Monthly Archives: February 2016

DEAR JOHN…

Didcot heraldThe Didcot Allotment Action Group (DAAG) is opposing Didcot Town Council’s plans to sell the town’s allotments.

Like the Green Gap the allotments act as ‘green lungs’ for Didcot and are a valued local amenity. DAAG is doing a great job and in just a few weeks it has made plenty of noise and gained plenty of support.

This week the allotment battle was splashed on the front page of the Didcot Herald. SODC’s council leader John Cotton is quoted. He talks of achieving a ’greener, leafier’ Didcot. So we wrote to John to remind him of very green and very leafy place that, like the allotments, is under serious threat.

Didcot Town Council will decide the fate of the allotments. We hope it listens to the community and does the right thing. SODC is the decision maker for the Green Gap. With visionary, skilled and brave planning they can do the right thing too. They can chuck out Grainger’s ill considered plans.

You can read our letter to John here.

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CAR CRASH PLANNING

car crash planningA constant theme running across the majority of the 500 plus letters of objection to SODC has been safety and traffic issues created by Grainger’s speculative application.

Now, at last, we’re beginning to get somewhere.

Oxfordshire County Council has issued a “holding objection” to Grainger’s plan. (OCC is the roads authority and advise SODC the planning authority.)

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WELL SAID

Green Gap-048Natalie Bennett, Leader of the Green Party spoke in Didcot this week. There was a healthy debate about housing and policy – one that we wont rehearse here (this is an campaign after all not a soap box).

But there is one thing that Natalie said that is worth repeating. She said “do politics; don’t let politics be a thing done to you.”

Our community has again shown its determination to engage in the politics of development. To do something so that something does not get done to them. As of February 10th an impressive 112 objections have been posted in this latest round of consultation.

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GARDEN TOWN OR GARDEN DUMP?

Garden DumpThis is the choice that faces SODC.

They have sold everyone the ‘vision’. Now they have to deliver.

The decision makers can’t say that they haven’t been given good advice.

SODC’s Countryside Officer has objected for a second time to Grainger’s scheme. Notwithstanding that Grainger’s revisions were undertaken to address the first objection, the Officer concludes: “The minor amendments made to the illustrative master plan and associated supporting documents submitted on 15/1/16 do not alter the comments I submitted previously (15/11/15).” Continue reading

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