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East Oxford Controlled Parking Consultation From: Ian Hudspeth Date: Jul 06 19:43 UTC Short link

Hi Abi

Thank you for sending the reminder its vital we get as much information as
possible through the consultation process.


Thank you

Ian



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----- Original Message -----
From: Abi Johnson <<email obscured>>
To: Cowley Neighbourhood Forum <<email obscured>>
Sent: Sun Jul 06 20:30:07 2008
Subject: [Cowley] East Oxford Controlled Parking Consultation

The council's initial consultation on the proposed controlled parking zones in
the Divinity and Magdalen Road areas closes on 11th July. This is our
opportunity to make sure we get a scheme that solves rather than exacerbates
our problems. Most of the time (and certainly in term time) our streets are
dangerously overparked. We need to let the council know what we want from a
scheme. If you haven't already replied you still have a few days.
We could get a design that makes a real and positive difference to our streets
for everyone.

Some of the issues are -

how many permits should each property be allowed?
should the council cap the number of permits issued so that it does not exceed
the number of spaces in the zone?
will we need parking on the pavements?
if so can the council come up with a design that minimises the number of
pavements parked on and that leaves a route of unparked on pavement in every
street possible?....

Should Brookes be put under pressure to reduce the number of campus parking
permits it gives to its students? - last year they gave 2000 parking permits
for Wheatley and Harcourt campuses, to students in private rented accommodation
- and to provide a bus network with stops convenient for its East Oxford
students (their bus contract comes up for tender this year)....

Should the Council actively support local residents' plans for a car share /
car club scheme that would meet the car needs of many residents?

Let the council know what you think. It's the only way we're going to get
something that meets our needs.

Go to www.oxfordshire.gov.uk - click on transport - then click on parking -
then go to the section on Controlled Parking and click on the link to initial
consultations - consultation document at the bottom of that page.

The Council CPZ team is also looking for people willing to act as street
representatives - ideally one for each street in the area. This will facilitate
conversations with them about the details of the design as the consultation and
planning moves on.  Email <email obscured> if you're
interested in helping.

Thanks.
Abi

Abi Johnson

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East Oxford Controlled Parking Consultation From: Abi Johnson Date: Jul 06 19:28 UTC Short link

The council's initial consultation on the proposed controlled parking zones in
the Divinity and Magdalen Road areas closes on 11th July. This is our
opportunity to make sure we get a scheme that solves rather than exacerbates
our problems. Most of the time (and certainly in term time) our streets are
dangerously overparked. We need to let the council know what we want from a
scheme. If you haven't already replied you still have a few days.
We could get a design that makes a real and positive difference to our streets
for everyone.

Some of the issues are -

how many permits should each property be allowed?
should the council cap the number of permits issued so that it does not exceed
the number of spaces in the zone?
will we need parking on the pavements?
if so can the council come up with a design that minimises the number of
pavements parked on and that leaves a route of unparked on pavement in every
street possible?....

Should Brookes be put under pressure to reduce the number of campus parking
permits it gives to its students? - last year they gave 2000 parking permits
for Wheatley and Harcourt campuses, to students in private rented accommodation
- and to provide a bus network with stops convenient for its East Oxford
students (their bus contract comes up for tender this year)....

Should the Council actively support local residents' plans for a car share /
car club scheme that would meet the car needs of many residents?

Let the council know what you think. It's the only way we're going to get
something that meets our needs.

Go to www.oxfordshire.gov.uk - click on transport - then click on parking -
then go to the section on Controlled Parking and click on the link to initial
consultations - consultation document at the bottom of that page.

The Council CPZ team is also looking for people willing to act as street
representatives - ideally one for each street in the area. This will facilitate
conversations with them about the details of the design as the consultation and
planning moves on.  Email <email obscured> if you're
interested in helping.

Cowley Marsh Mela From: Tommy Taylor Date: Jul 06 13:02 UTC Short link

Is the Mela mainly a Pakistani or an Indian event? or both? Shame I missed it
but will go next year,perhaps it needs to be advertised more.A friend who has
just moved to Swindon claim they get 20,000 at Swindon Mela whilst Oxford with
possibly a bigger South Asian population only got 5,000.

Church water bills From: Julia Gasper Date: Jun 27 12:51 UTC Short link

The water companies have announced that they are going to abolish the
charitable status of churches and charge them the full business rate for water
usage. They are going to
charge according to the size of the roof and the land adjoining the building.
It will mean HUGE increases which the churches and their congregations cannot
afford. That will also entail a reduction in what they send to charitable
causes.
This is a link to an online petition set up to persuade the government to step
in:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ChurchWaterBills

At present the petition has less than eleven thousand signatures. Fifteen
thousand are needed to be considered by the PM and it is unlikely to succeed
unless it has a lot more than that. FIFTY thousand might really make a
difference. So please pass this link on to everybody you know of a sympathetic
point of view.

 By charging for rain falling on roof spaces, the water companies are laying
claim to every drop of rain that falls in the British Isles. That is immoral.
The water companies do not own the water - they only charge for supplying it
via various man-made systems.
Recently, our local water company announced that, after spending tens of
millions on installing water meters - and charging the users for this - they
are abandoning the whole principle of charging by metered usage, and returning
to a policy of charging according to the rateable value of your house. This
removes all incentive to moderate your use, and of course it tends to maximize
their profits. Large increases in price can now be concealed and passed off as
a "transition" to a different system.
 Another recent scam has been that the water companies have in the past two
years abrogated responsibility for maintaining supply pipes inside the
boundaries of private property, and pressurised people to take out insurance in
case these pipes burst or leak. Guess who profits from the insurance policy?
The water company of course. Until 2005 or so, these pipes were always the
responsibility of the water company, and had to be repaired at their cost.
After all, that's what we are paying for. NOT the water itself, but the service
of supplying it.

Cowley Marsh Mela From: Tony Brett Date: Jun 25 12:51 UTC Short link

Hi all,

It's gone a bit quiet here so I thought I'd ask what you all thought of
the Mela that took place in Cowley Marsh Park on Sunday.  We rather
enjoyed it and thought it was well laid out with lots of good things.
Well done to Nisha Prakash in the City Council for organising it again!

Tony

PS - Shameless plug:  If you want a brain-stretch on a Sunday evening
then come along at 8.30pm to the Marsh Harrier where my partner and I
are running the pub quiz this week.

Hello and intro From: Olive McIntosh-Stedman Date: Jun 25 12:03 UTC Short link

Congratulations to Gus Bianchini for his splended work on Sunday
regarding the Horspath Street Fiesta. The windy weather did not stop us
enjoying the Fiesta. There was good community spirit. Looking forward to
next year. Olive. By the way I will be speaking at County Hall on 17
July at 10 AM for 20 is plenty -Cabinet Member Ian Hudspeth's meeting

Cowley Marsh Skate Park From: Tony Brett Date: May 28 22:57 UTC Short link

Hi all,

Planning permission was granted (10 in favour vs. 1 against) by the
Strategic Development Control Committee of the City Council earlier
today for the proposed Skate Park in Cowley Marsh Park.  See
http://www.owp.org.uk/marshhome/proposal/proposals.html for more
information on the proposals.

Personally I think this is great news as it will give local young people
a real opportunity to do something fun and constructive in their spare
time rather than just hanging around getting bored.

I know that not everyone is in favour, however, so I hope we can all
work together to be constructive about the Skate Park and deal quickly
and sensibly with issues that might arise around its construction and use.

Street parties From: Wendy Hayden Date: May 23 10:27 UTC Short link

Hi Gus
Can you please let me know how much it would cost to have a stall?  My partner
makes wire sculptures so may be interested - he is also in a band, the
Brickwork Lizards, but unfortunately the other members aren't available that
weekend.
Kind regards
Wendy

Oxford needs an elected Mayor From: Nicholas Newman Date: May 22 02:09 UTC Short link

Politics is about getting things done, deciding how things should be,
influencing the future. Politics  might be as mundane as deciding when your bin
is emptied or as important as building new homes for the homeless in Blackbird
Leys.

You dont have to belong to a political party to be involved in politics, being
a member of the Oxford Civic Society is being involved in the local politics of
planning and development.

Being a member of Oxfam is participating in the politics of economic
development of developing countries e.g. in this case getting involved with the
internatl politics of Burma.

Campaigning for the council to invest in local sports facilities at say Temple
Cowley is a form of politics.

Your politics could be making Cowley into an area you are proud to be a part
of.

Street parties From: Gus Bianchini Date: May 21 15:36 UTC Short link

Hi All,
Horspath Road estate is holding a street Fiesta on the 22nd June 12:00 to
16:00. The  party is an output from the Community Engagement project (Cowley
Spotlight)that is running in the Cowley area. The aim is to get residents and
visitors together having a good time and re establishing a community spirit
back into our neighbourhood.
We will be having several attractions and food. Please pass the word around
about the event and we are always open for more activities for the Fiesta. If
you have an artistic talent or want to get your groups activities across then
please make contact.
Hopefully this Fiesta can be the first of many and we could have a series of
them around Cowley/Oxford over the summer months.  Activities like this would
bring back some fun back into our streets and communities interacting and
sharing their cultures.

Oxford needs an elected Mayor From: Gus Bianchini Date: May 21 15:09 UTC Short link

Shey,

Thanks for upholding the principle that we originally set to keep issues that
relate to Cowley and that will lead to improving all our environments.

We should not go down the road of the CSW forum which appears to be mainly
politics and no one actually getting up and doing something useful!.

Rogue Trader Week Starts From: Nicholas Newman Date: May 19 09:10 UTC Short link

Oxfordshire Trading Standards Service is carrying out Operation Trader week
beginning Monday 19th May until Friday 23rd May.Due to the sudden increase in
rogue trader incidents, please can you contact Oxfordshire Trading Standards
immediately if anyone knocks on your door and offers to sell goods or services
e.g. garden work, driveways or dusters.
More... http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Headington.htm#Rogue_Trader_Week_Starts

Burma and Oxford From: Bridget Anderson Date: May 16 13:15 UTC Short link

There is a fundraising event for victims of cyclone Nargis at Wolvercote
Primary School, organised by the Oxford Burmese community and friends, 3pm this
Sunday. Do come - Burmese food, an auction and other activities, children
welcome.

Hello and intro From: Olive McIntosh-Stedman Date: May 16 12:47 UTC Short link

Art Week Exhibition 3 Brewer ST. Christ Church Cathedral School. St
Aldates starts 16,17,18 May from 12-6 PM. Olive

Hello From: Olive McIntosh-Stedman Date: May 15 11:14 UTC Short link

May be of cultural & educational interest . My photo on exhibition for Art Week
3 Brewer St St Aldates. Olive

-----Original Message-----
From: Wendy Hayden [mailto:<email obscured>]
Sent: 14 May 2008 17:34
To: <email obscured>
Subject: [Cowley] Hello

Hi I'm Wendy
I was born and bred in Oxford, and I have lived in Fletcher Road for the past
five years with my partner Garry. I am a member of the Temple Cowley User
Group - we got together a group of people who use Temple Cowley Swimming Pool
facilites a regularly couple of years ago when the pool was down to one boiler
and in danger of closing.  We try to keep our finger on the pulse regarding
ensuring that things are repaired, or bought to councils attention -  though
we are having a challenging time at the moment - especially this weekend, when
the showers were moltern hot, then no showers at all yesterday (we have been
told that this is being rectified today), and the facilities were totally
closed this morning, due to staff shortages.  Despite recent recruitment
adverts, the staff shortage issue seems to also be affecting other council run
leisure facilites, I saw an article on the thisisoxfordshire website the other
day about Hinksey Pool sometimes being unable to open, and when I went to
Barton Pool this morning, I heard the same story.  Whilst I am totally
sympathetic, it is such a shame as these closures, I am sure, will have an
inpact on users - and the Slice Card is such a good deal - around £20ish a
month for swimming as much as you like, plus use of the sauna and steam room,
and £37ish for use of those facilites, plus the gym and any exercise classes
you might want to attend.
That aside, and going off at a tangent, a question I would like to ask is
whether anyone knows of who I could contact regarding the allotments on
Southfield Golf Course.  It seems mad that hardly anyone is using them (in
fact do they know about them), when you hear about waiting lists for other
allotments.  One of the problems I know is there isn't a water supply - which
I admit is a pretty major thing, unless you back onto the allotments - it would
be good to see what could be done.
Any information gratefully received.
Thanks
Wendy

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Wendy Hayden

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This email, including attachments, may contain confidential information. If you
have received it in error, please notify the sender by reply and delete it
immediately. Views expressed by the sender may not be those of Oxfordshire
County Council. Council emails are subject to the Freedom of Information Act
2000. http://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/emaildisclaimer

Hello From: Wendy Hayden Date: May 14 16:40 UTC Short link

Hi I'm Wendy
I was born and bred in Oxford, and I have lived in Fletcher Road for the past
five years with my partner Garry. 
I am a member of the Temple Cowley User Group - we got together a group of
people who use Temple Cowley Swimming Pool facilites a regularly couple of
years ago when the pool was down to one boiler and in danger of closing.  We
try to keep our finger on the pulse regarding ensuring that things are
repaired, or bought to councils attention -  though we are having a
challenging time at the moment - especially this weekend, when the showers were
moltern hot, then no showers at all yesterday (we have been told that this is
being rectified today), and the facilities were totally closed this morning,
due to staff shortages.  Despite recent recruitment adverts, the staff
shortage issue seems to also be affecting other council run leisure facilites,
I saw an article on the thisisoxfordshire website the other day about Hinksey
Pool sometimes being unable to open, and when I went to Barton Pool this
morning, I heard the same story.  Whilst I am totally
 sympathetic, it is such a shame as these closures, I am sure, will have an
inpact on users - and the Slice Card is such a good deal - around £20ish a
month for swimming as much as you like, plus use of the sauna and steam room,
and £37ish for use of those facilites, plus the gym and any exercise classes
you might want to attend.
That aside, and going off at a tangent, a question I would like to ask is
whether anyone knows of who I could contact regarding the allotments on
Southfield Golf Course.  It seems mad that hardly anyone is using them (in
fact do they know about them), when you hear about waiting lists for other
allotments.  One of the problems I know is there isn't a water supply - which
I admit is a pretty major thing, unless you back onto the allotments - it would
be good to see what could be done.
Any information gratefully received.
Thanks
Wendy


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Oxford needs an elected Mayor From: Nicholas Newman Date: May 14 10:50 UTC Short link

Yes, this topic is relevant because how the City Council is led and organised
is relevant to how well the City Coucil serves the needs and requirements of
all who work, live and play in Cowley.

Clearly as evidenced from recent elections has shown, towns that have elected
Mayors have higher participation rates in local elections, the showing in this
month's election was very disappointing in many wards in Cowley.

The current situation where no party has overal control means that Oxford and
its Cowley residents does not get the effective leadership this city needs. It
is not surprising Oxford has not done well in the national evaluation of local
govenment services provision, this means Cowley residents are not getting the
services they deserve, delivered at a cost effective price.

Nicholas Newman
Editor Oxford Prospect Magazine
<email obscured>
Web:oxfordprospect.co.uk

Oxford needs an elected Mayor From: Shey Cobley Date: May 14 09:46 UTC Short link

Hi All

While I think this is an interesting topic I do not feel that it fits into the
remit of this forum.

The Cowley discussion forum is designed for the discussion of issues that are
particularly related to the Cowley area.

At present as there is no elected Mayor so this topic does not have a direct
impact on the area. I think this topic is part of a city wide discussion rather
than Cowley discussion.

If you feel that the topic is relevant then please contact me at
<email obscured> and we can discuss it further outside of the forum.

Oxford needs an elected Mayor From: Nicholas Newman Date: May 11 19:15 UTC Short link

Tony Joyce, Chair of the Oxford Civic Society would make a fine choice for such
a post. He has the experience, knowledge and determination to sort out Oxford's
problems and fight for this fine city in the corridors of power. for more see
http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Headington.htm#Its_Time_we_had_an_elected_Mayor_to_sort_out_Oxford

Oxford Needs an elected MAyor From: Nicholas Newman Date: May 11 19:14 UTC Short link

I suggest tony Joyce of the Oxford Civic Society would make an ideal first
elected Mayor for Oxford. Tony knows the problems that face this city, and is
prepared to fight hard for Oxford's interests whether in a fight with County
Hall or at Westminster. To read more
http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Headington.htm#Its_Time_we_had_an_elected_Mayor_to_sort_out_Oxford

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