The East West Rail team is pleased to announce that the bridge over the railway to the north of Station Road is nearing completion.
One of the final major tasks is to surface the road – which they hope to do during week beginning 14 February.
The agreement has always been that the EWR HGV traffic would not come through the village. However, due to the nature of the operation, the EWR team has requested a short temporary change to the agreement so that the ‘tarmac’ trucks can enter the village from the A41 and turn right up Station Road to the site and then return the same way.
There will be about 15 HGVs a day for no more than three days that week.
We have been assured that traffic marshals will be stationed at the Station Road crossroads and further up Station Road for the safety of all.
We realise that this is not ideal, but would also like to work with the EWR team so that the bridge can be opened soon.
As usual, all enquiries should go to publicinformation@ewralliance.co.uk
Bicester Heritage will be opening their doors again from 9am until 2pm on Sunday 24 April.
Their April Scramble promises visitors the chance to experience historic motoring at its best, through a curated display of classic cars, open workshop doors and lots of surprises for the family along the way.
You will be able to visit the 45 industry-leading specialist businesses based in their restored historic buildings at Bicester Heritage. Family and dog friendly, the Scramble is a wonderful way to while away the weekend hours in the company of some spectacular machines, in a COVID-compliant setting.
Local residents and their families are more than welcome to attend the event and make the most of a 50% discount on full price tickets. Please contact the Bicester Heritage team via their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/BicesterHeritage) for a local resident’s code, or alternatively the events team can be reached on: events@bicestermotion.com
Their proposed Scramble dates for the rest of 2022 are 19 June and 9 October. Keep an eye on the Bicester Heritage website and social media pages for the latest information and release of tickets.
Did you know that what3words could save a life?
What3Words has mapped the world in three metre squares and designated three unique words to each square.
So, for instance, the entrance to the Bull is ///stag.polices.crowns or the middle of the crossroads is ///premises.display.wordplay
If your car breaks down or you have an accident, would you be able to tell the emergency services where you are? What3Words makes it really simple to do.
There is a desktop version at https://what3words.com/ or download the app to your mobile and you’ll always know where you are!
Bicester Motion is holding a Community Consultation Day on Sunday 5 December about their latest plans for the ‘Wilderness Quarter’.
All the information is available on the PDF
There are three sessions available which need to be booked by Wednesday 1 December.
To book tickets contact hq@bicestermotion.com
Bicester Heritage has announced that their next Scramble will be on Sunday 16 January.
For more information go to: https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/events/ and choose the January Scramble
To order tickets go to the ticket page: and use the local resident discount promotion code: FlyingBrevets .
All tickets are now £14.00 (+£1.10 Fee & Tax) and the discount code will give 50% discount.
All enquiries should go directly to Bicester Heritage.
We have been informed that there will be changes to the 17 Aylesbury to Bicester service from 1 November due to the current persistent delays caused by HS2 works and other roadworks in the Waddesdon area.
The new timetable is available as a PDF
Save the date!
Volunteers of all ages needed!
Come and join us on Saturday 25 September to help get the village clean and tidy for the autumn.
We’ll meet at the Parish Hall from 10am and will have litter pickers, hi-vis vests, gloves and bags available.
We’d also love a couple of volunteers who might be able to wield the sign cleaning equipment we’re borrowing from the County Council.
The marvellous WI’s refreshments will be available to all who return their equipment to the hall!
Bicester Heritage has announced that their next Scramble will be on Sunday 10 October.
For more information go to: https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/?ticket=october-scramble-tickets
To order tickets go to the ticket page: https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/whaton/octoberscramble-2/ and use the local resident discount promotion code: FlyingBrevets .
All tickets are now £14.00 (+£1.10 Fee & Tax) and the discount code will give 25% discount.
As villagers will know, the Stagecoach bus service to Bicester and beyond was updated early in January following a steady reduction in the numbers who used both the Launton and Langford branches of the route. The old S5 route wasn’t subsidised by Oxfordshire County Council, and it wasn’t economically viable for Stagecoach to continue it.
Councillor Ian Corkin helped to work with County Officers to find some developer funding to create the new 27 / 28 service and we have been fortunate to benefit from this service for the last six months.
As was explained at the time, this was going to be for a limited time only and it has recently been reviewed. The current passenger numbers to and from Launton average approximately 19 per day; of course, the Government’s working from home recommendations and general advice not to travel have clearly had a material impact on usage and while it is hoped that this will significantly improve in the future it is likely that the 27 / 28 service will stop at the end of August.
However, the good news is that the County Council was recently made aware of a commercial decision by the Red Rose Travel bus company to start a new service – 17 – between Aylesbury and Bicester. As it was clear that the 27 / 28 service was not going to be viable, the County Council took the opportunity ask Red Rose if they would be prepared to divert the service through the village – which they have agreed.
The Parish Council was notified of this possibility in June and provided feedback to the County Council on the proposal and alternatives. This new proposal has a number of benefits including new links to Waddesdon School and Aylesbury together with prolonged availability of funding. Unfortunately, there are also some disadvantages, the most prominent being the loss of the through ticketing arrangement with the S5. At the time, these discussions were confidential, but the County Council has now confirmed that the services have been registered.
The new service 17 will commence on 31 August 2021, in time for the new school term. Holders of Stagecoach travel passes valid beyond this date should contact the company for reimbursement and any feedback on the new route would be gratefully received. The Clerk will be happy to forward comments on or you can contact the team directly at public.transport@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
