HERE ON Mill Street, I take a long and hard look at the local 
community 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. ♣
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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
Just a few weeks back, when the weather was fair, I took a walk, five minutes from where I live on Mill Street, and noticed a little yellow sign on the way to Port Meadow. It is an application for student flats close to Fiddler’s Island, according to a letter by Julian Le Vay, who according to the Oxford Mail, lives in Abbey Road.
