Clarion Weekend, 12 June 2026

The sun’s out again and Friday’s Clarion is everything you need to read for the coming weekend. Featuring the Covered Market, tortoise races, solar farms, and Mick Jagger. Plus we pontificate about local news a bit.

This week’s top stories

Oxford’s Covered Market will have a new, wider entrance from Market Street, replacing the current public toilets with a “new open public space”. The entrances from the High Street will also be remodelled. Refurbishment plans were unveiled yesterday ahead of a formal planning application.

As this before (left)/after (right) plan shows, the toilets will be relocated into the space currently occupied by the Oxford Cheese Company, who will move elsewhere in the market. Work is expected to start in mid-2027 and take two years, during which the market will remain open.

The Covered Market is “currently undertaking a review of the use mix” but Oxford City Council stresses that “we have no intention of the Covered Market becoming a ‘food hall’”. Much of the work will be on infrastructure such as drainage and wiring, including relocating the electricity sub-station.

City Council leader Susan Brown said: “We are not going to change what makes the Covered Market special, but we want to make sure this historic building can thrive for generations to come.” The plans will be on display in the Town Hall until Tuesday.

A mile-long lane near Barton is set to become Oxfordshire’s first Quiet Lane – with the promise of a family-friendly traffic-free cycle route to the popular Rectory Farm pick-your-own, and out into the countryside.

Shepherd’s Pit Lane, from Oxford Crematorium to Stanton St John, is lined up for a 20mph limit and a closure to through traffic. The wider, broadly parallel Bayswater Road is already the “fastest route” for motor traffic from Stanton St John according to Google Maps, meaning that car journey times will be unaffected.

Separately, the planning documents for the 1,450-home Bayswater Brook development promise a new cycleway alongside the busy road through Barton towards Headington Roundabout. Once this is built, only 500m of path widening will remain to join up the two and create a continuous traffic-free route.

Although Quiet Lanes are already signposted in parts of the Chilterns, this will be the first with a prohibition on through traffic rather than simply advisory signage.

Electric bikes for hire could be rolled out more widely across Oxfordshire. A major ramping-up of Oxfordshire’s ‘micromobility’ initiative is being planned, expanding it from city centre e-scooters to include scooters and bikes in a much wider area.

E-bikes and e-scooters would be available in a central Oxfordshire area including Oxford, Botley, Kidlington, and potentially Abingdon and Wheatley. E-bikes would also be available in the Science Vale area around Didcot, Culham and Harwell, and in Bicester. Oxfordshire County Council plans to appoint a single operator for both bikes and scooters across the county: e-scooters are currently provided by Voi.

Much more stringent parking controls are proposed, with hire scooters and bikes “only parked in mandatory parking locations pre-arranged by the council or the relevant landowner”. New parking bays would be created across Oxford, but with “a focus on providing additional parking on the carriageway” – not the pavement. A proportion of hire fees would go back to OCC for investment in parking infrastructure.

The plans will be considered at an OCC meeting next week, with the new operator being in place by October, and bikes being available for hire in the expanded area from spring 2027.

Around the city

• The former printworks in Temple Cowley is up for sale for £975,000, with planning permission already granted to turn it into nine housing units in a "Sustainable, Car Free Development" of one and two bedroom properties.
  The property backs on to the City Council's ODS depot and is currently occupied by Colourful Coffins, an "American Style, United Kingdom Made" bespoke coffin business. The Printworks are on the Heritage Asset Register, and former occupants Parchment Print were named after Mr G.W. Parchment, the founder.
• A series of break-ins have targeted Oxford city centre shops this week. Norah's Antiques on Turl Street was surrounded by police tape on Monday, and G&D's café on Little Clarendon Street opened late on Tuesday morning. Glass was smashed in at least two other shops in apparent attempts to gain entry.
• Free bus travel for asylum seekers is available for attending Oxford's Sanctuary Fair this weekend. The annual two-day festival is a family-friendly event with music, games and free food. Oxford City and Oxfordshire County councils are both Local Authorities of Sanctuary.
       Oxfordshire County Council piloted free bus travel for asylum seekers in 2024, as a step toward breaking down barriers. Mark Goldring, Asylum Welcome, called it “a really positive commitment by OCC… it enables study, volunteer, worship, and preparation for future work”.
       The Sanctuary Fair is the opening event in Asylum Welcome's Refugee Week. It continues with the 'Displaced Derby' football match on Saturday evening featuring refugee team Oxford Phoenix FC, and events through to 20 June. The Clarion published the real story of refugees and asylum seekers in Oxfordshire earlier this year.
• Streets immediately surrounding a student ‘debating’ society in Oxford will be closed next Wednesday afternoon and evening. Buses will be diverted from Queen Street after 4pm with additional closures in Cornmarket, Market Street, Ship Street, and St Michael's Street. A significant police presence is also expected. The closures are due to the nature of the ‘debate’ in question, which has been rescheduled and is receiving sufficient attention from other media outlets. 🙄
• Oxford is getting a 24-hour vet service. Iffley Vets, on Iffley Road, will be staffed with three vets and three nurses overnight. At present, out-of-hours vet care is chiefly provided by practices outside Oxford. The new service is available to all pets whether or not registered with Iffley Vets. The practice has recently secured a lease on a new site for use as a dedicated emergency veterinary hospital. Vet Katherine Morrison said: “We hope that without the added stress of travelling to an out-of-town practice, we will be able to help pets and owners in our local community.”

• “Come back soon!” is the message from organisers after residents danced in the rain in East Oxford’s third Magdalen Road Village Festival last weekend. Local residents organise the festival each year to support the businesses and charities that make up the road. Highlights included sets from May and the Mooncats and Sweet Zombie Horse as well as music from the street’s resident party maestro, Dave Seamer.
       The retailers ran special menus, a flea market, street food pop ups and plant sales. Charities with homes on the street and talked to local residents about their work. Craig Simmons, former Lord Mayor of Oxford and co-chair of Magdalen Road Residents Association, said: “What a day! My personal highlight was seeing the Lord Mayor dancing for the children in full mayoral regalia, and a pirate hat, in the rain. Thanks to all who made this day so special – it just goes to show this street is worth travelling for. We hope everyone comes back soon to visit this incredible street which offers a warm welcome every day.”

• Mick Jagger performed in Oxford on Sunday, joining the weekly folk session at the Half Moon pub on St Clement's after dining at Oriel College. A short clip shows the 82-year-old singer and his Rolling Stones keyboardist performing ‘Handsome Molly’. The Rolling Stones played at Magdalen College's commemoration ball in 1964. Having been booked for a £100 fee before their fame, the band tried to escape the contract, but Professor of Jurisprudence H.L.A. Hart advised against it and they flew back from a US tour. (The President of Magdalen, herself a barrister, informs us that it was actually Prof. Guenter Treitel, or possibly John Morris. We regret the error.)

Around the county

• Plans to reclaim Wantage Market Place from its current role as a car park have been published for comments. The proposed layout replaces the car park with a flexible space for markets and events, with a ‘bus gate’ preventing through car traffic from Mill Street, and new bus stops. At present, two-thirds of vehicles passing through the Market Place are through traffic, rather than visitors to the town centre. The bus gate, which will allow passage by buses, blue badge holders, taxis and cyclists, aims to divert traffic onto more suitable roads, with the A417 recently upgraded. Oxfordshire County Council says: “The proposal puts people and pedestrians first… it draws upon success stories from other English market towns.” They point out there are five car parks within a few minutes’ walk. Construction could start in 2028.
• Bicester town centre is in danger of “evolving in a fragmented and reactive way” and may not “adapt to meet the needs of a growing population”, says Cherwell District Council. The council is commissioning a town centre masterplan to consider the way forward as the town expands with new housing.
       The town centre faces competition from the shops being delivered as part of the 6,000-home NW Bicester Eco-Town development, as well as edge-of-town destination retail at Bicester Village and Bicester Avenue. Cherwell says “growth on the edge must reinforce rather than compete with the centre”. Several Oxfordshire market towns have struggled to adapt to the changing retail landscape in recent years, with councils buying up struggling shopping malls (Castle Quay in Banbury and Marriott’s Walk in Witney), and modest streetscape plans in Witney and Bicester (and no doubt Wantage, above…) being fiercely contested.
• Oxfordshire County Council says it will “protect frontline services as far as we can” in the face of declining Government funding. The Government’s Fair Funding Review, positioned as supporting “red wall” areas, is leading to reduced funding for rural southern counties like Oxfordshire. For OCC, Cllr Dan Levy said: “We recognise there are areas with higher levels of deprivation, and it is right that they receive support. However, it is disappointing that councils like Oxfordshire will see real terms reductions in grant funding: it leaves us more exposed when extra pressures arise.” 2027-28 is expected to be the first ‘crunch’ year. The budget-setting process begins in July, with proposals to reduce council expenditure and make savings published this autumn and winter.
• In more budget news, West Oxfordshire District Council says it is delivering services under budget thanks to strong investment performance, income from services and contract refunds. It exceeded its affordable housing target, delivering 352 affordable homes during the year vs a target of 274. Cllr Andy Graham, WODC leader, said: “We are continuing to deliver the services that matter most to residents while investing in the future of West Oxfordshire.”
• “Relax, lean back and ‘float to live’ until you can control your breathing” is the message from Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire & Rescue Service, ahead of Drowning Prevention Week next week. They warn that even on a hot day, open water can be very cold, provoking a cold shock response. Deb Forder said: “Open water can look appealing, especially on warm days, but it is also dangerous. Let friends and family know your route near water and what time you should return. Carry a whistle and your phone in a water proof pouch to draw attention just in case." (More water safety tips.)

• Didcot Wave leisure centre had a make-over: the changing room area was updated creating more space, better accessibility and improved energy efficiency. This £250,000 upgrade is step one in a bigger redevelopment, including a switch to renewable energy, funded from developer contributions.
• A young Oxfordshire chef has been crowned Student Chef of the Year. Josh Zitha, who studies at Banbury & Bicester College, won a challenge to produce a three-course menu in two hours including a vegetarian starter and a fish main course.
• Finding your way around Banbury town centre could get easier with a £140,000 project for new ‘wayfinding’ signs. The County Council has awarded a contract to signpost key walking routes between Horse Fair and the station, treating it as a pilot area for a potential wider rollout.
• An 11-year fight to build 37 homes on the edge of Charlbury comes back in front of West Oxfordshire’s planning committee next week. The area at Rushy Bank, behind the station, is fiercely contested by conservation bodies including the Cotswold National Landscape Board and CPRE Oxfordshire.
       Great Western Railway has said “the application site represents the only suitable site for station car park expansion… the application will reduce the ability of current and future residents to use sustainable transport”. Oxfordshire County Council, however, has no objection on transport grounds. A previous decision in favour of the project was quashed for not adequately considering the impact on disabled people. WODC planners now say that “harms associated with the development are outweighed by the planning benefits”, and have recommended the application for approval on Monday.

• A community-owned solar energy battery has smashed through its fundraising target. Almost 300 investors have signed up to build battery storage at Ray Valley Solar, near Bicester – the first such community-owned unit in the UK – so that power can continue to be supplied through the night.
       At present, on very sunny days, the solar farm produces more electricity than the power grid can cope with. The new battery will mean this energy does not go to waste. Social enterprise Low Carbon Hub set up the Ray Valley solar farm in 2022, generating enough power for 7,000 homes. The crowdfunder has so far raised £640,000, well above the target of £500,000. Barbara Hammond, Low Carbon Hub CEO, said: “The interest shown in the project so far has proved that there is huge appetite for community energy projects in Oxfordshire and beyond.”
• West Oxfordshire District Council is creating a new community crowdfunding programme to help local groups and residents bring community ideas to life. The council is partnering with Crowdfunder UK to launch the new platform later this year. Projects hosted on the platform will be able to apply for council pledges while also raising support from local residents, businesses, and other funders through crowdfunding. Applications will be assessed against priorities including community benefit, local need, and value for money. The programme builds on the success of Westhive, the council’s existing community crowdfunding platform.
• This week is Carers Week, and Carers Oxfordshire is highlighting the vital role of parent carers – someone looking after a child with a disability, long-term illness or mental health condition, all while balancing work, finances and family life. They are encouraging more people to recognise themselves in that role and access the support available to them. Juliet Cocks, Carers Oxfordshire, encouraged people to visit their website to see the help available to them.“You’re not alone, and help is available. Recognising yourself as a carer is an important step and reaching out can make a real difference.”
• Wednesday was Age Without Limits Day and local, independent charity Age UK Oxfordshire is encouraging people to question ageism, saying that stereotyping, prejudice or discrimination based on age remains one of the most widespread and overlooked forms of discrimination. Paul Ringer, CEO of Age UK Oxfordshire, said: “Ageism is often so ingrained in society that we don’t even notice it. It shows up in the language we use, the assumptions we make and in everyday interactions. This year’s theme, ‘Let’s question ageism’, encourages all of us to stop and think. Sometimes it only takes one simple question to challenge a stereotype or see things differently."
• The Blackhorse at Gozzard’s Ford near Abingdon reopens this weekend. The pub has been taken on by the team behind Oxford's Punter (pescatarian) and Porterhouse (decidedly carnivorous): a sample menu includes octopus, venison and crayfish. Booking is recommended. The pub is adjacent to Dalton Barracks, set to be redeveloped with 5,000 new homes.

Walking, cycling and swimming

• A relay to celebrate 30 years of the Thames Path passes through Oxfordshire this week. Walking groups have handed on a baton each day, starting in Newbridge on Wednesday, with subsequent starting points in Eynsham, Osney, Abingdon, Dorchester, and Wallingford. The relay passes through Oxford as we publish this newsletter, with Deputy Lord Mayor Louise Upton joining the hike.
• But if you prefer to be in the Thames, not next to it, Sunday is Swim Oxford with a 4km (downstream!) swim from Eynsham Lock to Kings Lock. A 10km event follows in August. The Environment Agency has asked boat traffic to “give them a wide berth”.

This weekend

• Witney Music Festival (£), Fri/Sat. Headliners Fun Lovin’ Criminals bring hits like ‘King of New Yatt’ and ‘Swashbucklin’ in Wroslyn’ to West Oxfordshire.
• Bark of Millions (£), Fri/Sat, Schwarzman Centre. Epic drag rock opera.
• Listen to This Story! (£), to Fri 17 Jul, Story Museum. Black characters in British children's books over 200 years.
• 50 for 50 (free), Sat, Westgate. Celebrating 50 years of Sobell House hospice with Sol Samba and Oxley the OxTrail ox.
• Wear It Out! (free/£), Sat, Abingdon Guildhall. Sustainable fashion showcase including sewing and mending workshops.
• Parallax (£), Sat, St Anne's College. Three-act performance by Oxford University's Chinese dance society 'PhoenOx'.
• Ramsden Summer Fete (£cheap), Sat. A 50-stall village fete par excellence, with dog show. On the X9 bus from Witney/Charlbury/Chipping Norton, or a 15-mile bike ride from Oxford on a sunny Saturday.
• Music for a Summer's Evening (£), Sat, Queen's College. Madrigals in the chapel and the Fellows' Garden.
• Mummy, What's Wrong With That Man's Legs? (£), Sun/Mon, Schwarzman Centre. Circus show asking the questions children aren't meant to ask about disabilities.
• Indie Oxford Makers Market (free), Sun, The Up In Arms. Jewellery, prints, and dog photoshoots.
• Sunset Ragas (£), Sun, Worcester College. Indian classical music in the Provost's garden.

This week

• From the Ashes We Rise (free), Wed, Reuben College. Hear from refugee football team Oxford Phoenix and stay to watch England v. Croatia.
• Venus & Adonis (£), Wed-Sat, Oxford Playhouse. Puppets play Shakespeare, narrated by Simon Russell Beale.
• Out Laws (free), Thu, Mansfield College. Anti-gay laws around the world as a legacy of colonialism. Documentary and Q&A with the director.
• Einstein in Oxford: Thinking in Music (£), Thu, Trinity College. Music and discussion inspired by the violin-playing physicist.
• Queer Ecstasy (£), Thu, The Bullingdon. Electronic music collab from Oxford Psychedelic Society and Oxford University LGBTQ+ Society.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

• Abingdon councillor Nathan Ley says 'Cycling is not anti-car, it is anti gridlock' in a brave, if possibly futile attempt to win over the below-the-line commentariat.
• In ‘Oxford is bonkers’ volume 3,422, we were unable to sneak our photographer into Corpus Christi's annual tortoise race, but please enjoy this Instagram of humans showing their tortoises how to compete. The Oxford Blue reports the results of the high-octane contest, featuring the immortal sentence: “Although Bernard is not the college’s official tortoise, Corpus tortoise keeper Vivi Alabaster described him as ‘Corpus-adjacent’.”
• Oxford Sausage visits Hinksey Park's boating lake.
• The Diocese of Oxford has launched an eco podcast, Common Ground, hosted by the Bishop of Reading, Mary Gregory, exploring the connection between faith, the environment and the world we share.
• Cherwell has a thoughtful piece on the life and death of a library.
• Ox in a Box asks 'Is there a more perfect summer venue than the Perch at Binsey?'. This is a good debate to have. Over a pint or two in the Perch, or the Medley, the Isis Farmhouse, the Vicky Arms, or…
• The Oxford Student goes in search of the Oxford aesthetic.
• Quad, the Oxford University alumni website, has an expert view on the hunt for an Ebola vaccine.
• Little Explorers has their usual excellent weekend round up for fun with the Mini Clarions. (Insta your kids in fields of lavender!)
• Witney Gitzette has the best take on Oxfordshire’s quiet lanes, as ever brilliantly skewering the post-first-think-later mindset. Features Björk.

Notes from Clarion HQ

It’s Indie News Week next week, “a national celebration of the independent news strengthening democracy”. This year’s slogan is ‘No News is Bad News’. Right on cue, the Social Market Foundation has published a report with the same title, saying that in ‘news deserts’ (areas with no or limited news outlets), fake news spreads unchallenged on social media.

Oxfordshire isn’t a news desert. There’s the Oxford Mail titles, BBC Oxford, the Banbury Guardian and Henley Standard, excellent community papers (Chipping Norton News) and blogs (Abingdon Blog), and us.

So we’re less worried by news deserts, more by local media whose modus operandi is sensationalism. BBC Oxford’s Quiet Lanes reporting this month, for example, has seemingly been pitched to maximise controversy at the expense of clarity. More worryingly, at a time when Northern Ireland is suffering race riots and a far-right provocateur is about to visit Oxford, the Oxford Mail decided today was a good day to headline their print edition with ‘Asylum Seeker Bus Pass Cost Tops £100k’. (That is, in case you’re wondering, an investment of 13p from each Oxfordshire resident to address the social problems of cooping up hundreds of vulnerable people in decrepit hotels far from anywhere.)

We have our own thoughts (for another time!) on how to strengthen local reporting. For now, all we ask is to share the Clarion with your friends. But more pressing today: here’s Refugee Resource and Asylum Welcome’s donation pages. Send them a fiver this lunchtime, and make a stand against sensationalism.