Abingdon-on-Thames Town council would like to invite residents to share their thoughts about how Abingdon should develop over the next few years, leading to the creation of a Community Led Plan. As part of this process, there are two drop in events this September:
* Abbey buildings – Tuesday September 5th from 4:00 – 7:00 pm
* Preston Road Community Centre – Saturday September 16th 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
If you are unable to go to an event you can still give your views by completing a survey. More information at http://abingdon.gov.uk/partners/community-led-plan in due course.
Topics for thought might include requirements for community facilities and services, suggestions for improving the environment, ideas for sports and leisure activities and local transport
and local provision for young people (over and above the spontaneous gatherings playing with mobile phones).
The process will be supported by the Town Council but a key role will be taken by local volunteers who will do the real work.
Saw this in an Abingdon blog. More fly tipping to come
Please be aware that as from the 1st October there will be new charges at all of the HWRCs dumps for “DIY” waste including soil, fence panels….there will also be an increase in fly tipping no doubt…
Please note part filled bags are charged the same price as full one. A bag is 25kgs of waste.
oh and the small print on the bottom…other DIY items liable to be charged…which leaves it open to misinterpretation dependant on the operative…
Skirting, old floorcboards, decking off cuts, etc etc expect to be charged…
Back to the original topic – this is an opportunity for all of us to have direct input in to the way the town’s amenities and environment develop – hopefully a lot of us who regularly comment on here will take the opportunity to get involved. These two events are just the start – the process needs people of all ages and tastes to join in so that it doesn’t get left to the “usual suspects”.
I was a usual suspect at the South Abingdon Development plan filling in forms and putting forward my ideas. I will no be wasting my time this time round.
It did make me chuckle today, to read this.. And remember all the posts I have commented on where change has been promised, and new ideas to reinvent Abingdon, or reinvigorate the town centre.. But then to walk through in daylight today for the first time in a few months.. It’s exactly the same. Same old charity shops, same old hairdressers/barbers same old people walking around all unhappy and just well.. Abingdonians! I was with visitors from Liverpool and Cheltenham today, and they commented on how run down and delapidated parts of the town were. Don’t get me wrong, they did comment on the fine architecture of certain buildings etc.. But most of the chat over dinner was ‘its a shame this isn’t…’ and ‘wouldn’t it be nice if…’
Change really does need to happen. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Young people are moving away from Abingdon.. And that is your key consumer base for the high street stores which bring with them employment and tax rates that pay for better facilities. Oh.. And slightly off topic, people really need to get over this ‘covenent’ over fairacres. If M&S want to build there.. Do it!! You turn them down.. Abingdon declines even further.
It’s your town.. Fight for what you want, don’t just sit here and moan about it.
unknownelement – pot kettle springs to mind, telling people not to moan yet do that exactly yourself? What have you done about it? Perhaps you could call up Iain Nicholson from the Independent Shops Project (01869 350322) and give him your pearls of wisdom
Sums it up use it or lose iit, just don’t complain if you haven’t been to the town centre for months.
In my humble opinion I would sadly have to agree with unknownelement, the promise of a lovely charter development with a supermarket and new car park never happened, the Guildhall sits there still with nothing moving on, the building next to it with lead been taken off the roof, Bath Street just a place for lines of cabs to sit, crazy covenents only benefiting Tesco. All this while Didcot ploughs ahead. Mind you they don’t have a river, so we’re just fine.
I agree, what’s the point of this? Just another waiste of money, I find it farcical that those who we appoint to run things for us and who purport to represent us have the nerve to “seek our opinion” by way of these stupid events, then ignore all we’ve said/feel?
I went to every meeting about Morland Garden, so did my councillor and my MP, but we, ( and our MP) were ignored!
Today there’s a planning application on the vales web site to turn the empty office block in Stert street into 32 flats, no parking, ? How can we be served so appallingly?
@steve & @elsie, I’m not moaning.. Just pointing out the facts. I have now vacated Abingdon, and only return for work. Which thankfully keeps me away from the town centre with all of its traffic, and lack of actual shops that the average person would like to buy from.. I mean peacocks.. Come on! My generation would never set foot in a peacocks because it’s overpriced tat. And yes, I know it’s supposed to be a ‘value’ store for the family, but the clothing lines in there are straight out of the late 80’s.
The town.. Just with that one shop is showing its flagging, it’s showing that the best it can get is a shop geared up for people in the retirement age or more.. which very soon I fear will be the average age of an abingdonian. I genuinely like Abingdon as a whole, but there are just too many bad sides that let it down.. Namely the town Council.
You know you’ve got it bad.. When lots of people say they would prefer to live in Didcot than Abingdon. I know people will say they don’t want to on here.. The normal comment-puppets on here who berate anyone who says a bad word about their beloved town. But Abingdon will soon be one big care home/assisted living home with a dilapidated shopping area and a view of the river*.
*view of the river is not guaranteed, any upset that comes from having no view of the river due to poor planning permission/invasion of barbers shops is not the liability of the poster. Speak to the VOWH council/Abingdon town council/homeless Dave who lives down near the cricket club.
FYI. I am neither homeless nor do I live near the cricket club…Although, being an Abingdonian, I think it would be nice if those in charge, got a grip and cleaned the place up, it has such a scruffy appearance these days.
How Abingdon should develop over the next few years – How about improving cycle paths, unlike the one to Drayton that has been wrecked.
One thing everyone should be aware of is the plans for toilet facilities in Abbey Meadow… they are replacing the toilets (yeh!), but 7 loos will become just 4 individual unisex cubicles… a massive downgrade. Just think of the queues if there were four portaloos. Even worse, the babychange tables are inside the loos, so even longer queues.
None of the facilities will meet the upgraded accessibility standards due out next year.
There will be no provision for disabled children…at an inclusive playground (boo!).
There is a safeguarding risk of adults forcing their way into individual cubicles with children and for nefarious activities to occur in the private quiet unisex cubicles. Two of the doors will be on the Mill stream side and there will be decorative panels further obscuring line of sight.
How do you take more than 1 child to the toilet without leaving the others outside on their own?
We need at least 6 women’s and 4 men’s traditional stall-type toilets plus urinals, we need a changing places facility on a radar key will full disabled access. We need four changing rooms, two in men’s two in women’s, and four baby changing tables. We need to future proof these toilets for an expanding population and and increasingly popular park! They need to be accessible to everyone.
Please comment on the survey and contact your local councilor if you agree that Abingdon deserves better. Thanks Naomi