Planning Update - 179 Kingston Rd.

St John’s College has now submitted a fresh application for demolition and redevelopment of 179 Kingston Road (the former Party Shop on the corner of St Bernard’s Road), through their advisers Savills. Residents will remember that a previous application was publicised in November 2022 and withdrawn after a lot of local objections. The new application and supporting plans and reports are available on the Council’s website under application no 24/01309/FUL. The last date for public comment is 11 July.

The proposal is now for 4x1 bedroom flats and 1x2 bedroom flat (previously 6 in total). The roofline has been reduced in height at the northern end, and the design is more traditional with the exterior separated into 2 parts. The finish will be red and buff brickwork.

There will still be some loss of light for the rear gardens at 48 and 49 St Bernard’s Road. The new windows facing in that direction have been designed to avoid loss of privacy there.

The new building is to be “car free”. “Green” features include heat pumps, and solar panels on the rear roof of the northern section and the flat roof of the southern section.

For further information, please contact Bryan Pickup or Helena Webster via the Walton Manor Residents Association website.

Also on planning matters:

We have objected to an application for a dormer window at 165A Kingston Road, on the corner of Leckford Road, due to its proposed size and visibility.

An appeal has been lodged against refusal of an application for a replacement rear and side extension at 73 Plantation Road. WMRA did not object to the original proposal.

Planning permission has been granted for a revised scheme for refurbishment and rear extension at 25 Farndon Road. The previous proposal for a new side entrance/extension has been dropped.

Groups get together to discuss neighbourhood wide issues.

At the invitation of the St Margaret’s Area Society (SMAS), a meeting of Residents’ Groups in the area was held on Friday evening 14 June 2024. James Fry, City Councillor and President of the SMAS, was the convenor and took the chair.

Around 14 representatives from 12 organisations attended, including Maggie Black(Chair) and Helena Webster (Planning) from the Walton Manor Residents’ Association. The others, apart from SMAS, were street- or housing development-based groups, including Hayfield Road, Burgess Mead, North Parade, Parktown, Linton Road, Waterside and Waterways.

James Fry’s purpose in bringing us together was to facilitate links where there are issues of common concern. Every representative described their group and its main issues. Some only affect one or two groups: the Phil and Jim chimes, for example, the North Parade day-time closure and ‘What will happen to The Anchor’?

The two areas of concern most raised were Planning and Traffic reduction measures. Installation of heat pumps and environmental modifications to housing were also of interest across the board. Each group was invited to put forward the names of link people for each theme with the purpose of leasing with each other in future. WMRA Helena Webster and Bryan Pickup for Planning and Housing, Godfrey Cole for Traffic and emissions. It was also agreed that a future inter-group meeting might address one of these themes specifically.

Some groups, including WMRA, emphasised their role as an information channel to residents via Newsletter and Website, rather than adopting a particular line on any given concern. All groups reported diversity of views within their ranks.

Finally James Fry invited groups to engage with the forthcoming Canal Festival on 21 September.

Administrator Wanted - Jericho Community Centre.

The current administrator, the wonderful Sue Pead, is retiring after 18 years of service. The Jericho Community Association is therefore looking for someone who can undertake this diverse and interesting job.
For further information, please click on this link
https://www.jerichocentre.org.uk/association/jca_notices_item/administrator

Hoping that summer may finally be on the horizon....
The WMRA Committee