Welcome to Woodcote
The latest issue of the Woodcote Correspondent is available to download here.
Selected photographs on this website courtesy of Alan Copeland.
The Folly/Olga Mowforth House
February 2010
The plan for The Folly/Ogla Mowforth House will be discussed at the planning committee meeting at SODC
on February 24th at 6pm.
For details of the planning application and comments submitted to the SODC click here.
November 2009
The Parish Council has reversed its decision to support these plans.
Public Meeting
Monday 30 November at 7.30 p.m. in the Village Hall.
The Parish Council has called this meeting for public consultation following new concerns about the proposed developments on these sites.
For details of the planning application and comments submitted to the SODC click here.
For the Woodcote Conservation Group's statement on the Folly Garden proposals click here.
For the history of the Olga Mowforth proposals see below.
April 2009
The Woodcote Parish Council is delighted that the battle to prevent the removal of a sheltered housing provision for the elderly in the village appears to have been successful. After lengthy discussions between the Parish Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, South Oxfordshire Housing Association and local developer, Builders Ede Ltd, a plan has been put forward for the Mowforth site, which not only includes new affordable housing, but also a replacement to the existing Olga Mowforth House.
This will replace the current bedsit accommodation with up to date, 1 and 2 bedroom flats. There will be a larger communal room on the ground floor, with separate kitchen area, and a utility room with washing machines and sinks, that can also be used by residents of the nearby SOHA bungalows.
Although the proposed scheme has been received with unanimous enthusiasm by current residents of Mowforth House, it has yet to be put on general public display, which is due to happen at some stage in the near future. However, draft plans will be available to view at the Annual Parish Meeting on Tuesday 19th May, when an update will be given By Councillor Karen Woolley.
Although the plans have yet to be approved by South Oxfordshire District Council, and the re-development itself is not likely to commence until 2010, Woodcote Parish Council are delighted with progress so far, and sincerely hope that this will ensure the future for affordable, sheltered housing for the elderly in the village.
For more information please download a copy of the press release (PDF format).
2nd December 2008
Discussions are still underway regarding the future of Olga Mowforth House, and the steering group that was set up to consider the way forward, has now met to discuss a number of options.
This small group represents SOHA, South Oxfordshire District Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Woodcote Parish Council. They are next due to meet on Tuesday 9th December to look at plans that have been drawn up for the site.
It is hoped that the full committee will be able to meet and discuss these plans and proposals either just before, or soon after Christmas. A press release will be issued after this time.
18th September 2008
Correspondent Article October 2008
Standing room only! The public meeting arranged by the Parish Council in Woodcote Village Hall saw the largest attendance by residents at any meeting for at least a decade – we estimated that nearly 10% of the village were there. After presentations from both the Parish Council and SOHA, there followed a ‘lively discussion’, with very strong views expressed by many of those present. It was repeatedly stated that staying in the village we love is a priority and some of us, and our relatives, will be in need of sheltered accommodation in the future!
Two days after the public meeting, the District Council facilitated a ‘round table discussion’ at the Council Offices to discuss the way forward. Representatives from SOHA, the Parish, County and District Councils, an adjoining landowner and John Howell, our local MP all agreed to work together to consider a redevelopment of the site which will ensure that our elderly residents at Mowforth House would not have to leave the village. A small task group was established, to consider the long term needs of the village and to plan for a possible phased development of the Mowforth site and adjacent land, which could provide new accommodation for the active elderly as well as a number of new “life-time” homes. The task group will report back to a further meeting at the District Council before the end of the year.
Currently there is vacant accommodation at Mowforth House. I would urge anyone interested in moving
into Mowforth House or who has an elderly relative in need of sheltered accommodation in Woodcote,
to make direct contact with the housing department at the District Council offices in Crowmarsh. They can
be contacted on www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/navigation/housing/contact-housing
or by telephoning 01491 823322.
The Parish Council hope to carry out a full survey to identify our village's housing needs for the elderly, within the coming months, but meanwhile, do please also keep the Parish Council informed of your need for sheltered accommodation.
Robin Peirce – District Councillor
Contact me on 681542 or robin.peirce@southoxon.gov.uk
18th September 2008
Press Release issued by SODC on 16th September 2008
Way forward agreed for older people's housing in Woodcote
At a meeting at South Oxfordshire Council's offices in Crowmarsh on Thursday 11 September council officers, SOHA housing and Woodcote parish councillors agreed an approach to provide new high quality housing in Woodcote. This followed a public meeting on Tuesday 9 September where residents of the village turned out in force to register their concerns about the proposed closure of Olga Mowforth House, a sheltered housing scheme in Folly Orchard.
The meeting was chaired by District Councillor Dorothy Brown and was attended by the Henley MP John Howell who has pressed for involvement of the community in deciding the fate of Olga Mowforth house.
Council officers explained that bedsit accommodation of the sort in Olga Mowforth House was unpopular across the district and was not up to standard for modern day living. It was also unsuitable for people with mobility problems who need extra space. They said that the Council's approach is to work with housing associations to replace outmoded sheltered homes with high quality lifetime homes for older people.
All present recognised the importance of the support services being provided at Olga Mowforth House and agreed that these services should not be lost. Parish Councillors also expressed concerns about residents of the home having to move to other areas to get suitable housing.
Richard Peacock, SOHA chief executive, reassured everyone that residents of the home would be rehoused on the site once it was redeveloped if that was what they wanted. He said he would be writing to residents shortly explaining this.
Councillor Dorothy Brown asked for volunteers for a task group to produce housing plans for the site and it was agreed that Graham Waters, the council's head of housing, Richard Peacock of SOHA, Nigel Holmes, social services and Woodcote parish councillor Karen Woolley would develop costed plans for the site that they would bring back to the wider group in a few months.
Councillor Dorothy Brown said ‘The district council attaches great importance to improving the quality of housing for older people. By 2026 the number of people in our district over the age of 75 will have increased by 70% and we have to prepare for this. Bedsits are not the way forward and we are impressing on the housing associations in South Oxfordshire that they must build good quality self-contained homes that will allow older people to remain in their own homes for as long as they wish. Housing and care support should be made available to meet each person's individual needs’
She went on ‘We also expect housing associations to involve local communities in developing solutions that contribute to the quality of village life. Woodcote parish council’s involvement in producing plans for the redevelopment of Olga Mowforth House will I am sure help to bring about a better solution for residents and the village’.
The Campaign
Well, Wednesday July 2nd was an eventful day. A day we celebrated the wonderful news that Woodcote had been voted as Oxfordshire Village of the Year. It was also the day that South Oxfordshire Housing Association, (SOHA) announced the proposed closure of Olga Mowforth House.
By now, most people will be aware of both of the above news items Whilst the Woodcote ‘win’ has been greeted with huge enthusiasm, the possible closure of Mowforth House has been heard with unanimous anger and frustration. There has been concern for several years now, that with the loss of the resident Warden, and an increasing number of bedsits being left unfilled, that SOHA might be working up to questioning the viability of this type of accommodation facility. With this in mind, the Parish Council requested a meeting with SOHA last year to discuss these concerns, and to emphasise the importance to the community of maintaining a provision for sheltered accommodation for the active elderly within Woodcote. SOHA informed the Council that they had no plans to close Mowforth House, but they were in the process of reviewing all their sites for the elderly, with the objective of maximising the value and effectiveness of each facility.
The announcement on the 2nd July was the first anyone had heard of the proposed demolition of Mowforth House, and the development of the site instead to provide affordable housing for young people and families.
The position of the Parish Council is clear. Whilst we understand that this is a large site with the potential for development, and we are aware there is a need in the district for more affordable housing, the Council firmly believes that a village of our size must provide for the elderly as well as the young. We will strongly oppose any plans to re-develop this site that do not include either a re-furbished Mowforth House, or a replacement sheltered housing facility for the elderly.
We are working hard to press home our argument, which would be strengthened if those who feel strongly about the proposed closure do likewise. So please put pen to paper, and write to:
- Graham Waters, Head of Housing at South Oxfordshire District Council, Benson Lane, Crowmarsh Gifford, Wallingford. Oxon OX10 8BF
- Richard Peacock, Chief Executive at SOHA, Royal Scot House, 99, Station Road, Didcot. Oxon. OX11 7NN
- Victor Breach, Chairman of the Board of Directors at SOHA, Royal Scot House, 99, Station Road, Didcot. Oxon. OX11 7NN
- John Howell, MP. 8, Gorwell, Watlington. Oxon. OX49 5QE
Also, please copy your letter to Woodcote Parish Council.
Karen Woolley
01491 681571
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