Tag Archives: adrian james

New Osney: It’s a Bridge too Far

EXCLUSIVE Some of our more elderly readers might have seen the film A Bridge too Far (1977), all about the failure of the Brits in the Netherlands during the Second World War – Scottish 90 year old Sean Connery was the star. Some of you might also have seen Continue reading

Mill Street nightmare might happen!

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18698675.decision-due-plans-extend-cherwell-college-accommodation/

Shocking video shows Gibbs Crescent threat

Readers of Volesoft.com are already aware of the goings on in Mill Street, Oxford – some salacious details were made famous by Chaucer in his Canterbury Tales – the Miller’s TaleContinue reading

The scaffolds go up on Mill Street

Ahead of the Austrians coming to Mill Street – next week – the scaffolding is going up. If there is a god at the bottom of the gardens between numbers 19 to 41 it has to be Jason Thacker.

Mill Street

To look on the bright side, once the Wall has been built, we won’t be able to take a snap of the extremely ugly Said ziggurat.

Oh, by the way, the blackbird is still nesting happily in the tuti puti shed halfway down Nathistan.

Oxford City Council appears “inept or corrupt”

HERE ON Mill Street, I take a long and hard look at the local Mick's Cafe, the Botley Roadcommunity and now that even Jocks like me have suffrage in England, I will be voting on the 2nd of May next.

So when a leaflet popped through my door from the Green candidate, Sushila Dhall of Green Oxford arrived with some allegations about the infamous Roger Dudman Way development, I read it with some interest.

I wrote to Ms Dhall – see correspondence below.  In other news, had a lovely breakfast at Mick’s New Cafe this morning. BBC Radio Oxford was outside the Westgate Hotel conducting a vox pop about St George’s Day. Unfortunately, I am no good – because I am a sweaty sock.

——————————————————–

Dear Mike,
I am referring to the fiasco surrounding the Roger Dudman way development, where a vital report from the City Council Heritage Officer was suppressed by the city council planning department after 1.5m of the apex of the roof was removed, as if this answered the concerns, which it did not at all, soil contamination surveys were not carried out, an Environmental Impact Assessment was deemed uneccessary (by the planning dept), which included a lighting survey and the impact on the view, trees were said to be able to be planted where they cannot, the plans were misleading in that they showed the view cone (meant to be protected) would not be affected, which it is, severely, the wording of the report said that the buildings would be visible as ‘glimpses from parts of the Meadow’, consultation which was said to have taken place did not. The whole things was pushed through on the basis of a number of misleading statements and pictures. Now the planning department is standing by it despite the errors and misleading statements made by them. With the proposed Blavatnik building on Walton St the proposal is for a building far taller than should be approved according to City Council documents and yet planning officers have not required it to be lowered, again drawings are misleading, local people not consulted (except in as far as local people have taken it upon themselves to spread the word and organise a meeting), and there appears already to be a bias in favour of approval, although given the level of publickly expressed discomfort this may change.
Re the Roger Dudman way buildings; a legal challenge against teh City Council is currently ongoing.
I hope this is helpful.
With best wishes,
Sushila

On Mon, Apr 22, 2013 at 11:48 PM, MIKE MAGEE <mike.magee@btinternet.com> wrote:
Hi Sushila, and thanks for bunging your leaflet into Mill Street, which is where I live at number 27  as a registered voter.

When you say that the Labour dominated City Council “appears inept or corrupt”, can you give me some more evidence, please?

If the officers are corrupt, I would like to have them prosecuted for what they are doing for Oxford.

I look forward to your reply.

Mike Magee

The ballad of Roger Dudman Way

Where there’s a will, there is a lay.
So starts this wee tale of Roger Dudman Way.

Mick's Cafe, the Botley Road
Head west from Domino’s, through the tunnel of love,
Be shaken, if not stirred by rattling freight trains above,
And, flanked by Mick’s Café and the YHA
See the new glory that’s called the Roger Dudman’s Way.
Mick’s Café has shut, I am sorry to say.
‘Twas the jewel in the crown of Roger Dudman’s Way.

As you beat your way towards pastures new,
You’ll see Oxford Station and, this is certainly true,
You’ll see five storeys hove into view.

This is the Great Wall of Roger Dudman’s Way,
Blocking Port Meadow, or that is what they say.
The structure’s for students, and not really for geese;
They will have to soar high to stay in one piece.

Roger Dudman, the man who inspired the route
Was Lord Mayor of Oxford, and a leftie, to boot.
Of Dudman’s life we know little, it’s true,
But he held a grand post so was one of the few
To wear the great chain, and preceded by mace
Trouped through the town with consummate grace.

The latest Lord Mayor fell flat on his face,
For saying the word “sexy” that’s quite a disgrace.

And so we conclude this Dudman paeon,
To celebrate the daze of the Dudman aeon,
With hymns and raptures day by every day
To celebrate Mr Dudman  and his now famous Way!

Adrian James (50) designs new Travelodge

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/yourtown/oxford/10155192.Architects_vie_to_put_train_station_on_map/

News from the Oxford front…

flood

THE RAIN is unrelenting here in West Oxford, but thank the gods for the badgers of Mill Street – they do their best to undermine the foundations of civilisation.

In other news, the Oxford Mail reports that travailliste councillor Susanna Pressel, who was a mayor of this little town er sorry city a while back, has scored a significant win against the forces of civilisation and has persuaded Network Rail, or whoever, to keep the west gate of Oxford Railway station operational.

The Oxford Mail reported it somewhat differently from the New Osney residents’ associations alert – which came on Wednesday. The newsletter said: “The official statement — after discussions late into the night last night:

‘We’ve decided in the light of customer and stakeholder feedback, and the emergence of a number of potential alternative approaches, to defer closure of the Oxford Platform 2 gate until further notice. In the meantime, we will be reviewing the usage of the gate and its interaction with the wider station environment.  This will help inform the decisions that we’re making about access to this entrance in future.  We will also be discussing the future access to the gate with the Department of Transport in the context of potential wider plans for the station.

Courtsey (surely curtsey)  of Susanna Pressel City Councillor for Jericho and Osney Ward County Councillor for West Central Oxford Division.'”

Well, all power to Susanna’s elbow, but it is still hard to understand how the Oxford Mail waited two days before running the story, which also suggested, rather said, it was a coup the minute Susanna Pressel walked in.  We suspect the OxMail is  a paper tiger, while said Susanna Pressel is obviously a tigress. The paper quotes her as saying when she gets cross, she gets really cross.

Mill Street genius developer (no age) responds to Oxford Mail

IT CAN be found just here….  But it is Mrs Miles, isn’t it? And how come the developer Nik Lyzba (age?) doesn’t have his age behind his name, while Brendan and yours truly do?

Government inspector turns down developer’s appeal on three storey building

Decision.

A GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR has turned down an appeal to build a three storey building at the bottom of our gardens at Mill Street, Oxford. ♥