and in the process uncovered a fire hydrant! We also leveled out and improved the footpath that leads off the Stoke Lyne Road removing large stones that were potential trip hazards. Finally we installed a vintage boot scraper in the Pound Pocket Park at the start of the Cross Bucks Way. This was kindly donated by Malachy O’Neill. See photos below.

                                         Clearance of debris at bottom of Cherry Street

                                                                Stoke Lyne Road footpath

Boot Scraper in the Pound

Foul Water flooding in Mill Road

Emergency work to alleviate the flooding and clear blockages in Mill Road on Sunday 16^th was carried out by Thames Water.  The blockage was due to what is referred to as “paper and rag”, this can include wet wipes, paper/hand towels, mixed with other items getting stuck in the pipe work.

That’s it for this week.