3rd May – Village Tea Party, 8th May – a compelling talk about VE Day. 8th May – 6.30pm nationwide bell binging. 10th May, the Rock & Roll Choir. Click on this link for more details.
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Some of the projects that Somerton Parish Council is working on (click on the link headings below)
Cherwell Local Plan Review 2042
Cherwell District Council has prepared a new Local Plan for Cherwell District and would like your views before we submit it to the Secretary of State for independent examination.
All comments must be submitted by 11:59pm on Friday 14 February 2025.
The Local Plan will guide our decisions on planning applications and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. It is a Plan to meet our development needs, to respond to climate change, to protect the environment and to support our local economy and communities.
In making your comments we would like you to consider whether the Plan is ‘sound’ and whether it complies with the necessary legal requirements for plan making. The Planning Inspectorate has produced a useful guide to making representations at this stage of the plan making process.
Link to Cherwell Local Plan Review 2042
Flooding
Joint Oxfordshire Resilience Team Presentation 2025
On Monday 16 Dec 24 a motion was seconded calling on Oxfordshire County Council to do more preventative maintenance to avoid the misery of flooding in the district.
There was an amendment put forward by the controlling group that removed the emphasis on sewage contamination that’s in some cases goes with flooding. They also sought to remove reference to misery caused and replaced it with ‘risk’.
The two links below will take you to extracts from the webcast showing what was said. The first link is opposing the proposed amendment and the second link is summing up.
https://videopress.com/v/XwHhv2uK
https://videopress.com/v/LeEVx1Ik
The amendment was defeated. The unamended motion was passed unanimously. CDC will now write to OCC urging them to improve preventative maintenance of drains and gullies.
In summing up, OCC was asked to link with other stakeholders – Thames Water, Anglia Water, Environment Agency and local landowners to address this issue.
Key Places for Information
- Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit: Oxfordshire County Council – Flood Toolkit (oxfordshirefloodtoolkit.com)
- Flood risk checker: Where do you want to check? – Check your long term flood risk – GOV.UK (check-long-term-flood-risk.service.gov.uk)
- Fix My Street: FixMyStreet
- Community resilience page: Community resilience | Oxfordshire County Council
- OCC Sandbag Policy: Oxfordshire-County-Council-Sandbag-Policy
- Gocompare has put together a guide to preparing for a flood and protectng your property – https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/guide/flood-damage-repair-and-prevention/
Somerton Playground Area
Funded and maintained by Somerton Parish Counci with the great support of Somertion parishinors, the childrens playground is a favourite place for families.
In a safe location on the Ardley Road on the left just as you come into Somerton from Ardley.
The play ares is surrounded by fields overlooking the village and the Cherwell Valley.
A perfect place for children to get some fresh air and exercise whilst having lots of fun with their pals.
If you would like to join the playground committee or help in anyway please contact [email protected]
Somerton Highways
Aston View – Google Maps
We continue to work towards solving the google issue of traffic being directed along Aston View to get to the Heyford Park businesses, this is not only a problem to Aston View but it is bringing some unnecessary traffic through Somerton. We have contacted Google on numerous occasions. So far this has not resulted in a successful outcome. We have also reached out to Oxfordshire County Council.
We have also reached out to Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) and Cherwell District Council (CDC). UPDATE: – 25 Sept. OCC have fitted a new sign that may at least help the traffic find Heyford Park without exploring Aston View. We still need to fix this with Google, and Waze.
Road resurfacing has been postponed for another year. The Parish Council is actively working with Oxfordshire County Council to seek a solution on flooding and drainage issues before the revised scheduled date of 2025 for road resurfacing takes place.
We can all help by reporting all highway issues on FixMyStreet, it takes just a few seconds. Click on the link in the website footer.
Somerton Drainage
Parish Councillors met with ‘OCC officers In August’, firstly to try to find solutions to the drainage issues in Somerton, especially in Water Street.
A review of the Somerton drainage system is underway to get some upgrades carried out.
Please continue to report any issues on Fixmystreet which will keep the pressure on.
Traffic in and around Somerton
Positive news on the Section 106 front as OCC have released some funds for traffic measures in Somerton. £15,697available now and more funding to follow later.
Section 106 (S106) agreements are legal agreements between developers and local planning authorities. They require developers to contribute towards infrastructure and services such as community facilities, public open space, transport improvements, and affordable housing. Funds are held with OCC and are released for approved initiatives.
Funded by the Parish Council in November/December 2024 a new Speed Indicator Device will be set up on Water Street. Thanks to David Spencer for organising this.
The Parish Council is pushing Oxfordshire County Council to release the financial contributions made by the Heyford Park developers for the local planning authorities to mitigate the impact of development on the local area and provide necessary infrastructure and amenities.
Somerton Parish Council Website
This website great place to promote your events, causes, clubs, charities etc. Make your submissions through [email protected]
This new website, funded and set up by Somerton Parish Council, is intended to serve the Somerton community. It will become increasingly useful the more people who contribute to it. Therefore, please do submit your ideas, suggestions to improve the website so it serves you better.
Migrating to a registered .gov.uk domain means that the website is compliant with Government regulations and is designed to be accessible.
As for matters about Somerton Parish please use the ‘Contact’ form on this site.
Somerton Grass Verges
The Parish Council has produced a grass verge management policy on grass cutting in our village.
The verges are cut twice a year by the Parish Council and once a year by the County Council.
Cllr Deborah Critchley and Cllr Kay Bishop are leading this initiative.
Re-wilding in Somerton
After local consultations the Somerton Parish Council is pleased to announce the development of a wild flower verge at the entrance to Somerton from Heyford Road. Cllr Kay Bishop and Cllr Deborah Critchley have led the way on this project.
If you would like to be involved in its maintenance, please contact [email protected]
Cllr Bryony Afferson Day is working with the PCC to create a wild area at St James Church. Children are building bug hotels, hedgehog dens and wild flower areas. If you have any spare bird boxes, bee homes, hedgehog houses etc please contact [email protected]
Somerton Remembrance Day
Somerton Parish Council supports the Royal British Legion (RBL) with an annual donation along with purchasing wreaths for the Somerton rememberance evenrt help in St James churchyard.
Wild Oxfordshire Hedgerow Heroes Project
Wild Oxfordshire can help if anyone needs any hedging for new hedgerow creation or gapping or would like to rejuvenate hedgerow by coppicing or laying this winter.
There is spare budget for this year’s Hedgerow Heroes project and would like to use as much of the budget otherwise it could be lost.
The hedgerow will have to be on publicly accessible land or one you can view from a road/path.
If you are interested, please let Wild Oxfordshire know the following…….
- Is it new hedgerow creation, gapping, laying, or coppicing?
- Meters of hedging required or hedge to be laid or coppiced?
- If you have landowner permission.
- Please send photos of the site.
If you are interested in the 2025/26 HH, please let Wild Oxfordshire know by contacting…..
emai: Jessica Bower [email protected] Mobile: 079011598601 Mon -Thurs 08:00 to 17:30
Additional Speed Indicator Installed
We are delighted that the Somerton Parish Council was able to fund an additional speed indicator.
It has been installed on Water Street on the bend before the railway bridge on the right hand side of the road.
It warns traffic driving out of the village towards Noth Aston that there is a blind bend coming up and of their speed. It works extreemly well.
A very big thankyou to Somerton resident David Spencer who was instrumental in making this happen.
Somerton Clean Up Week
Somerton Clean Up Week
Saturday 22nd March
2pm to 4pm starting from the village hall.
Somerton Parish Boundary
Map contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, 2024
Area: 3.09 square miles
Boundary Line: 9.6 miles
Population: 305 (2011 Census)
District: Cherwell
Police: Thames Valley
Fire: Oxfordshire
UK Parliament: Banbury