Month: March 2022

Number 17 Bus Service during the road closure (from 28 March)

We have now had confirmation that the bus service will continue during the closure of Bicester Road (from 28 March).
 
The buses will enter Launton via Blackthorn Road, then turn right into Station Road, setting down opposite the bus shelter, then stopping and turning round at the bus stop in Blenheim Drive (as the S5 used to do).  The bus will then stop at the bus shelter and exit Launton via Blackthorn Road.
So, at the moment only these two stops will be served, but there may be the possibility of adding a temporary stop on Blackthorn Road.

This is the revised time table

Road Closures March 2022

The Parish Council recognises that it has been a very difficult time traffic-wise in the village over the last few months.  The increase in traffic has been exacerbated by the works on the A41 to build the roundabout near Ambrosden; unfortunately, it was not possible to stop the traffic coming through the village as the road is a public highway.

As you’ll now know, Station Road was opened on Saturday 12 March, albeit with a 40mph speed restriction over the bridge, because Oxfordshire County Council required more work to be done to extend the barriers before it was finally approved.

The Bicester Road will be closed at the railway bridge for more work (including putting in safety barriers) for eight weeks from 28 March until 27 May.  This is two weeks more than advertised because it was found that more safety work is needed.  Contrary to the first leaflet distributed by East West Rail, pedestrian access WILL be maintained over the bridge and we have been assured that there will also be temporary traffic lights on the Blackthorn Road junction with the A41.

Meanwhile, the road to Marsh Gibbon from the northern Station Road crossroads will be closed from 14 March until 17 June so that the new railway bridge can be installed.

All enquiries or comments about any of the East West Rail works should go to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk

Council Tax and Parish Council Precept 2022/23

The Parish Council considered the detailed budget and the Precept request (the amount the Parish Council requires for meeting the expenses of running the Council) for the year 2022 / 23 at the meeting on 6 January.

The budget of £36,621 was agreed – (a decrease from £45,520).  This took into account the range of Parish responsibilities including village grass cutting and weed spraying, the dog bin emptying, meeting costs, saving for replacement street furniture, road safety, reserves and the Parish Hall project.

The Parish had been given the Tax Base figure (broadly, the number of Band D equivalent dwellings in the village) by CDC which was estimated at 566.4; this was an increase from 536.3 the previous year.  Following the calculations, it was agreed to increase the Precept to £29,895 which was an increase of £6,899.  The annual cost to a Band D household would be approximately £52.98 – an increase of £9.90 over the whole year.

However, it is worth noting that the Band D equivalent for a resident of Bicester for 21/22 was £131.94.

More information about how the Tax Base figure is calculated is available on the Parish Council website at Financing the Parish Council

For anyone interested, the draft budget and precept calculations can be found on the Parish Council website under the January Items for Information at https://www.launton-pc.gov.uk/agenda-and-minutes/2021-2022-agenda-and-minutes/

Station Road Opening

EWR is pleased to announce that Station Road will open during the afternoon of Saturday 12 March.
There are still some works outstanding, but the Oxfordshire County Council Highways team has agreed that it can open with a 40mph speed restriction over the bridge until everything has been completed.
As usual, all enquiries about the project should be directed to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk