The Grapevine Magazine

Note

The updating of this page is not yet complete.

A Planning Application is being prepared that, if approved, will see the agricultural business currently conducted from Church Farm (behind St Margaret’s Church in Lewknor) relocated to another site and the present farmyard redeveloped to provide additional dwellings. The site plans and drawings were publicly displayed in the Jubilee Hall on 20 August. Since this project may be of some interest to a wider audience, the drawings will be displayed again prior to the Meeting at which the Parish Council will consider the formal planning application. This is most likely to be on 15 October but could possibly be on 17 September. If it is the earlier date, notices to that effect will be posted on the notice boards in Lewknor, Postcombe and South Weston so watch those spaces – no notices – it’s on 15 October. The drawings will be available from 6.00pm.

What villages are getting climate active in Oxfordshire? What are the opportunities locally? Jo Hamilton of Oxford University's ClimateXchange will be giving a short presentation to the Parish Council at its 17 September meeting, showing how villages and towns are rising to the climate challenge in unique and inspiring ways, and inviting us all to get involved with the opportunities presented.

More info at www.climatex.org/ or via 01865 275856. Members of the public are encouraged to attend this presentation - be at the Jubilee Hall for 7.30pm.

During August to November each year, SODC sends out a canvass form to every property in the district to collect information on those eligible to vote.

By law, every property in the district must make a return for their household to register everybody who is living there and is eligible to vote. The information received is used to compile a new Register of Electors that is published annually on 1 December. If you do not fill in your form and your name is not included on the register then you will not be able to vote. You may also have difficulty in obtaining credit or a loan or in opening a bank account as Electoral Registers are often used to check residency for these purposes.

To ensure that you are registered please complete your canvass form promptly as delays mean that SODC Officers have to send reminders and, eventually visit properties that don’t respond – all of which costs money – which we all have tp pay as it is simply loaded onto the Council Tax…

If all the pre-printed details on the form are correct then you can simply use the telephone, internet or text response services (see the the notes on the form) to record that no changes are required. For help and advice about the annual canvass call 0800 389 5560 or email elections@southoxon.gov.uk

Following on from the above, SODC is recruiting folk able to undertake the door-knocking element of the canvass. As this attracts a payment, it represents an opportunity to earn a little extra money for yourself or a local organisation. Full training will be provided.

If you are interested contact Bev Lee, Electoral Services, telephone 01491 823651 or email bev.lee@southoxon.gov.uk

Free electric blanket testing is being offered again this year as part of the countywide initiative supported by the five Oxfordshire councils, Trading Standards and The Fire Service. If you have an electric blanket, you can get it tested free at Thame on 13 September or at Henley-on-Thames on 25 October. Just ring 01865 815600 to book your place.

Starting in August, SODC is offering residents the chance to ask questions and/or to offer their opinions on recycling via a door-to-door consultation involving some 10,000 homes in this area.

For further information, contact the Waste Reduction Officer at matthew.beesley@southoxon.gov.uk

Throughout September, SODC will be consulting local people on options for collecting waste in the future. Residents will be able to have their say on issues such as the collection of food waste and glass, the frequency of refuse and recycling collections and the use of wheeled bins.

From 3 September a questionnaire will be available on the SODC website at www.southoxon.gov.uk/haveyoursay where you can provide feedback. If you do not have access to the internet, call Environmental Services on 01491 823416 who will send you a printed copy. This exercise is going to determine how we actually deal with our waste for the next several years – so we are all going to have to live with its conclusions. This is your opportunity to influence the outcome, so you are urged to participate.

From 1 September, residents of South Oxfordshire will be able to take unwanted electrical goods, eg stereos, irons and toasters, to the waste recycling centres at Oakley Wood, Drayton and Redbridge which will have clearly labelled containers for this purpose. The aim is to avoid electrical waste going to landfill and thus harming the environment. Note that, for this reason, it is clearly inappropriate to dispose of electrical goods via the normal refuse collection. There are no specific arrangements for the collection of small electrical devices, but larger items, eg fridges and cookers, can still be picked up via the bulky waste collection service at a cost of £7.75 per item. You can book a collection online at www.southoxon.gov.uk/bulkywaste For further information contact Environmental Services 01491 823416.

The current concessionary travel scheme, which allows holders of a bus pass to travel free of charge on local bus services during off peak hours, is to be extended next year to embrace any local bus services anywhere in England. It will, however, still not apply to long-distance, inter-city services. The new passes will be distributed in February or March 2008 (the current passes will remain valid until the end of March). Current pass holders have been/will be contacted directly with an application form for a new pass which may well, depending upon the age of the original, involve having to provide a more recent passport-sized photograph.

Anyone entitled to a bus pass (ie is over 60 years of age) who does not currently hold one can obtain an application form by calling SODC’s Concessionary Fares Office at 01491 823413.

Entries in the LPC (Lewknor Parish Council) Comment column will normally be confined to one of three options: ‘Approve’, ‘Object’ or ‘NSV’ (No Strong Views), the latter being the most usual. Entries in the SODC Status column will be ‘Current’, ‘Appeal’, ‘Withdrawn’, ‘Granted’ or ‘Refused’; all of which are self-explanatory. Further details of individual Planning Applications are available on-line, as follows. Open SODC’s Home Page at www.southoxon.gov.uk. At the top – click on ‘On-Line Services’. On the window that opens, scroll down to and click on ‘Use online planning services’. Then click on ‘View planning applications via the Planning Register’ and follow the instructions to find the specific application that you seek.