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LEADERS PLEASED WITH NEW PLANS Festive jogging for Oxford hospice
HUNDREDS of runners dressed up as Father Christmas for a charity fun run through Oxford on Sunday morning to raise money for
children’s hospice Helen & attire in the eighth annual Douglas House. running of the event. Santas on the Run saw 1,700 They are hoping to have people take to the streets of raised £70,000. Oxford dressed in festive • See page 2 for full story
• (front, from left) Mike, Ollie and Fi Illingworth, with family and friends (picture by James Lyons Photography)
CIVIC leaders have welcomed detailed plans for the southern section of Didcot’s newest housing esta estate. Developers Taylor Wimpey Devel unveile its Southern Neighunveiled bourhood Framework Plan for bourho the 3,30 3,300 home Great Western Park es estate. They were submitted to both the Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire District Councils on December 9 and a decision on the document is expected by February. It includes a new primary school, neighbourhood centre, playing fields, park, and allotments. Down Farm orchard and grade two listed farmhouse will be included as part of the neighbourhood. Leo Docherty, who represents the Hagbourne ward on South Oxfordshire District Council, said he welcomed their retention. Didcot Town council leader Eleanor Hards added: “It is important that a feature like that stands. It is a part of heritage.” Taylor Wimpey declined to confi rm how many of the 3,300 homes would be built in the southern part of Great Western Park. However, in its plans they say green infrastructure will play a “major role in defi ning the developments parcels and character”. It continued: “The open spaces
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in this neighbourhood connect with one another, and retaining and integrating existing trees and hedgerows as much as possible will further reinforce the informal, green character of the neighbourhood.” The southern neighbourhood of the estate will fall into the parish of Didcot as of May next year under changes introduced by the Boundary Commission. However, it is currently in the boundaries of West Hagbourne and chairman of the parish council, Mike Butler, is pleased with the more rural approach. He added: “What we don’t want is high density housing coming down towards the village so I think that is a good thing from our point of view. “Personally, I am not too concerned about the general expansion of Didcot because it gives us more facilities but we don’t want it to swamp our village. “We don’t want to become a suburb of Didcot as opposed to a village just outside, which I am very happy with.” Cllr Hards added: “I think it is important in general that places are designed to fit in.” She continued: “We have got a very big development so it is important the separate bits of it do actually fit in with what is already there.”
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