Last week brought floods, explosions, fire, and traffic jams.

Some old Abingdonians were disturbed and sat upright thinking they heard the old town calling them to duty. But it was too strange. The long line of traffic meant nothing to them.

Gordon Roger’s last front page as the Abingdon reporter was about the Almshouses needing £1m. Reroofing +. Gordon may have been the last journalist dedicated to reporting exclusively on Abingdon. He talked to people: getting to know what was going on. He became part of the order of the town.

The graves have been settled down again, and secured, and await reconsecration. But it was like a warning things are getting out of order.

Next door to Busy Bee are two shops that have been empty for a considerable while. They were both charity shops. The far one was the Red Cross Shop. The near one was the Animal Sanctuary and the Co-op funeral service. Both have a sign TO LET. Both have ‘Under Offer’.

One of them is looking to change from retail to financial and professional services (banks, lawyers, betting offices, estate agents, media etc) and seeks planning permission.

Another retail area looking for a change is the upstairs floors of what was Dawsons. They are seeking permission to change from retail to residential.

After about thirty years of trading the Busy Bee is to close at the end of the month. Sad but true.

The traffic up West St Helen Street is partly to blame. People are less inclined to stop their car to pick up a paper and loose their place in the angry traffic queue.

The legal papers have all been signed. The Old Gaol’s big secret is out. The details of the chosen developer, and three other contenders are on the Vale Web Site. 18 comments were added within the hour on the Abingdon Herald web site – a record. Most said ‘Not more housing.’

The winning developer is Abingdon based Cranbourne Homes. You may have already seen their signs at the ex Ambulance Station and the ex Crossroads Garage. They have now added to their portfolio the ex Police Station and Old Gaol. Their offices are to be found in the courtyard behind the Brewery Tap in Ock Street.

Cranbourne Homes also own, and will be developing the adjoining Twickenham House at the same time as the Old Gaol complex to provide 61 homes in total. There will also be 14 units of affordable housing at Harcourt Way. A certain percent needs to be affordable in any development, and it appears that the rules allow them to be split across two locations.

Homes are the main business of Cranbourne Homes. But at the old Gaol there will also be:

• Five to six restaurants and shops
• Relocation of the Abingdon Bridge youth drop in centre to part of the Old Police Station on site
• Access to the riverside garden through the ground floor of the Old Gaol, and side access from East St Helen Street.
  

So it could have been worse. It could have been all hotel and housing with a small area for local people to show their handicraft. It looks like the best one of the four schemes was chosen. But read the Wikipedia entry about Abingdon “For a town of its size, Abingdon is somewhat bereft of leisure facilities. The Regal Cinema closed in the 1980…etc etc…”

This is another chance gone.