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Parking Restriction – OCC proposed variations

Oxfordshire County Council have launched their consultation on proposed variations to parking restrictions and new road markings including:

• new ‘No Waiting at Any Time’ restrictions (double yellow lines) will be introduced on parts of: the A40 Overbridge, Church Road, Farm Close Road, Holloway Road, Howe Close, Kelham Hall Drive, Ladder Hill, Littleworth Road, London Road, Morland Close, Park Hill, Simon’s Close, Station Road, Templars Close, and Westfield Road,
• the existing advisory ‘School Keep Clear’ (zig-zag markings) on Littleworth Road will be upgraded to enforceable ‘No Stopping on school entrance markings Mondays to Fridays 8am-9am and 2.30pm-3.30pm’,
• amendments to existing Parking Places will include:
  – new Permit holders* only ‘Mondays to Fridays 9am to 4pm’ on Bell Lane,
  – the existing time-limited bays on High Street are proposed to be altered to ‘Shared’ parking between Permit holders only & short-stay parking for up to 1 hour, no return within 1 hour, on ‘Mondays to Fridays 9am to 4pm

Copies of the documents are available below or can be viewed in the parish office, during parish surgeries, or at other times, by prior arrangement:

• Draft order for no waiting and permitted parking 
• Public notice – parking restrictions
• Statement of reasons – parking restrictions
• Proposed plan – village centre
• Proposed plan – Littleworth & Park Hill

Consultation is open now until Friday 19th April 2024. To share your comments please visit  https://letstalk.oxfordshire.gov.uk/wheatley_parking2024

Public Meeting – Wheatley Parish Council have also organised a public meeting; 6.30-7.15, on Monday 8th April, in the Merry Bells, before the April parish council meeting. OCC Cllr Tim Bearder and WPC Cllr Peter Ramsdale will be leading the meeting, so please do come along to find out more, before you submit your comments to OCC.

Celebrating Volunteer Awards 2023 –

On Saturday 16th December 2023 we held our awards event, celebrating the great work undertaken by many of our home-grown volunteers.

• Emma Wilson Parish Awards – Isabel & Grace Collinson, Henry Tully, Keyla Helsby
• Community Award (individual) – David Harverson, Jennifer Newton, Val Farmer
• Community Award (organisation) – Wheatley First Responders, Wheatley Society,
• Wheatley 1st Brownies, URC/Good Neighbour Scheme,  Sustainable Wheatley,
• Environmental Volunteer – Wendy Stanton
• Neighbour of the year – Deb Bale & Good Neighbour Scheme, Alison Sercombe. 

Congratulations to all those who were nominated and thank you to those who made the nominations. If you know of someone who deserves to be recognised, keep an eye out for details of the 2024 awards, later this year.

Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan Referendum Result 2023

Wheatley Parish Council is pleased to announce that the local referendum to accept the enhancements to the Wheatley Neighbourhood Plan produced a positive result, (514 votes for Yes, 72 for No with 1 void ballot paper, 16.39% turnout)

Both Wheatley Parish Council and South Oxfordshire District Council, as the local planning authority will  use the revised plan and new design codes in their planning discussions and decision making processes.

Wheatley Parish Council is grateful to the Neighbourhood Plan Committee, led by John Fox and Roy Gordon for getting us to this point and for their work over the last eight years.

Wheatley Parish Council will continue to follow the developments of the Joint Local Plan between South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils and will consider when further reviews may be necessary, in the coming months or years.

Update – Improvements to parking and highways in Wheatley

Following decisions in 2022 to ask Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to review parking and road markings in the village, Wheatley Parish Council have been working in collaboration with OCC, through its Traffic Working Group on this topic. OCC have now completed their review of key areas of Wheatley and have made some proposals:

• Map 1 – Church Rd, Westfield Rd, Holloway Rd, High St, Crown Sq, Bell Ln, Station Rd, Farm Close Rd, Simon’s Cl, Howe Cl, Kelham Hall Dr, Ladder Hill
• Map 2 – Littleworth Rd, London Rd (west), Park Hill, Westfield Rd, Holloway Rd, and western sections of High St, Church Rd

Following a public meeting and consideration by Wheatley Parish Council, further suggestions have been made and await the final plans as part of Oxfordshire County Council’s formal consultation, in 2024.

Please note Wheatley Parish Council are not the highway authority and as such do not have the powers to make any changes to the highways. This is the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council (OCC).

Update – permissive footpath through Littleworth Allotments

Thank you to everyone who responded to this consultation and shared their comments.
Wheatley Parish Council have agreed to extending access along the permissive, footpath, once work has been carried out. We will provide further updates in the coming months.

Strategic Objectives for 2023-2027

Whilst we work on the main Strategic Plan, members have agreed the council’s strategic objectives for the next four years. Objectives cover three priority areas:

• Cimate change – carbon neutral buildings, planting and management of council land and improving public access to open spaces
• Supporting the village – roads, parking and vehicles, implementing emergency plan and supporting community events
• Improving accessibility, inclusivity and wellbeing – Developing services for young people, wellbeing and improving communication channnels.

If you would like to help drive improvements, deliver our projects and ensure we remain accountable to the community, please consider joining the parish council, there are vacancies and we would love to hear from you.
To find out more about this intersting role, where you can make a real difference in your community, please visit our councillor vacancy and eligibility page.

Parish Council still seeking new members!

If you are looking for a warm space to visit, have a warm drink or a chat Wheatley Warm Spaces are here for you.

Don’t forget, Wheatley Community Larder is open every Thursday from 2.30pm offering free staple and fresh foods.

Oxfordshire County Council are offering local and national support please visit www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/living or visit your local library

If you need energy saving advice, please visit www.bhbh.org.uk 

South Oxfordshire District Council have a dedicated team who can help you, please call 01235 422600 or email communitysupport@southandvale.gov.uk

Signing up to Civility and Respect Pledge

Wheatley Parish Council have signed the Civility and Respect Pledge, affirming now is the time to put Civility and Respect at the Top of the Agenda and start a culture change for the local council sector.

Civility & Respect pledge acknowledging that Wheatley Parish Council has signed the pledge