Agenda item

To receive questions relating to the Town of Witney which may be asked by any Witney resident.

Notice of such matters would be appreciated and should be sent to the Town Clerk.

Further to the updates from Committee Chairs, the Mayor opened the floor to questions from the public. All were asked to provide their name and home road name before asking their questions.

Q1.        In respect of the recently submitted North Witney Development planning application how do Witney Town Council deal with the lengthy technical documentation that is submitted as part of the application, such as the flooding analysis reports?

Cllr A Bailey, as Chair of the Council’s Climate, Biodiversity & Planning Committee, advised that along with Cllr R Smith they represented the Town Council along with representatives from other neighbouring parishes, on the Witney Infrastructure Neighbourhood Group (WING)  who were working collaboratively to seek the best outcome for residents on the North Witney Development in respect of the impact not only on flood risk, but on all aspects of the development that may affect current and future residents.

He encouraged residents to submit their comments to the planning authority (West Oxfordshire District Council - WODC).

The Mayor then read three questions out which had been submitted by residents ahead of the meeting.

Q2.        Regarding the proposed housing development between Woodstock Road and Hailey Road. Witney is already struggling from a lack of full and proper provision of services and facilities. Now I read that the developer consortium of this proposed estate will not be required to build the West End Relief Road as previously agreed.  Considering this development is forecasting 1250 new homes, this would strike most logical people as being a very poor deal for the existing residents of Witney. I request that a full public consultation be conducted in relation to the West End Link Road being a non-negotiable requirement of this development if planning permission is granted.

Cllr R Smith responded and explained that she was aware of the Witney Gazette article that had recently been published in which it was reported the developers had removed details of the link road from their proposal. Witney Town Council would meet to discuss the application soon however, it was important to note that the development fell in the parish of Hailey and that the parish councils were only a consultee in the planning process, the overall decision would be made by WODC.

In respect of flooding risk, she explained that the engineers engaged by the developers had said they would deal with the flooding risks, and though she was sceptical of their comments to date, it would be something the Town Council would represent the views of residents on as well as reviewing the opinion of the other technical consultees.

Cllr Smith also clarified that Oxfordshire County Council had not yet made a final decision on the link road and they may well demand the building of it. She also expected that there would be further public consultation as the planning proposal progressed.

A resident asked if consideration had been given to building the link road to the top of Deer Park Road rather than the proposed Woodford Way. Cllr D Enright responded in his capacity as a County Councillor and explained that many options for the link road had been considered and presented however, the link to Woodford Way was favoured as it provided the most direct route.

Cllr Enright finished by encouraging, as Cllrs Smith & Bailey had, for all present to submit their comments to WODC as the planning authority and that they should contact Town, District & Country councillors if they had any further questions as the plans advanced. This was also something which was reiterated later in the meeting by Cllr M Brooker (WODC) as chair of the Lowlands Planning Committee, he emphasised the importance of residents submitting their views as these were all read by the planning officers when considering the application.

Q3.         Why are many thousands of pounds spent on plant bunkers, flower beds, white imitation gates on the roads into the town and other numerous unnecessary projects?

The Mayor responded to explain that the Town Council carried out the work of planting across the town as an act of Civic Pride, in his opinion the town looked better for a “splash of colour” and believed that the council team did an excellent job with the land they manage this included  the areas of wildflower planting such as the roundabout at Welch Way as these provide pollinating and bee friendly areas.

Q4.        In Corn Street between the traffic calming humps by Sue Ryder shop and Marlborough Lane in the day, but especially at night vehicles parked cause problems for traffic. Buses are affected worse than small cars. There should be double yellow lines on both sides of the road and if there are already lines they need repainting.

Inspector Ball from Thames Valley Police responded to say that yellow lines were in place however parking enforcement was managed by OCC; He would raise the issues in Corn Street when he next met with them.

Q5.        Are shops allowed to ban school children from entering their premises whilst in school uniform or resist them to only entering in individually or maximum of two at a time? With the lack of facilities after school this does not seem fair.

Inspector Ball confirmed that shop owners were allowed to restrict access in order to protect their livelihoods, they were not breaking any law by doing so. He sympathised as the majority of children in groups were simply gathering to have a chat and were not always responsible for causing issues; it was the incorrect perception of others that lead to this feeling.

The Mayor explained the action taken by the Town Council to support youth services in the town such as the new detached youth programme it has financed, and the refurbished wheeled sports park which would be opening at the end of that week. He finished by thanking the resident for their question and challenging those present not to stigmatise or judge “young people for being young people” and to make them feel welcome as part of the community.

Q6.        If No Mow May regime is due to be followed again this year is there the possibility of improvements as last year Welch Way for left for some time, could more be done to present these areas better, perhaps with more wildflower planting?

Cllr D Enright, responded by saying that as a Member of the Town, District and County Councils he accepted that getting all three and private owners of grassed areas to work together was a struggle however, he believed this was closer than ever before. The Town Council did a great job of the areas it was responsible for however, if it were to take on more areas under its remit  this would require it being financed from the other stakeholders.

He reported that OCC had agreed to cut the verges twice this year and would ask that all Councils focus on ensuring that long grass at junctions and footpaths were well maintained.

Lastly, he praised the residents that had taken action to improve the area around their own properties whether that was by litter picking, gutter clearance or maintenance of small areas, though he acknowledged this should not be expected of them as it remains the responsibility of the various Councils.

A resident asked later in the meeting that thought be given to reduce the heaps of grass that were left following the cutting of areas that had been left to grow longer, perhaps using machinery that can mulch the grass as it cuts. The Mayor advised these points would be passed on.

Q7.        What does the Town Council do with the flowers that it removes from the planted beds around the Town?

The Mayor advised that these were offered to individuals and groups for them to replant, usually by notice on social media if in an acceptable condition. Should any residents wish to receive any they were welcome.

Q8.         Following the theme of the umbrella at Marriotts Walk last year what is planned for this year?

Cllr Enright advised umbrellas would be the theme again this year, however they would be in a different pattern and would be treated to ensure they did not fade over the summer months.

Q9.        When will the work at West Witney Sports & Social Club commence? What is the cost of the works?

Cllr Smith advised that, at the request of the Club, work would commence in the Autumn of 2024, subject to financing being agreed. The expected cost was £600- 800k which would be financed by either a community ownership grant, the same as received for the redevelopment of The Leys, or by the Council taking on a public works loan, or a mixture of both. The Council had budgeted for the loan so this option would not delay the project.

She also confirmed that the expediated work at The Leys had resulted in the relocation of the Works Depot to the West Witney area and officers would continue to search for a permanent location. This had however resulted in additional unforeseen costs to these two large scale projects.

Q10.      Witney is proud to be a Fairtrade town and an event is planned to mark the 30-year anniversary  in September. Would the Town Council be happy to provide support?

The Mayor agreed the Council would be delighted to provide support to the organisers and welcomed them to get in contact with Officers to discussed what the council could do. It was also noted that Witney was registered as the 1,000th Fairtrade town.

Q11.      Please can you update on the Shores Green development?

Cllr Enright was able to update that the delay had been due to an enquiry held by the Planning Inspectorate following objections being registered by the owners of the land that the new road junction would be built on. The landowners did not attend the enquiry and therefore a decision was swiftly made to proceed with the project. He hoped that work would commence in 2024 with completion in 2025.

Q12.      Many of the paths are overgrown and make cycling difficult, what can be done?

The Mayor asked that these be reported to the Council so action could be taken; this was not limited to  paths, but any areas that would benefit from tiding up, new grit bins etc.  The responsible council could then be chased up to action if it is an area that the Town Council did not control.

In response Cllr Andrew Coles (OCC) thanked the Town Council for carrying out works that it did not have to do, such as the support provided to Riverside Gardens who appreciated the help with flood prevention by way of filling and arranging sandbags to protect their properties.

Q13.      What is the Town Council doing to use its powers to find additional allotment sites to meet the demand, as the current waiting list sits at around 200? And what is done to encourage social use of the allotments by the community collectively and by those with additional needs?

Cllr Smith explained that new allotment sites were a result of new developments however, accepted that both the Town and District Councils could look at exploring the options outside of these developments.

Cllr R Crouch advised the most recent addition to the Council’s allotments portfolio at the Windrush Estate has raised beds for use by those with reduced mobility, as well as having an area that was utilised by the school and acknowledged the importance to support their use.