New leisure centre plans unveiled
Residents are being given the first glimpse of proposals for the Vale's new £18.8m leisure centre.
The first 3D images for the Wantage and Grove centre have been published ahead of a public consultation opening tomorrow (7th September)
However, the graphics showing cubic blocks and glass frontages, are concepts only and it wants resident to tell it how the new centre should look.
The new leisure centre is great news for everyone in Wantage, Grove and the surrounding area and I encourage people to have their say on our proposals to help ensure we get it right for the local area.
Find out more on the council's website and take part in the consultation from Thursday 7th September at www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/leisureforwantageandgrove
Vale residents' survey - the results!
Thank you to everyone who took part in last months survey about priorities for the Vale District Council. The feedback has been extremely positive and I am grateful for all of the individual comments and suggests which will help us to develop future policy.
The top three priorities for those who responded were
- delivering infrastructure to support new development;
- grass cutting, weed killing and street cleanliness;
- supporting local shops and businesses
A majority of those who took part rated their satisfaction with Vale council services at 7 or more out of 10. The survey has also highlighted areas where more needs to be done to improve services for residents.
Work set to begin on £1.3million Abbey Meadow pool refurbishment
Work will begin shortly to refurbish the much-loved outdoor pool in Abingdon’s Abbey Meadow.
The £1.3million project will see the small pool combined with the larger pool to create a beach-style walk in area, allowing easy access to the water for young children or those with disabilities, and a deep-water area for more experienced swimmers.
The work is expected to take around 28 weeks to complete with the pool due to open, weather permitting, in time for the 2018 summer season. It will be carried out by Vincent Stokes who specialise in building and refurbishing swimming pools and other leisure facilities and have worked with a number of high profile national leisure providers.
This investment, along with the other improvements to the wider Abbey Meadow area, will help make this a must-visit venue.
New 4* hotel planned for Milton Gate
Welcoming the investment at Milton Gate, Matthew Barber, Leader of White Horse District Council said, "I am delighted by Marriott’s investment at Milton Gate and are pleased that Local Development Orders are helping businesses invest in Science Vale area. The hotel will be ideally situated for visitors coming to the science organisations based at Harwell, Milton Park and Culham and will allow easy access into Didcot and Oxford.”
Construction has commenced on a new 4-star Marriott Courtyard hotel at Milton Gate, the gateway to Milton Park in South Oxfordshire. The hotel will be the first 4-star luxury hotel with conference facilities to be developed in the region for over 20 years and will help address the current shortage of overnight accommodation. Completion is anticipated to complete in Autumn 2018.
Electoral registration update
People across the Vale of White Horse have been sent a yellow letter explaining that residents are required to confirm who currently lives in their property. Vale of White Horse District Council need this information to make sure everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so in future elections.
As soon as residents get their yellow letter they should visit householdresponse.com/southandvale to confirm or update their details.
Important – each household will need to confirm, even if all the details are correct.
By confirming immediately, residents avoid receiving a reminder yellow letter over the next coming months and will help save money for the councils. If a household doesn’t respond to the second letter, the councils will contact them by telephone or may have to visit properties this autumn to obtain the correct information.
Science Vale UK surpasses Thames Valley
Science Vale UK and Oxford are outperforming other locations in the Thames Valley for new businesses moving into the area according to an independent report.
According to the report by Lambert Smith Hampton, take-up remained solid at 258,000 square foot for both Science Vale and Oxford, of which 42,000 was at Milton Park and 14,000 was occupied at Harwell. Both of these sites are set to continue to attract more businesses by speculatively building new office and laboratory space. Immunocore Ltd, a world-leading T-cell receptor company, recently announced further expansion at Milton Park with an extra 53,000 square foot.
Matthew Barber, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council said: “Science Vale UK has the highest concentration of science research facilities and development activity in Western Europe and this report clearly demonstrates that organisations are excited to move here.
“Within the Science Vale UK region, are two enterprise zones. The zones offer discounted business rates and can help a qualifying organisation to save up to £55,000 a year in business rates for five years. This, along with fast-track planning approval, have been the important foundations of success for the whole region.”
£175,000 available to improve local facilities – apply now!
Communities across the Vale of White Horse that are looking to improve local facilities can benefit from a share of £175,000 that is available from the district council.
The money can help fund a variety of facilities and improvements like building new skate parks or play areas, upgrading sports pavilions, improving a community hall or purchasing life-saving defibrillators.
The current round of applications closes at 4pm on 15 October and awards will be confirmed within 12 weeks.
For more information, visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/grants or contact the team at [email protected] or on 01235 422405.
Hundreds raised as family fun is the icing on the cake at Chairman’s charity event
A cupcake sale and family fun afternoon organised by Vale of White Horse District Council’s Chairman has raised £190 for two charities.
Chairman Cllr Reg Waite hosted the event at the Northern Neighbourhood Community Centre, on Didcot’s Great Western Park. All proceeds from money raised will go to the Chairman’s two chosen charities for 2017/18 – the Children’s Air Ambulance and Alzheimer’s Society.