Tag Archives: osney island

Old Power Station plans show future is in boxes

The Said Business School (SBS) held consultations last Friday and Saturday on its future plans to redevelop the Old Power Station in Oxford to transform it into a conference centre and plush accommodation for executives and MBAs.

Unfortunately, Friday and Saturday here in Oxford were affected by snow and bitterly cold weather.

We asked about the consultation and a representative from the SBS said: “Given the difficulty caused by the weather we are planning to offer an additional date for people to view the boards and have the opportunity to feedback on proposals. The exact date has to be confirmed but we will give notice to the community. Let me come back to you in the next couple of days with details.”

In the meantime, details of the plans can be found here. Those plans include detailed views of the proposals, including plans to mitigate disruption to the local community on both sides of the river.  

Row breaks out at Oseney “island” lock

Furious residents in the very posh Osney Island that worried about flooding because of a hydro-electric scheme, are understood not to be assuaged by the response of the trustees to accusations.

Osney island used to be a term attributed to the area around the monastery at the end of Mill Street, described in a saucy tale by Chaucer.  But, suddenly, in the early 1900s, the original island became “new Oseney”, even though “New Oseney” is really old Osney. Both areas, in general, used to be places rented to the “working class”.

Prices in the new Osney, that is to say Osney Island, are beyond the dreams of most people. Even in the old Osney, that is to say in Mill Street and environmens, they would give most people an attack of the heebie-jeebies.

David Hammond, who describes himself as an Osney Island resident, hit out at accusations that the hydro scheme could cause flooding.

In a document seen by Volesoft, Hammond said: “Dear All,

“I think it is a shame that this helpful Island communication link is being used to circulate misinformation about the Island’s Hydro scheme.

“These are the facts.

“There is no danger whatsoever that the Hydro will cause flooding. Everything is totally within the control of the EA, certainly not with “shareholders or do gooders”. In fact the Hydro has the potential to assist matters in the event of a flood. Sometime [we expect this summer] the new Radial Gate will become fully automated & so directly communicating with the Hydro.

“To be specific about last Thursday’s shutdown of the Hydro. The Hydro group were meeting at 9.00pm to discuss removing debris from the trash screen, and noticed the generator had shut down at 7.30pm. Several of us immediately went down to the lock to investigate. Ray was called but said he was off duty and gave us a Teddington number to phone. After a number of phone calls Ray’s boss managed to persuade him to alter the radial gate to normalise river levels. However AT NO TIME WAS THERE ANY RISK OF FLOODING. The EA is fully aware of what is happening to river levels at all times. On Friday the Hydro consultant rectified a minor software problem.

“The bigger picture is that when Osney Sustainable Island Group [OSIG] started this venture, nearly 15 years ago and long before Osney Mill turbine was even thought about, the Island was canvassed to find out what support there would be for a local Hydro scheme. The Group received an overwhelming mandate to proceed. However the Group needed to receive the EA’s agreement and support at every step of the way, and together with the required Planning approval, capital investment and a lot of volunteer input, things of necessity have moved quite slowly.

“We are only too aware that the site looks unfinished at the moment. Due to the unusually dry summer the Hydro has not been able to run and therefore generate the income as expected – up untill now. Now there has been some rain the Hydro is generating on average 40kw; it has reached over 32,000kWh in the last 5 weeks, and is providing an income of around £300/day through the FIT. However in the short term Osney Lock Hydro still need to raise a little more capital to complete the scheme so that it is fully landscaped and open to the public with interactive information panel. [And it would be nice to catch the graffiti vandals before that happens!]

“As a final point we would welcome anyone who is interested in helping us clear the trash screen to keep the Hydro running at full capacity. At the moment we have a small working party but would be very grateful for any offers of additional help.”

Hammond added in his communication to osneyislandresidents@gmail.com: “I think it is a shame that this helpful Island communication link is being used to circulate misinformation about the Island’s Hydro scheme.”

Earlier, other Osney Island residents complained. One resident said: “I think the EA have made a dreadful mistake in allowing the hydro experiment, however well meaning it was intended to be. The hydro below Osney Mill was already established and working fairly well. The land between the island and the lock has never looked worse. The weirs that it has displaced were effective controls to the river’s flow.

“As to the building itself? Words fail me. Ski lift?
Will it’s output heat a kettle for the workers in the EA yard where the output is now directed?

“I have enjoyed boating on the Thames for about 40 years. I dare to suggest that I understand it a little. Oh for the Thames Conservatory, how they are missed! J”.

Ray who manages the Lock, could not be contacted at press time.

Oxford City Council gives power station plan the nod

The Said Business School (SBS) has revealed details about its plans for the Old Power Station in Arthur Street and it seems that chief planning officer Murray Hancock, Bob Price leader of Oxford City Council and Roger Harmsworth all seem agreed that it is a “good thing”.

(See Said Business School makes bid for Old Power Station and  Old Power Station seems to have a use.)

There is a public meeting about the SBS plans on the 13th of May.

SBS wants to turn the Old Power Station into a place that will provide short term residential accommodation for 160 students and other stuff. The students will be business suits and not undergraduates.

“Consultation” with local residents will precede several months of architectural planning with planning permission folllowing in mid 2016 and then a couple of years building the wing. The frontage of the building is Grade II listed.

Knocking bits down and building this wing will be an interesting logistical exercise given that access to the proposed site will be a bit net.

These screen shots from Google Earth show the area. The wine glass represents the Kite pub, on the corner of Mill Street and Russell Street. The Old Power Station is next to the river with the white roof. in the first screen shot, below.

An eighteen months to two year build will considerably disrupt the people who live round here. 

Screen Shot 2015-05-03 at 08.14.11 Screen Shot 2015-05-03 at 08.16.16 Screen Shot 2015-05-03 at 08.19.51

The bench has moved at Osney Island but the geese remain the same

DESPITE A TORRENTIAL downpour this evening, we managed to capture a wonderful pic of how crap Oxford City Council is. Bowing under pressure, to a local,  the apparatchiks bowed to pressure and moved a bench, in a post preposition that would ensure any man+dog would gaze left, rather than right!  What is on the right to see that made Crappy Oxford City Council move the bench? We are investigating with our powerful 42X digicam and our Freedom of Information stuff. It must have cost something to move! ♥

geese

Oxford’s Mill Street in 1901 begins to be revealed

HERE, in the very house where I live right now, in 2012 on Mill Street, in Oxford, lived a couple in 1901, according to the census records.

Francis William Wooldridge, head of the family, lived here with his missus Ellen and at that time too their neice, Ellen aged 10 also lived in what then was a two up, two down with  a scullery space and bog outside. Francis was a railway guard, according to the 1901 census. He was a railway guard 10 years on.

The house in Mill Street was firmly established as being in Osney – not “New Osney” as the estate agents call it. Mill Street is the original Osney, see the Miller’s Tale, for example. A story of adultery in the aboriginal Osney Island, where the river flowed before the railway was built.

Next door, at number 26, lived the Quicks in 1901.  They had many sons and when I saw the entry I thought to myself the Great War (to end all wars) must have loomed large in the Quicks’ existence a bit further on.

At number 28 lived the Bowells – the head of the family was 64, Sarah was 59 and they had a son aged 19, called Mark, according to the census.

Francis and Ellen Wooldridge were still here 10 years on. He worked for the Great Western Railway and according to the census she was born in Shillingford while he had as the place of arising Worcester, Stonebridge.

Both the Wooldridges were born in 1869. The Kite pub was rebuilt in 1904 for reasons as yet unascertained…