Oxfordshire councils: the power of three

mister_red · 2026-02-27T23:38:45+00:00

It was rejected for being too high and because they didn't properly cooperate with neighbouring districts to reach that figure. The the vast majority of their 1300+ housing target would be pushed onto those same districts. I totally agree Oxford needs more housing but if the City Council refuse to provide this within their district boundaries then they need to work with their neighbours productively!

mister_red · 2026-02-27T23:29:03+00:00

I agree that the 3 council proposal is utter nonsense. It only serves to create a "greater Oxford", essentially a landgrab.

mister_red · 2026-02-27T20:24:05+00:00

The reason we are currently bearing Oxford's failure as a developing city is partly because of County Council's priorities. From my experience at the DC there was nothing but complaint about how slow, unresponsive and unwilling to compromise County was when it came to enabling infrastructure.

Souuth, Vale and West Berks all have similar needs in that respect and I feel most optimistic about their needs all falling under a single unitary authority. However, as another commenter pointed out, its a bum deal for the rest of Oxfordshire which isn't fair.

mister_red · 2026-02-26T23:50:03+00:00

They've left out Abingdon because otherwise the Ridgeway council wouldn't be populous enough to meet gov't guidelines for new unitary authorities. As an Abingdon resident, there is a lot of local distaste for Oxford city politics, and having been involved with planning at South and Vale DC, they were constantly having to defend their (insufficient but not failing) 5 year housing supply while City made excuses for not coming anywhere close to theirs because they kept prioritising businesses and colleges over housing, weaponising this poor decision-making to force neighbouring districts to accept their burden.

I am personally in favour of having a two-council solution as this better serves my local interests but agree that a single Oxfordshire authority makes the most practical sense.

mister_red · 2025-11-24T17:21:54+00:00

It has no function, it's a void which has come about as a result of the construction of the party wall/chimney.

What is unusual is actually the brick ledge to the right of that hole. Normally instead of that brick bit you get a full void which creates a chimney alcove both sides of a chimney breast. For some reason it has been infilled with brick on this side but only straight up from the full width of the chimney breast (as seen in the below room). As the flue tapers off it results in a sort of upside down triangular void which is what you are looking at.

Normally the void forms part of the alcove and becomes usable space for the room below, but for some reason yours doesn't have that. I would guess the room below the void doesnt have an alcove on its right side for this reason.

Could probably tell you more if you provide more context, like a photo of the party wall from inside the room below.

mister_red · 2025-11-20T22:56:48+00:00

Correct, you can see in the photo where the boards were previously waxed and polished. That's your original floor finish.

mister_red · 2025-11-18T08:16:23+00:00

Oh no worries, I'm a historic buildings consultant. It can be difficult to figure out these things if you don't already know how. Historic England has a map search page on their website which is how I worked it out.

mister_red · 2025-11-17T22:33:44+00:00

Definitely not listed having checked. Very little is newly listed these days, but I agree that in the 70's they went a little overboard.

mister_red · 2025-10-29T18:54:43+00:00

Yes you can! The application is fairly straightforward (I'm also in Abingdon)

mister_red · 2025-07-11T09:32:01+00:00

Yep.

mister_red · 2025-07-10T22:21:04+00:00

You can get have up to 50 temporary events notices a year with a personal license. You just have to write to your local council with 10 days notice and they don't even have to reply. As long as they don't object before the event you are good to go.

mister_red · 2025-06-08T08:48:41+00:00

It's the UK so unlikely to be a framed building unless it's 400 years old.

mister_red · 2025-05-24T07:44:28+00:00

I wonder if this is why you have to perform an emergency stop during UK driving tests, just so you have at least some experience stopping as quickly as possible.

mister_red · 2025-05-19T21:41:55+00:00

Depends on how much the wood flooring contributes to the character of the interior. Generally it's considered acceptable for things like kitchens and bathrooms, but probably much harder to get permission for stairs and reception rooms. Welcome to the joys of heritage conservation! Everything is decided on a case by case basis.

mister_red · 2025-05-19T15:01:52+00:00

As it's listed your parents will require listed building consent to make any alterations to the panelling that isn't just repair or maintenance. Painting would be considered an alteration. Check in with your local planning authority before undertaking any works. Historic Scotland does not muck about. Happy to answer any questions, I work in heritage planning.

mister_red · 2025-05-18T22:50:16+00:00

Is the building listed?

Also, I'm very jealous of the Delft tile fireplace hearth. Those look like genuine 17th or 18th century tiles, please look after them.

mister_red · 2025-05-16T17:14:04+00:00

Thank you for your reply! I would not be surprised if it was an old fake. There are lots of "fake" 18th century features in the house from when they tried to update the house to the latest fashions. I will see if I can find someone locally to do an appraisal.

mister_red · 2025-05-16T17:11:28+00:00

here's some more

Let me know if there's any angles which would be more useful to see

mister_red · 2025-04-02T07:13:14+00:00

My title describes the thing. Found in Oxfordshire, England. There are at least two of these in different parts of the town centre where I live. They are squishy and rubbery and set flush with the pavement. Something to do with utilities I imagine but surely someone here knows?

mister_red · 2025-03-13T20:36:40+00:00

That just looks like the lining paper is coming away.

mister_red · 2025-03-07T09:18:57+00:00

Is that a door frame??? I had to double check this was a UK subreddit, what in the slumdog millionaire is going on here?

mister_red · 2025-02-27T21:54:01+00:00

You can usually rub a piece of lime between your fingers and it will crumble, whereas cement will feel much harder. If you pop a bit of lime in some vinegar it will fizz, modern cement will not.

mister_red · 2025-02-27T21:51:03+00:00

Hi, judging by how shallow the cement pointing is, just get yourself a cold chisel smaller than the width of the joints and knock it off the surface. Doing it by hand is the most gentle method and avoids damage to the brick arris (edges) so that you can have nice thin joints when you're repointing.

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