News Update no 54, March 19th

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 27th/28th 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 27th and Sunday 28th 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 5th/6th of June and neighbourhood discounted tickets are still available for Sunday 6th 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