Friends of Iffley Village

The organisation for Iffley village, Oxford, UK. It welcomes newcomers, organises events, informs, works on common interests and represents concerns to the authorities such as the City and County Councils.

* By clicking this link you agree that your name and contact details can be stored by FOIV for the purpose of membership and news.

Iffley is only two miles from the centre of Oxford by river, towpath or road yet it retains a village atmosphere. It includes buildings constructed over the past nine centuries; the magnificent St Mary’s Church (1160) and churchyard, as well as a lock and weir (above).

FOIV leaflet

FOIV latest Newsletter

PROPOSED IFFLEY CONTROLLED PARKING ZONE (CPZ) – PUBLIC MEETING

FOIV organised a very well attended Public Meeting on the CPZ consultation proposals, held at Mercure Hawkwell House on 22nd August (thanks to HHH for hosting this). Councillors Baines, Henwood and Elphinstone were present to hear wide-ranging views; people were encouraged also to write in individually to express these. FOIV’s response, incorporating views expressed, can be seen here

FOIV’s summer event BBQ at the Prince of Wales

Thank you to everyone who came, and to the musicians and the Prince of Wales managers and staff. The Glebe Field was open for the day, thank you to OPT. We were lucky to have a lovely sunny day!

Oxford Local Plan 2040

Planning Inspectors have been appointed to examine the Local Plan2040 and decide whether it can be ‘adopted’. They will hold sessions starting Tuesday 11 June, 9.30 am, at Rose Hill Community Centre, Carole’s Way, Rose Hill, Oxford, OX4 4HF. Information about the examination, including the agenda for the Hearing Sessions, deadlines and all associated documentation is available on the Council’s Examination website. Google ‘Oxford Local Plan 2040 Examination’ for information. If you scroll down to the bottom link to ‘Oxford Local Plan 2040 Examination Library’, this takes you to a record of all the documents they are considering. If you go to Chapter 008 ‘Representations’ there is a folder with all of the comments received and representation letters so you can see comments on the 2040 plan, both on the plan as a whole and specific provisions for different sites. The Horse Fields are ‘Land at Meadow Lane SPS13’.

If you wish to participate in any of the hearing sessions, please contact Ian Kemp, and indicate the Matter(s) you wish to participate in, by 5 pm on Friday 17 May 2024. The deadline for receipt of any written submissions in response to the Inspectors’ Matters, Issues and Questions is 5 pm on Friday 24 May 2024. Written submissions should be emailed to IAN KEMP at ian@localplanservices.co.uk

We note that BBOWT, Oxford Preservation Trust and Oxford Greens all oppose the development on the Horse Fields and suggest removing it from the allocation in the Local Plan 2040. Natural England suggests greater consideration is needed for the blue/green infrastructure; the Environment Agency lists extensive negative findings on flooding with suggested requirements for the site; Thames Water (re Iffley Mead site) raises concerns over sewers and infiltration which likely also impact the Horse Fields site.

We see that all the FOIV evidence and reports are noted and pointed to by several of the agencies/bodies above. This is a chance to have the Horse Fields removed from the allocation.

Horse Fields update FOIV heard from the Planning Officer that the ‘revised plans’ consultation has been stopped for the time being because of issues with OxPlace’s documents. The site notices have been/will be removed. The Planning Officer states that: ‘I appreciate that this is frustrating for all concerned and I apologise for the inconvenience. I can advise that full consultation will be carried out again in due course and I will keep you updated regarding any progress.’

Sad news: Fran Deacon, resident of Lucas and Remy Place, died this week. A nurse by profession, she turned her imagination and writing skills in retirement to poetry and short articles, some of which she self-published. As a female quizmaster, she made sure that the subjects she chose were extremely varied. She was intending to put herself forward as manager of Lucas and Remy Place but became too ill to consider it. She is survived by a son and a daughter and her husband Cliff, himself well known in the village for being useful, able and willing to help anyone with gardening and small jobs of any sort. Fran: your cheerful outlook and your daring sense of humour will be sorely missed. By Peggy Seeger

Membership Time to renew/join. The FOIV membership fee for 2024 is £5, due in January. Use this link to renew. Or see the downloadable membership form here.

Technical support for FOIV
We are looking for someone with relevant technical skills to help our voluntary organisation. Friends of Iffley Village was set up to protect and enhance the Iffley Conservation Area. It represents the area to the authorities on planning and issues such as traffic, flooding, security and protection of green spaces. We send out e-newsletters using Mailchimp. The website friendsofiffley.org has local news and is used for selling event tickets, for donations and for membership joining/renewals, using Stripe. We would like to streamline the website. Key skills required are Technical knowledge: WordPress, Google Drive and issues around hosting a website and email addresses. No need for any html, CSS or deeper web technical understanding. If you can help, or know someone who could, please contact chair@friendsofiffley.org

Planning – Horse Fields – over 1,000 submissions

[Planning Bulletin]

Thank you to all who have written to the planning department about this. If you have not yet done so – and wish to – then it is not too late! You can email the planning officer at planning@oxford.gov.uk, citing the application reference: 22/03078/FUL.

1) FOiV-commissioned consultants’ reports:

2) Iffley Crowd Fund-commissioned Planning consultant’s report:

Planning Assessment draws on all the other documents.

3) Additional reports, voluntarily produced by FOIV members with specialist knowledge on:

Horse Fields application and affordable housing

Vans parked by Memorial Field.

This has been an ongoing issue for some time. Originally there was only white van there which belonged to a resident (since moved) who parked there to avoid parking on a blind corner outside their house (as many Church Way residents, who don’t have off street parking, tend to do) but that increased to three, one of which is suspected to be lived in.

FOIV have reported this to the Police, who were not interested, and to Oxfordshire County Council. It might be useful to have individual comments too and responses can be made on the Fix My Street portal:

https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/residents/roads-and-transport/street-maintenance-z/road-repairs#paragraph-8060
which includes parking issues.

Could you host Ukrainian refugee/s?

Many in the village have welcomed Ukrainians into their homes. For more information please contact Patti McCarthy via chair@friendsofiffley.org
or the Oxford Diocese https://www.oxford.anglican.org/make-a-difference-in-ukraine.php#accommodation

Latest Planning Matters

Rivermead Nature Park walk

Meadow Lane – Quiet Route Active Travel Survey Findings
We value this route for walking, cycling, horse riding and a safe place for kids. The top 3 findings from the survey are:

1. The Meadow Lane Quiet Route is a very valuable resource for users from across Oxford.
2. The impacts of the proposed development on Meadow Lane would be a significant deterrent to its use and to the enjoyment and wellbeing of residents, currently used by up to 900 people/day for leisure and active travel.

84% of respondents said it would discourage (69%) or even stop (15%) them using it

45% of respondents would feel unsafe24% of respondents said that it would affect their mental health.

3. The development proposals are incompatible with preserving the safety and special quality of the Principal Quiet Route on Meadow Lane.

Meet Luna the White Badger,
She was born last year on the Memorial Field/Horse Fields sett and while badgers
are not popular with all Iffley gardeners, it is an interesting story…
https://iffleywoods.org/luna-the-white-badger/

Chris Packham CBE, English naturalist, nature photographer, television presenter and author tweeted a video of the badgers in Iffley’s Horse Fields and says:
‘Generations of badgers to be evicted by developers in Iffley Oxfordshire . There are alternative brownfield sites to build on and looking at the plan it doesn’t look well thought through. You can help take action against this proposal.’ https://iffleywoods.org
@BadgerTrust
twitter.com/ChrisGPackham/status/1490653374102085633

Local News

Defibrillator at Prince of Wales – this has been repaired and is now operational. There is also one at the Church (St Mary the Virgin church, Church Way, Iffley, Oxford, OX4 4EG), in the Vestry (RH side of Churchyard as you enter from Church Way); and/or you can search for your nearest one a https://www.defibfinder.uk

Cost of Living Crisis – Support local organisations

Rose Hill Junior Youth Club
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/rose-hill-junior-youth-club/kp4MadQx/thanks

Community Cupboard
https://rosehillmethodists.org.uk/mission/community-cupboard/

My name is LIz and I am the lay chaplain to the Community Cupboard Foodbank at Rose Hill Methodist Church.

Email: rosehillcommunitychaplain@gmail.com

See information here about local organisations involved in many ways, both across Oxford and in OX4.

Oxford Food Bank – Help for Afghanistan – Rose Hill School – Repair Shop – Parkrun

See ‘Community News’

Prince of Wales
We have just heard that the nomination of the Prince of Wales PH as a community asset has been accepted: ‘The City Council has given careful consideration to the nomination received from the Friends of Iffley Village (FOIV) and has decided to agree that the Prince of Wales PH should be confirmed as an Asset of Community Value.’
The authorities are now working on the legal aspects so that it can be registered.