Month: March 2021

The latest news and some update items are as follows:

Monday Night is Mitra Night

Mitra returned to the village earlier this week and will be coming each Monday to serve up her delicious Persian food, at the junction in the centre of the village. She’ll be serving from about 4pm until around 7pm.

Just turn up or text her in advance if you have a large order on 07444 364789.

If you want to bring your own container or pot to save on plastic waste please do so.

The Red Lion

Dillie has asked me to include the following announcement with regard to the pub and a request for everyone to provide answers to a few open-ended questions.

“After much agonising, we have decided not to open the pub on 12th April.  The weather will still be chilly and we would only be allowed to open the garden.  As the Executor, John has a duty to the Estate to make sure the pub is in profit, and the combination of staffing costs and possibly inclement weather are just too risky.  So it looks as though mid-May might be an option.

Meanwhile, we wonder if we could persuade you to answer a little questionnaire…!!!

1          Do you use the pub?

2          If so, when did you last come into the pub?

3.         How regularly do you think you would you visit once restrictions are lifted?

4.         Are there any improvements you would like to see?

5          Would you be willing to volunteer to help in any way… behind the bar, serving food, painting and decorating?

John and I both feel very strongly that the village should have a vibrant and busy pub.  Last year’s efforts by Tony Jones and the Taylor family (with the fantastic help of assorted villagers) was incredibly encouraging, and Tony will remain part of the team until we clarify the long-term position with the Brewery.

Please respond directly to Dillie at dilliedarling@gmail.com

Local Elections

Despite the closure, The Red Lion will be the location for the polling station on 6^th May.

East West Rail Local Update

Work to rectify the road markings at the junction of the Stratton Audley Park Road with the A4421 are due to be changed by the EWR Highways Team this weekend to improve safety, at the same time as they are undertaking other remedial works to that stretch of road. The full safety audit report is also to be published during the week.

The Bicester Road that leads to Marsh Gibbon from the crossroads at Billy Evans farm should now be open but since I haven’t been up that way this evening I can’t say for certain.

The closure of the Stratton Audley Road at Poundon is due to take place this weekend just for the two days.

Stratton Audley Barn

Stratton Audley Barn is now open for takeaway only, Friday to Sunday 10am-4pm. Grab a cuppa and cake and enjoy a walk, cycle or even a long overdue natter on a park bench….!

Bicester Motion Scramble – Discount Resident Vouchers

The next Scramble is to be held on 5^th/6^th of June and neighbourhood discounted tickets are still available for Sunday 6^th June. When purchasing you will need to put FlyingBrevets into the promo code box which will immediately allocate a 50% discount. You will be required to input your OX27 or OX26 postcode and this will be checked.

https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/tickets/october-scramble-tickets/

Passes previously purchased for the January and April scrambles are still valid.

Comet Bus Services

No further news.

But for the time being please remember that Comet operate a dial-a-ride service for those that require transport for medical or essential shopping reasons. There is a cost of 75p per mile which works out at under £5 for a round trip into Bicester. The service operates Monday to Friday between the hours of 10am and 2pm.  Should anyone wish to make a booking please contact the Comet team on 01865 323201.

Shelswell Parishes Church Service

There will be the usual 10am service on Sunday morning which will be available on-line. Find it on Facebook Shelswell News Group or YouTube Shelswell Parishes channel. It will actually have been recorded (rather than livestream) to try and get round some of the technical issues they have been having with the signal needed for livestream.

Collection Point for Disposal of Ink Jet Cartridges

Please continue to pop your ink jet cartridges into the basket in the Glen Close bus shelter.  Please don’t drop larger toner cartridges off as these are not recycled by the RSPB. If you are not sure if your cartridges are suitable for recycling, you can contact Rachel Dewhurst by email at treehouse0@sky.com

Covid-19 Update

The governments ‘COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021’, setting out the roadmap out of the current lockdown for England can be found via this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary

For those who are interested in more precise information on infections, area by area, the link below is useful:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map

And finally don’t forget that the clocks go forward this Saturday night bringing lighter summer nights ever closer!

Tomorrow is the start of Spring and the daffs are in full bloom around the village and particularly so in the Pound, which is worth a visit.

Covid-19 Update

The governments ‘COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021’, setting out the roadmap out of the current lockdown for England can be found via this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary

For those who are interested in more precise information on infections, area by area, the link below is useful:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map

EXCITING NEWS –The Return of Mitra on Monday Night

Mitra has agreed to return to the village this coming Monday to serve up her delicious Persian food, from a stall located at the corner of Bicester Road and Church Street. She’ll be opening earlier because of the dark nights, and serving between 3 & 5.30 pm. Just turn up or text her in advance if you have a large order on 07444 364789.

It would be helpful if you bring your own box or pot to save on plastic waste.

Oxcam Expressway Officially Cancelled by Transport Secretary

Another piece of good news for many people is the announcement this week that the much heralded Oxford to Cambridge Express Highway has been officially cancelled, by the Transport Secretary.

Commenting on the news, Ian Corkin, County and District Councillor, said  “I very much welcome the cancelation and the opportunity this now gives to take a more enlightened view of “connectivity”, especially in relation to East-West Rail, digital connectivity and all the advances we have made in agile working during the pandemic”

Government will continue to work on alternative plans to boost transport connectivity in the arc, and for those who want to know more here is the link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oxford-to-cambridge-expressway-project-cancelled-as-transport-secretary-looks-to-alternative-plans-for-improving-transport-in-the-region

East West Rail Local Update

There is also welcome news with regard to changes to the road markings of the Stratton Audley Park Road where it meets the A4421. Residents have continually complained of the dangers presented as a result of the stop lines in the road being set back too far when the junction was redesigned.  Work to rectify this is to be carried by the EWR Highways Team in a weeks’ time over the weekend of the 27^th/28^th March, at the same time as they are undertaking other remedial works to that stretch of road. Some disruption can be expected. The full safety audit report is still to be published.

The Bicester Road that leads to Marsh Gibbon from the crossroads at Billy Evans farm remains closed until close of business, next Friday. With this extension in mind, the works on Stratton Audley Road, Poundon have been revised. This closure will now be for Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th March.

Stratton Audley Barn

Stratton Audley Barn is now open for takeaway only, Friday to Sunday 10am-4pm. Grab a cuppa and cake and enjoy a walk, cycle or even a long overdue natter on a park bench….!

Bicester Motion Scramble – Discount Resident Vouchers

The next Scramble is to be held on 5^th/6^th of June and neighbourhood discounted tickets are still available for Sunday 6^th June. When purchasing you will need to put FlyingBrevets into the promo code box which will immediately allocate a 50% discount. You will be required to input your OX27 or OX26 postcode and this will be checked.

https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/tickets/october-scramble-tickets/

Passes previously purchased for the January and April scrambles are still valid.

Highways/Bicester Motion improvement on the Buckingham Road

For those who have encountered the road works on the Buckingham Road near the roundabout with Skimmingdish Lane and are wondering what’s going on, here is a summary.

These works are programmed to take 12 weeks and will bring about the following benefits to the local community once completed;

• New Toucan crossing on Buckingham Rd (close to Skimmingdish Lane turning).
• Resurfaced carriageway either side of toucan crossing (to provide high friction anti-skid surface on crossing approach).
• New uncontrolled road crossing points at the roundabout from Bicester Motion across Buckingham Rd to The Garden Quarter and from Bicester Motion across Skimmingdish Lane to the Bicester side of road and across their main entrance bell mouth.
• Enhancements to street lighting, signage and carriageway drainage.
• New section of shared pedestrian footpath / cycleway to provide proper access to the bus stop and Toucan crossing on the Bicester Motion side of Buckingham Rd and the corner of Skimmingdish Lane.
• The strategic transport contributions that Bicester Motion are making to OCC as part of these works will be used to upgrade existing bus shelters and real time bus information displays and cycle shelters adjacent to bus stops.

The 10 Year National Census- Deadline is this Sunday, 21 March

By now everyone will have received a leaflet and most of us will have provided the required information on our household. The deadline is this coming Sunday, March 21 and for the first time ever the form has to be completed online, so anyone having difficulty needs to seek help from friends or family.

The survey, which is issued once every 10 years by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), is used to gauge figures on everything from unemployment to life expectancy, marriage and divorces in the UK. It’s ultimately used to help the government allocate public funding, by identifying the areas for improvement and where support is lacking in services such as healthcare and education. The website link is www.census.gov.uk

Village Allotment/Tree Planting

No further news.

Comet Bus Services

No further news.

But for the time being please remember that Comet operate a dial-a-ride service for those that require transport for medical or essential shopping reasons. There is a cost of 75p per mile which works out at under £5 for a round trip into Bicester. The service operates Monday to Friday between the hours of 10am and 2pm.  Should anyone wish to make a booking please contact the Comet team on 01865 323201.

Shelswell Parishes Church Service

There will be the usual 10am service on Sunday morning which will be available on-line. Find it on Facebook Shelswell News Group or YouTube Shelswell Parishes channel. It will actually have been recorded (rather than livestream) to try and get round some of the technical issues they have been having with the signal needed for livestream.

Collection Point for Disposal of Ink Jet Cartridges

Please continue to pop your ink jet cartridges into the basket in the Glen Close bus shelter.  Please don’t drop larger toner cartridges off as these are not recycled by the RSPB. If you are not sure if your cartridges are suitable for recycling, you can contact Rachel Dewhurst by email at treehouse0@sky.com

Another relatively short news update this week.

Covid-19 Update

The governments ‘COVID-19 Response – Spring 2021’, setting out the roadmap out of the current lockdown for England can be found via this link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021/covid-19-response-spring-2021-summary

For those who are interested in more precise information on infections, area by area, the link below is useful:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map

East West Rail Local Update

The Bicester Road that leads to Marsh Gibbon from the crossroads at Billy Evans farm remains closed and the latest information is that the closure has been extended to close of business on Friday 26^th March.

With this extension in mind, the works on Stratton Audley Road, Poundon have been revised. This closure will now be for Saturday 27^th and Sunday 28^th March.

Station Road to Launton will be closed from 12th April 2021 for more or less a year

The safety audit report from Oxford County Council on the new junction at Stratton Audley Park Road and the A4421 is still awaited.

Stratton Audley Barn

Stratton Audley Barn is now open for takeaway only, Friday to Sunday 10am-4pm. Grab a cuppa and cake and enjoy a walk, cycle or even a long overdue natter on a park bench….!

Thames Water

We have now received a fuller response from the Thames Water to our questions which are being studied by the PC and those residents directly affected by recent flooding issues.

Key points are:

They have made changes to the running system of the two pumps which means that both pumps run automatically when necessary, as opposed to one being on standby and as a result are pumping the maximum amount the rising main is designed to take;

The ammonia levels in the water that rose up into the road and some premises had a very low ammonia level, demonstrating that the flows were heavily diluted with ground water;

Some relining work of the foul water system has taken place and more is scheduled;

Network engineers have identified key points of interest and the camera survey has been scheduled to resume at the beginning of April when levels permit;

To maintain customer contact audits, they still need customers to report the issues they have via the call centre. The unit has alarms so the Waste Operations Control Centre will be alerted, the site will be checked and tankers will be deployed on a best endeavour’s basis and where resource is available;

They tell us that the village pumping station and network are working as they should be, but when severe storm events occur, all pumping stations are potentially capable of being overwhelmed and they aren’t able to design a sewer to cope with every weather eventuality;

On a wider basis, various initiatives are being put in place concerning the Bicester sewerage system;

The Sewage Treatment Works at Bicester is currently undergoing a project of upgrade to increase its capacity in order to safely treat the projected growth within the system;

More information on their future plans can be found here:

https://www.water.org.uk/policy-topics/managing-sewage-and-drainage/drainage-and-wastewater-management-plans/

Better Broadband

The Digital Infrastructure team at OCC have just provided an update from the ‘Better Broadband for Oxfordshire’ programme, which confirms the completion of superfast broadband delivery across Oxfordshire.

For those who want to get into the detail, the attached pdf provides a tailored update with coverage statistics for Stratton Audley and also shares information relating to the significant achievements and background of ‘Better Broadband for Oxfordshire.

Village Allotment

No further news. A suitable plot of land is the key requirement.

Tree Planting

No further news.

Planting trees on verges may prove problematic and so it is felt that the best course of action is to find larger areas of land where groups of trees could be planted. Suitable areas should be identified and discussions held with land owners to explore opportunities of planting trees in corners of fields or other unproductive areas. Grants & funds are available to purchase trees and over a dozen volunteers are prepared to carry out the physical planting. We are targeting planting winter 20201/22

Did you see this?

Between Sunday 7th March and Monday 8th March approx 200 new trees were stolen from a location on the ring road in Bicester. The trees still had the root wraps on them. If you witnessed anything please update via 101 ref 43210096783.

Comet Bus Services

As previously reported OCC Communities have agreed a new minibus service to take residents to and from Bicester, which is likely to commence on Tuesday April 12^th. They are prepared to provide this free of charge for the first six months to test how many people use it. A reminder will be issued closer to time.

It will operate on Tuesday and Thursdays with pick up times as shown here:

Pick Up

10:46 – Bus Stop Adjacent to Glen Close

10:49 – Bus Stop Bicester Road

Drop off

11:00 – Sainsburys, Bicester

Pick Up

1:15 – Sainsburys, Bicester

Drop Off

1:25 – Opposite Bus Stop Bicester Road

1:29 – Opposite Bus Stop Adjacent to Glen Close

In the meantime Comet operate a dial-a-ride service for those that require transport for medical or essential shopping reasons. There is a cost of 75p per mile which works out at under £5 for a round trip into Bicester. The service operates Monday to Friday between the hours of 10am and 2pm.  Should anyone wish to make a booking please contact the Comet team on 01865 323201.

Shelswell Parishes Church Service

There will be the usual 10am service on Sunday morning which will be available on-line. Find it on Facebook Shelswell News Group or YouTube Shelswell Parishes channel. It will actually have been recorded (rather than livestream) to try and get round some of the technical issues they have been having with the signal needed for livestream.

Collection Point for Disposal of Ink Jet Cartridges

Please continue to pop your ink jet cartridges into the basket in the Glen Close bus shelter.  Please don’t drop larger toner cartridges off as these are not recycled by the RSPB. If you are not sure if your cartridges are suitable for recycling, you can contact Rachel Dewhurst by email at treehouse0@sky.com

And finally…..

Happy Mothers Day for this Sunday.