The Garden in Autumn - 2015

As the weather turns colder, plants will slow down. Take out any tender bedding and replace with winter bedding. Other hardy bedding should last until the first frosts. Clear fallen leaves from beds and lawns and compost. Put them in a plastic bag, pierce a few holes in it and by next you should have valuable leaf mould. Raise permanent containers off the ground to aid drainage, and wrap tender ones in bubble wrap or fleece. Perennials can be cut back and split up now. Discard the older central part and plant out the fresher outside growths. Some light pruning can be carried out - mainly just to keep larger shrubs in shape. Those that you normally prune in spring, eg roses and buddleia, can be cut back by a third to prevent them loosening their roots in the wind, before the main pruning next year. You can also prune late-summer flowering clematis - cut back to about 1m high to remove long, old growth and encourage strong flowering shoots. Bare rooted plants - normally cheaper than container grown - can be planted now. Finally, while its quiet and not much growth about, check all fences, supports, tools etc and clean/sharpen/paint them.

Children's Corner - Winner of Sunflower Competition - Autumn 2015

The winner of the tallest sunflower competition goes to Ellie from Mill Road. Her sunflower grew to 2m 10cm when last measured!! A small prize to the winner!

Councillors News - Councillor Matthew Barber

100 days on... Today marks 100 days since the local and general elections. Here is the latest update on what's happening in the Vale... 

Green flag award for another year

For the 7th year running the Abbey Gardens in Abingdon, owned and maintained by the Vale District Council has been awarded Green Flag status by Keep Britain Tidy.  In addition to the fantastic gardens the neighbouring Abbey Meadows area is set for a major revamp including improvements to the outdoor swimming pool. 

Summer festivals

We're at the height of festival season, large and small, and many are supported by the Vale. Community groups can apply for grants of up to £1,000 to help support festivals and events in the district.  So far this year grants have been awarded to the Friends of Abingdon Heritage Weekend; Faringdon's Folly Fest; BBO Wildlife Trust One Day Festival and the Wantage Betjeman Festival. The Council can also assist with licencing and permissions. Click here for more details on how to apply.

Community Alcohol Partnership launched in Grove and Wantage

Organisations including King Alfred’s School, Vale District Council, Sweatbox, Thames Valley Police, and Wantage and Grove Street Pastors have joined forces to reduce teen drinking and associated anti-social behaviour.

A priority for the campaign is reducing the opportunities young people have to purchase alcohol. To assist with this, Waitrose have agreed to facilitate free training for independent retailers on responsible selling practises, including the ‘Challenge 25′ age-verification policy and how to spot fake ID.

Pressure from Oxford for even more housing

In last month's newsletter I reported on how the Vale is responding to the pressure to accommodate more housing in the Vale, this time because Oxford City is unable to deliver it's own housing target. Since then I have written to the Secretary of State asking him to compel the City Council to review their own Local Plan.  You can view my letter here.  I await a response from Government.  In addition the Vale's Cabinet is considering a report on how best to deal with this additional pressure.  The report will also be considered by the Council's Scrutiny Committee.

What does devolution mean for Oxfordshire?

There has been much talk recently about devolution, be it in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, or to local government. Oxfordshire County Council is proposing forming a 'strategic alliance' with Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire to seek additional funding from Government for strategic transport.  This falls short of a full devolution deal that the Government are encouraging. Councils within Oxfordshire, including the Vale, are looking at the potential benefits of such a devolution deal and are talking to Government about the options.  No doubt there will be more news on this in due course.

Celebrating The Queen's Birthday

In just a months time on 9th September Her Majesty The Queen will become Britain's longest-reigning monarch. This will undoubtedly be an event worth noting, but next year Her Majesty will also be celebrating her 90th birthday.  Grand national celebrations are planned and the Vale of White Horse will encourage and support community events across the district to celebrate these great occasions.  After the huge success of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations we are talking to the Town councils to help them organise events for everyone to enjoy.

The Vale's Corporate Plan

The Vale is beginning the process of reviewing it's Corporate Plan.  This rather dry subject sets out the strategic direction of the Council for the next few years. Residents will have the chance to contribute to the process when we launch a consultation later this year (expected to be October-November). 

Recycling Centres

Oxfordshire County Council is again considering the closure of recycling centres across the County. Whilst I recognise the financial challenges faced by the County Council and that improved kerb-side collections in recent years have changed the way we use recycling centres they remain valued community facilities.  Whilst this is a matter for the County Council the Vale restates it's support for the retention of recycling centres in the district for the benefit of all residents.

Subsidies on Buses and Flood Alleviation Scheme - consultations

Abingdon and area residents are being asked for their opinions on 2 local issues.  The County Council is asking for our views on their subsidies for the buses and the Environment Agency wants to know what we think about the plans for the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.

You can find details of the bus consultation at:

https://consultations.oxfordshire.gov.uk/consult.ti/stconsultation/consultationHome

This is a very long document but at the end you'll find a questionnaire asking for feedback on the County Council's plans for the future of subsidised buses and the Dial a Ride service. The closing date for consultation is 14 September.

The Environment Agency, the County Council, Oxford City Council, Vale of White Horse District Council, Thames Water and the Oxford Flood Alliance are working on a scheme to reduce flood risk in Oxford. The idea is that a channel would be made to carry floodwater through western Oxford, one section between Botley Road and Redbridge and the other between Kennington and Sandford-on-Thames. There is some concern that this would mean transferring flood risk from Oxford to another area - that is, our area. Our local Councillors are pressing for a full independent assessment of the proposals. There is still a long way to go before the scheme is approved or funding found. In the meantime, local people are being asked for their views - you can find feedback forms at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oxford-flood-risk-management-scheme

More updates on the Drayton Road night closure

Further update from Mike Badcock via Facebook:

RESULT - listening to local councillors at last!!  Hope this will help everyone in South Abingdon - loads of credit to Alice.

Temporary suspension of One-Way Order - St Helens Wharf Bridge, Abingdon.

A request has been received from Andrew Madigan, Oxfordshire County Council for a temporary EMERGENCY SUSPENSION OF ONE-WAY TRAFFIC to facilitate TWO WAY TRAFFIC ON ST HELENS WHARF BRIDGE, ABINGDON to mitigate traffic congestion during Drayton Rd night works.

A Temporary Traffic Regulation Notice is being made to implement the temporary suspension and will operate from:

Monday 3rd August 2015 to Friday 7th August 2015 and will operate from 8pm to 6am each day.

Update on the Drayton Road closure

Following many questions from residents, the TFLRA committee asked the County Council about why people were asked to travel via Milton home.  Their reply:

Generally when we undertake road closures we ensure that traffic is diverted on the same class of road or better than the road that we are closing.  As Drayton Road is a 'B' class road, the decision was made to send the diversion route via the A34.  Making the 'iron bridge' two-way was never really considered on this basis but also because of the disruption that this would have caused to residents of Caldecott Road, St Helen's Wharf and West St Helen Street due to the increased traffic flows.

I appreciate that the closures will cause some disruption to local residents, but the decision was made to carry out this work at night in order to keep this disruption to a minimum.

Closure of Drayton Road for road repair

Signs have recently appeared along the Drayton Road indicating the road will be closed.  The Residents Association have contacted Oxfordshire County Council for more details, and their answers are shown below:

• These signs have been erected to inform motorists and road users of the upcoming road closure. Adjacent footways will remain open for pedestrians - cyclists will be required to dismount and use the footway.  The works will be carried out in the following phases:

• Phase 1 - Monday 27th July to Friday 31st July - off-peak temporary two-way traffic signals will be in operation from 9.30am to 3.30pm to enable advance kerbing works to be undertaken.

• Phase 2 - Friday 31st July to Friday 7th August - 6 night-time road closures will be in operation to enable the road resurfacing to be completed.  The B4017 Drayton Road will be closed from 8pm to 6am during this phase at the junctions with the A415 Marcham Road/Ock Street and Mill Road.  No works will be undertaken at weekends.

• The iron bridge / St Helens Wharf at the bottom of Caldecott Road will be unaffected.  There will be no reverse flow or 2 way flow here.

• Emergency services will be allowed un-obstructed access as necessary along the Drayton Road during closure - this will be controlled by the OCC gatemen.

• Alternative routes to and from the South of Abingdon will be via the B4017 Southbound (towards Steventon) / A4130 Eastbound / Milton Interchange / A34 Northbound / A415 Marcham Road (towards Abingdon) and vice versa.

Click on map to enlarge

Gardening - The Garden in Summer - 2015

Summer is not as busy as some people think, with garden tasks more maintenance than anything else. 

As always, keep weeds under control, lawns trimmed (little and often is best) and pots and food crops watered.  Non-container plants in the garden rarely need watering unless they are new. Established shrubs can be left. When watering new plants, water in the evening so it won't evaporate so quickly, and water the roots/ground rather than the leaves.

Continue to feed containers, as well as food crops, and continue sowing the latter.  It is also worth sowing a few more annuals now to provide fillers for gaps that might appear later in the year.

As perennials flower and fade, cut them back hard and you should get a second flush of growth. Herbs can also be trimmed to keep them tidy, and the trimmings can be dried or frozen for future use.

NEXT MEETING

The next TFLRA meeting in Tuesday 14th July at 8pm in the Common Room, Stonewater flats, Bridges Close, (formerely known at Jephson).

All welcome!!

Street Name Plates

The street name plate for Byron Close, which has been missing for a long time, should appear again shortly, together with a matching replacement for the sign on the other side of the turning.  The Vale of the White Horse District Council is responsible for maintaining these signs.  Missing or damaged street name plates can be reported to them on 01235-520202 or by going to their website www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk