Planning application for St Cross College rejected

St Cross College submitted a planning application over the summer I was quick to alert residents in the immediate area about it.  It would be fair to say that the area of the application site does need some sorting out as it’s a bit of a mess at the moment but it seems to me that the St Cross planning application had some features that seemed more about ticking boxes than actually doing some appropriate development.

I worked with the St. John Street area Residents’ Association and had a very constuctive meeting with them back on 10th August to help better understand their concerns and work out how best to articulate those to the council and to the members of the West Area Planning Committee who would be determining the application.  I was impressed at how well people pulled together to get all the points in a high-impact, extremely effective summary that was delivered to the planning committee when it met.

stx

I think the image here shows how the design with very square and blocky features would just jar terribly against the existing chapel and against the roof-lines of the existing St. John Street properties.

As it turned out, despite the planning department recommending approval of this rather inappropriate proposal, most members of the West Area Planning committee voted against the proposal so it was rejected.   The application fell 6 against, 2 for (Cllrs Cook & Gotch in favour; Cllrs Van Nooijen, Tanner, Price, Canning, Clack & Jones against).  I believe this is the right result and I hope that a more suitable proposition will be forthcoming in the future so that St Cross can build the extra accommodation it badly needs without doing quite so much damage to the amenity and beauty of this sensitive part of Oxford’s historic centre.

International day of Peace

This event was held jointly by the Oxford Islamic Information Centre, The Oxford Council of Faiths, The United Nations Association (Oxford) and the Global Ceasefire Project.  It was a good coming together of those passionate about peace and there was an excellent speech by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Tim Stevenson OBE, and I was invited to say a few words on behalf of the City of Oxford.

Although the last world war ended almost seventy years ago I think we can all agree that the world sometimes feels like it is not a very peaceful place, with terrible things going on right now in Syria, Afghanistan and many other parts of this our world so I am grateful to all the work all organisations like those that organised today’s event do to promote global peace.

On a national level, in these times of economic difficulty it can be very tempting for people to start blaming their problems on other groups of people and we have seen some of that with the far right and the far left in unfortunate clashes that I think do nothing to bring peace and understanding to our country or our communities. What an amazing example however the members of the mosque in York set earlier this year by offering tea and a game of football to those who were trying to intimidate them. We all have much to learn from that.

On a more local level, I am extremely proud to live in a City where we are largely at peace with each other. Faiths co-exist and there are generally good relationships between councils, employers, universities, other places of education and churches. It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate that with the friendship walk each summer and I think it sends a very strong message both of intent and warning to those who might try to disrupt peace in our City and beyond.

English Youth Ballet – Swan Lake in aid of Oxford Children’s Hospital

Oxford Dep Mayor and cast

I attended a performance of Swan Lake by the English Youth Ballet this evening at the New Theatre, Oxford.  It was absolutely stunning and I hugely enjoyed it.  It was an honour to meet Janet Lewis MBE (English Youth Ballet Director) and to learn a bit about the wonderful work of the English Youth Ballet.  The performance this evening was special because it was in aid of the Oxford Children’s Hospital.  After the performance there was a speech by Janet Lewis as well as by a young girl who is a patient of the Children’s Hospital.  I also gave a speech thanking everyone for such a wonderful performance, commending the work of the Children’s Hospital and encouraging people to give generously to such a worthy cause.

The performances of Swan Lake in Oxford by the English Youth Ballet feature around 120 talented young dancers from around Oxfordshire who were selected for the performance in an audition in May.  EYB raised £2,700 for Stoke Mandeville Hospital Children’s Ward last summer when it gave 3 performances in Aylesbury.  English Youth Ballet (EYB) is one of the UK’s largest ballet companies and previously won The Stage Award for special achievement in regional theatre.  The company brings together the finest professional principal dancers from London and around the world with local ballet students selected for their talent and potential.

What a wonderful evening!

Private View of Francis Bacon / Henry Moore: Flesh and Bone

exhibition-baconmooreThis was another special treat at the Ashmolean Museum.  I was representing the City as the Deputy Lord Mayor and was really impressed by the work that has gone into putting together this fantastic exhibition.

We heard a good speech by Dr Christopher Brown, the Director of the Ashmolean, and some remarks by the co-curators of the Bacon Moore exhibition. Then daughter of Henry Moore, Claire, gave a great speech and formally opened the exhibition.  I had had a look around the exhibition before the speeches and it is truly impressive being in a tall gallery and with a fantastic juxtaposition of paintings by Bacon and sculptures and drawings by Moore.

Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel

image tweeted by @biloddy

I attended this meeting today because I am the opposition shadow for crime and community safety on the council. Oxford’s member on the panel is Cllr Pat Kennedy, the Oxford City Executive Board member with that portfolio.  The panel’s job is to hold the Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley to account.  This Commissioner’s area covers Oxon, Berks and Bucks so is rather large – it has one member from every principal local authority in the area, giving a membership of:

Councillor Bill Bendyshe-Brown (Wycombe District Council), Councillor Mark Booty (West Oxfordshire District Council), Councillor Noel Brown (Chiltern District Council), Terry Burke (Independent Co-opted Member), Councillor Anita Cranmer (South Buckinghamshire District Council), Councillor Trevor Egleton (Buckinghamshire County Council), Councillor Jesse Grey (Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead), Councillor Bill Jones (Vale of White Horse District Council), Councillor Pat Kennedy (Oxford City Council), Councillor Kieron Mallon (Oxfordshire County Council) (Vice-Chairman), Councillor Iain McCracken (Bracknell Forest Council), Councillor Tony Page (Reading Borough Council), Councillor Barrie Patman (Wokingham Borough Council), Councillor Pam Pearce (Aylesbury Vale District Council), Councillor George Reynolds (Cherwell District Council), Councillor Bill Service (South Oxfordshire District Council), Councillor Mohammed Sharif (Slough Borough Council), Rajinder Sohpal (Independent Co-opted Member), Councillor Cec Tallack (Milton Keynes Council) and Councillor Quentin Webb (West Berkshire Council)

It elected a chair and vice chair today for the year, and we heard the Police and Crime Panel Annual report as well as the annual report from the commissioner himself.  There was a bit of a silly debate about the Commissioner’s expenses where the panel decided it was not its remit to decide if the Commissioner should have a driver or not.  There was a report from the Oxford Safer Communities Partnership, which I think does great work in our City an update on issues particularly of importance to Oxford as a City.  There was an update on operation Bullfinch from Chief Constable Sara Thornton and Superintendent Christian Bunt and they also gave an excellent overview of the work Thames Valley Police is doing to develop multi-agency approaches to child sexual exploitation.

At the end of the meeting Cllr Kennedy and I asked about the closure of the custody suite at St. Aldate’s police station meaning that all prisoners would now have to be taken to Abingdon.  I felt assured by Supt. Bunt that this was a sensible move as the Oxford facilities are awkward being at the top of the building and rather past their sell-by date.   He said he would circulate a short memo to councillors addressing concerns about the risk of new arrangements meaning police officers might take longer to get back on the streets after an arrest and I was reassured that vulnerable people arrested in Oxford then released from Abingdon would not be just put on the street with no means to get back to Oxford.

pcpYou can follow the PCP on twitter as @ThamesValleyPCP and the commissioner as @TV_PCC

 

Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra Gala Concert

I had the pleasure this evening of attending the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra Gala concert. It was a really wonderful evening and I very much enjoyed all the music. An amazing orchestra and some incredibly talented young musicians who showed incredibly skill and control of their instruments. It was my pleasure to take Maurice Dixon, a vice principal at Oxford Spires Academy, with me as my guest as I know he has a keen interest in music.  I think it’s really important to get children involved in music as science has show that it really helps brain development and teaches all sorts of important social skills.

There was a reception with the chairman at the start and Maurice and I greatly enjoyed the concert.  The programme included:

R Strauss:  Don Juan
Bruch: Violin Concerto  No. 1 in G minor
John Rutter:  Sprig of Thyme (with Oxon Schools’ choirs)
Britten:  Four Sea Interludes

Handel’s Saul

saulThis evening’s civic engagement was a real treat! I attended the performance of the Saul oratorio at the Town Hall, given by Oxford Harmonic Society. It was a wonderful concert with some excellent soloists and a great orchestra. I was impressed at how a choir of so many singers blended so well, sounding so united, and the soloists really did set the whole piece off beautifully. As I’m the chair of the City of Oxford Choir I very much enjoyed meeting, and sharing experiences with, Lindsey Charles, the Chair of Oxford Harmonic Society.

This was also my first civic engagement that I took my partner Gordon to. He was pleased to be able to wear the consort’s badge!

Discover Oxford’s hidden heritage during Archaeology Day

ArchaeologyThere is a treat in store on Sunday 14th July when you are invited to look below the surface of Oxford and see what lies beneath! During Archaeology Day, there’s fun for all ages on offer with a range of demonstrations, hands-on activities and mini-lectures covering a series of fascinating subjects.

Archaeology Day runs from 11am-4pm on Sunday 14th July. All activities are free so there’s no need to book! Why not come along to Oxford Castle and discover the hidden gems?Activities include: Coil pot-making, Medieval tile-making, Pot reconstruction, Tattoos and Finger-weaving. There will also be a demonstration by the Wychwood Warriors Oxford University Re-enactors

Archaeology Day is a joint collaboration between Oxford Preservation Trust and Oxford Castle Unlocked. Both teams have been successfully working in partnership since 2009 to ensure this free annual event has become an interesting and popular event.

What not turn up?  You can contact Lindsay Kell at Oxford Preservation Trust on 01865 242918 or  l.kell@oxfordpreservation.org.uk if you have any queries.

Topping out the Weston Library

weston1I attended the topping-out ceremony at the Weston Library today, which will emerge from the shell of the refurbished New Bodleian to form a wonderful special collections Library late in 2014. I was invited as ward councillor and was I think the only member of the City Council there. There was an excellent speech by the Vice Chancellor or Oxford University, Professor Andrew Hamilton and he and Dr Sarah Thomas, Bodley’s Librarian unveiled the commemoration stone to mark the event.

weston2Hamilton spoke about how important it is to keep Universities like Oxford moving forward and developing and he said how important the philanthropy of donors is to such progress. He thanked the City Council, via me, for all it support and work with the University in our City, which I think was pretty gracious given how the whole project was slowed down by the City’s refusal to allow a book depository to be built in Osney, thus necessitating its construction in Swindon. 7 million books were moved there from the New Bodleian before the refurbishment to form the Weston Library could start!

I hugely look forward to seeing the finished product, and hopefully the regeneration of the East end of Broad Street including sorting out the awful traffic lights there that don’t even have a pedestrian phase!

The City Council wants your views on Oxpens

Oxford City Council is launching a public consultation on a planning document that will help shape the future of Oxpens.

The Oxpens site, between Oxford Railway Station, the Westgate Centre and the River Thames, represents one of the most significant development opportunities in the city centre and has the potential to make a valuable contribution to the life and economy of the local area and Oxford as a whole.

The document, known as the Oxpens Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), will help to establish appropriate uses for the Oxpens site, which could include houses and flats, offices, research & development (R&D) space, local amenities, green open space, a hotel and a public square. The development is also expected to bring regeneration benefits for neighbouring residents, such as improved public transport and better vehicle, cycle and pedestrian links to the city and surrounding areas.

Oxford City Council has an adopted Core Strategy and West End Area Action Plan which outline the policies for development at the Oxpens site. The purpose of the SPD is to determine how these policies can be interpreted and implemented, and to set out the Council’s aspirations for the site, such as the preferred mix of housing, employment uses, open space and community facilities.

Could you take a few minutes to complete the survey about this, which is open from Monday 17 June until Monday 29 July 2013?  I’ve turned off comments on this post as they really need to be put in the survey.  Thanks!