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New season at th e New Theatre
GROUP Didcot, Wallingford, Thame & Henley-on-Thames Thursday, January 18 - Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Dance, music, comedy and a variety night... and that ’s just Februar y!
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oxfordshireguardian.co.uk
Campaign to save village pub gathers pace
Great Wall trek to raise funds for children
Page 3
Commonwealth Games beckon for weightlifter
Pages 12&13
Sport
Airfield homes in doubt after firm rejects offer for its land Villagers encouraged by decision By Eva Astreinidou CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 3,000 homes on Chalgrove Airfield have been thrown into doubt after a company turned down an offer to give up its land. Martin Baker has a lease for the site until 2063 and says it has plans for expansion and does not wish to amend the terms of its lease to accommodate housing. The company, which makes ejector seats, has rejected the offer from land owner the Homes and Communities Agency. The homes have been included in South Oxfordshire District Council’s Local Plan as part of the authority’s contribution to Oxford’s unmet housing need, but have been met with strong opposition over congestion and fears it would destroy the area. Campaigners fighting against the proposals wrote more than 700 letters to the CEO of Martin Baker. Paul Boone, chairman of SHIELD, an action group fighting to protect the area from the development project, said: “People in the village were able to write to someone and simply express their feelings and for the fi rst time, they have been listened to. “It is encouraging to hear that [Martin Baker] are also concerned
with the deliverability of the site, and the potential impact on their business – points that we have made to SODC many times.” Now, SODC are waiting for HCA to confi rm what they intend to do with the site. SODC councillor for Chalgrove, David Turner, said the agency could potentially use a Compulsory Purchase Order to bring forward the homes, but added: “We trust that the HCA will not attempt to apply for [an] order given the overwhelming evidence that this would be a very bad and unjustifiable scheme. “The site is in an unsustainable, very rural area and would destroy the fantastic village community of Chalgrove.” A spokesperson for SODC said: “We are waiting for the HCA to confi rm their future intentions for the site, following their recent negotiations with their tenant Martin Baker. “In the meantime we are compiling the comments received on our forthcoming local plan during the formal consultation carried out in November last year.” On Monday, a spokesperson for HCA said they would be in a position to issue a statement about Chalgrove later this week. No statement has been received as we went to press.
Pupils take pride in their environment SCHOOLCHILDREN have taken it upon themselves to help clear up and pick up litter where they live. Each week, Year 8/9 pupils from Wallingford School go out to tidy up and have built their own composter, pictured above. On Wednesday morning, they visited Westgate House care
home to carry on the good work. A spokesperson from the school said: “The community projects scheme offers a pivotal link between students and the community. Over the past few years, there have been significant benefits for all parties involved in this initiative.
“Not only has the community been able to visually acknowledge the support and help of the Wallingford School students but the students themselves have extended their skills outside of the classroom while taking great responsibility and gaining pride in their environment.”
The Oxfordshire Guardian has more printed copies than any other newspaper in the county
OpenWeek
5 - 9 February 9:30am-3:00pm
NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED
CranfordHouse_OxfordGuardian_270x50mm_10.01.18 AW.indd 1
Moulsford, Oxfordshire OX10 9HT www.cranfordhouse.net
11/01/2018 12:52