Clarion Weekly, 5 September 2025

Autumn is definitely here. The Plain in Oxford, photographed by Roger Close.

Kids are back at school, traffic is back… and the news never went away. We bring you a smorgasbord of exclusives, events and some dodgy monastic puns. Trigger warning: there is a picture of a spider in the MP section!

This week’s long reads

Oxford’s new railway line to Milton Keynes has been complete for almost a year. Yet passenger trains still aren’t running. What’s going on? We unearth the industrial dispute about who’s staffing the trains.

St Giles’ Fair, Oxford’s 400-year old funfair, takes place on Monday and Tuesday. We look at the story behind the fair, bust the most common myth, and ask whether St Giles’ could become a family destination all year round.

At the end of a hot, dry summer where the impact of climate change has been visible from day to day, how do Oxford families come to terms with a changing world? Karen Dauncey writes about Oxford's Network of Climate Cafés.

This week’s top stories

Plans for a 10,000-home new town at Heyford Park in North Oxfordshire have been unveiled, including proposals for a new railway station and a driverless shuttle bus on a loop around the site. Built on a former RAF airbase, the town would become the seventh largest in Oxfordshire.

The new planning application adds up to 8,000 houses (plus a further 1,000 which already have permission) to those built at Heyford Park in recent years. Three wind turbines and a solar farm will make the town, according to developers Dorchester Living, “the first new settlement in the UK with a energy surplus from renewable energy… in any particular year, we plan to create more energy than we can use”. A Green Tech Quarter and a Creative Quarter could create 7,000 new jobs in what the developers call “a hub for innovation in clean and green technologies”.

Artists’ impressions of the proposed Heyford Park new town.

The site is two miles from the existing railway station at Upper Heyford, on the Oxford–Banbury line. A new station is also proposed at Ardley on the Banbury–Marylebone line, just east of the site, though this would need railway industry support and potentially external funding. Cycle and walking routes would be provided to both stations and to Bicester.

Dorchester say that the town will provide houses “40–50% cheaper than prices in Oxford City” at a 12-minute rail commuting distance. Concerns have been raised locally about traffic impacts, particularly from HGVs, and supporting infrastructure delivered late or not at all. An outline planning application is now with Cherwell District Council; we looked at early proposals for the new town in a long read last year.

Oxford's South Park looks set to have a distillery once more. The Oxford Spirit Group has successfully bid for the lease of the mothballed distillery at Cheney Farm, and is applying to revive lapsed permission for the distillery to open in summer 2026. (We wrote about this in January.) In future phases, the historic Cheney Farm, which has operated as a farm since the late 18th century, could host a visitor centre with tasting and dining spaces as well as toilets and a kiosk, serving the site and South Park.

Puy du Fou in France, and the proposed Bicester site.

The proposed Puy du Fou theme park near Bicester has moved a step closer with an outline planning application being submitted. Plans include four period villages, six outdoor shows, seven indoor shows, three hotels (“each themed to different periods of British history”) and a conference centre.

Puy du Fou say that the site, by the village of Bucknell, “has been intensively farmed for many years and analysis shows most of it has limited ecological value in its current state”. They propose planting 20,000 trees and establishing 40 acres of wildflower meadows. The park itself will be open from April to October, with the conference centre open year-round. A shuttle bus from Bicester’s stations and new walking and cycling routes are intended to hit a target of 50% of daytime visitors arriving by public transport. The outline planning application has been lodged with Cherwell District Council.

Five new stations and an “Oxfordshire Metro” are at the heart of a rail plan unveiled by Oxfordshire County Council this week. The plan also envisages electrification, an expanded Oxford station, and direct services to Bristol and Cambridge.

The existing North Cotswold Line would see its frequency doubled, with a half-hourly service from Moreton-in-Marsh, Kingham, Charlbury and Hanborough to Oxford and Didcot. The Cherwell Valley stations of Heyford and Tackley would also get two trains each hour. Other plans include “longer term mass rapid transit” to Witney and Carterton and reinstating direct Oxford trains from Cholsey and Goring & Streatley. Between Radley and Oxford two extra tracks would be provided, with one extra track from Oxford to Hanborough.

OCC says that it will lead the development of the five new stations, but that other improvements will require “close collaboration with Government, Network Rail and train operators”. The whole strategy, called OxRail 2040, is now open for consultation.

Around the city

Local residents have set up a petition against an increase in parking at the proposed Warneford Park mental health hospital and medical college. The plans include an additional 230 parking spaces, which residents say will result in 500 extra car trips a day, increased congestion, air pollution and road danger. The consultation for the planning application ends on 19 September.
Thames Water’s part closure of Osney Bridge, carrying Botley Road over the River Thames, is now scheduled to continue into May 2026. The original reopening date was December 2025. The footpath, cycleway and traffic lane on the north side are closed, with traffic lights in operation. The full project should be complete by August 2026.
A cafe called “The Good Habit” could be opened on St Giles by the monastic Catholic hall of Blackfriars. The ground floor site, a bank until 2018, is currently vacant. Blackfriars is one of two Catholic “permanent private halls” at the University of Oxford. A planning application seeks permission for new frontage and also a ventilation system, which would enable the monks to install a deep fat friar. (For some equally punning replies to this, see our Bluesky thread. Well done all of you.)

The All Saints Sisters of the Poor convent site on Magdalen Road.

In other monastic news, a convent on Magdalen Road in East Oxford has been put up for sale for £12m. The order of All Saints Sisters of the Poor, established in 1851 but latterly with only five nuns, has moved back to London. The site includes a 38-bed care home, let until 2037. Estate agents Knight Frank say it is “a rare opportunity to acquire a large land holding in central Oxford, suitable for a range of uses and development”. The Sisters of the Poor founded two well-known Oxford charities, children’s hospice Helen House (now Helen & Douglas House) and homeless centre The Porch.
Residents have recycled 17 tonnes of textiles in the first six months of a kerbside collection recycling scheme, say Oxford City Council. The scheme accepts clean dry textiles in good condition to raise funds for charity.
Two beers from social enterprise Tap Social have been awarded 'Great Taste' awards by the Guild of Fine Foods. 'Time Better Spent', billed as a Juicy IPA, and 'Jobsworth', a session pale ale, were awarded stars in the 2025 awards. Tap Social is a social enterprise that brews, bakes, and runs hospitality venues to help turn lives around for prisoners and prison leavers.
The Museum of Oxford has been named a Tripadvisor 2025 award-winner. The museum tells the story of Oxford and its people, from football to fairgrounds and marmalade to Morris Motors. Councillor Alex Hollingsworth, Oxford City Cabinet member for Planning & Culture, said: “If you haven't visited the museum yet, this is a great reason to go and learn more about the history of Oxford.” (Team Clarion visited with a Mini Clarion and can confirm it is small, perfectly formed and absolutely fascinating.)
Construction lorries for a new housing development in Old Marston are ignoring the agreed traffic restrictions, say local councillors. Bellway Homes are building 159 new homes at Hill View Farm. City councillor Mary Clarkson said “One of the conditions was that residents were to receive details in advance. But the first thing we saw was construction lorries speeding past residents’ homes, ignoring the 10mph speed limit for lorries and the ban on construction traffic before 9:30am.” Oxford Labour reports that the City Council is now looking into enforcement, but safety concerns remain as schools return.

Bicester's Market Square plans; the Blaze Inn Saddles pub (via Google Street View).

Around the county

A new design for Bicester’s Market Square has been selected. The £5.1m revamp will lose the ‘gyratory’ traffic system, replacing it with pavement café seating and public spaces, while retaining a limited amount of parking. Cherwell District Council approved the plan at a meeting on Tuesday.
A pedestrian died after a collision in Wantage on Monday involving a Kawasaki motorcycle. Thames Valley Police are appealing for witnesses or dashcam footage. The family of the pedestrian, a 60-year old woman, are being supported by trained officers.
Doggy paddles: The season at the Riverside outdoor pool in Wallingford and Abbey Meadow outdoor pool in Abingdon has been extended until 7 September. On 8 September, between 2 and 7pm, dogs can splash in the pools before they are decommissioned for the winter. Booking details. (If you go, please send pupdates with pictures. Thanks!)
In another North Oxfordshire pub loss, a pub currently operating as a weekend rally site for bikers is proposed for closure and conversion to residential use. The Blaze Inn Saddles in Burdrop was formerly the Pheasant Pluckers and before that the Bishop Blaize: the applicants say “The Pub has not been used by any members of the Local Community for nearly 2 decades and was declassified in January 2021 as being an asset of community value.” Burdrop adjoins Sibford Gower whose pub, the Wykham Arms, is currently for sale.
The expansion of Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre, near Kidlington, could be fast-tracked with an obscure Government procedure called a ‘Crown Development Order’, attendees at a consultation event were told this week. Local MP Calum Miller said “Bypassing local voices would be a grave mistake – people deserve transparency and accountability.”
A 39.6MW solar farm is proposed for the village of Coleshill, just inside the Vale of White Horse on the border with Swindon. Old Hayes Solar Farm would include a battery energy storage system and would be sited on land currently used as arable farming. An application is with VoWH District Council.
Construction has begun at the A34 Lodge Hill interchange north of Abingdon, where new south-facing sliproads are being added. Work should be complete by the end of 2026.
Spending a penny in West Oxfordshire could get more difficult as the district council proposes to close six public toilets, saying they cost it £270,000 a year despite a user charge of 20p. Cllr Lidia Arciszewska said “We need to decide if managing the least used facilities is justifiable considering the cost to the taxpayer.” The toilets to be closed cost between £2,600 (Charlbury) and £45,530 (Woodstock) to run each year. Several of the toilets are sited near car parks, where WODC offers free parking at an annual subsidy of around £0.5m.
The asking price for Wytham Abbey, a Grade I-listed manor house just northwest of Oxford with parts dating back to the 15th century, has been reduced from £15m to £5.95m. The house is being sold by Effective Ventures, an organisation that promoted “effective altruism”, linked with disgraced financier Sam Bankman-Fried: its funding dried up after a collapse in philanthropic support. We looked at Oxford’s role in the controversial movement in a long read.
A 77-year old from Wallingford is one of five Oxfordshire residents to be charged at Westminster Magistrates Court in October after being “arrested and suspected of showing support towards the proscribed group Palestine Action in central London” on 19 July. In its press release, the Metropolitan Police warned that “If a [convicted] person is a member of a professional body, they may face disciplinary proceedings and removal from the profession.” 144 Met officers were subject to disciplinary proceedings and removal from the profession in 2024.

Matt Barber at Bunkfest; Charlie Maynard canvassing spiders (don't say you weren't warned!); Freddie van Mierlo at the Regatta for the Disabled

Oxfordshire politics

Oxfordshire’s Green councillors have welcomed the election of Zack Polanski as leader of the national party. City councillor Max Morris commented “We have an unapologetically anti-fascist, eco-socialist, media-savvy party.” Ian Middleton, leader of the Green group on Oxfordshire County Council, said he was “looking forward to working with him and to seeing the party break through the stagnation of our broken two party system”.

Oxfordshire County Council’s two opposition groups should split one set of allowances between them, according to a report coming to the full council meeting on Tuesday. Currently Labour and a Conservative/Independent coalition are tied on 12 councillors each, and they each get full allowances – costing an extra £180,000 over the four-year council term. The report says:

“Oxfordshire was among a minority of authorities that made constitutional provision for an ‘official’ opposition group… paying the full [opposition allowance] to both groups would result in a significant increase to the Council’s budget and could affect public perception negatively.”

Oxfordshire's Labour MPs have celebrated the Government's expansion of government-funded childcare, saying the plans could save families up to £7,500 per child. The nursery at Windale Primary School in Blackbird Leys will be expanding this month, and in Chipping Norton a nursery will open at St Mary's CofE Primary School – two of the 300 school-based nurseries that the Government is funding. Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East, called it “a game changer for many young families across Oxford”.

Banbury MP Sean Woodcock has rounded up his August recess here. Since getting back, he's attended a Sepsis Awareness Day and in Parliament stood up for the hospitality sector, hitting out at crippling energy bills. More locally he offered support to the owners of Tooley's Boatyard in Banbury, which is suffering from the closure of the Oxford Canal due to low water levels.
Bicester & Woodstock MP Calum Miller is the LibDems’ Foreign Affairs spokesperson. He extended sympathies to the family of Andriy Parubiy, the Ukrainian politician shot dead in Lviv, and asked the Foreign Secretary to press Qatar to end Hamas' political sanctuary as the UK moves towards recognising a Palestinian state. Locally he staged a Meet your MP tour and attended a public meeting on flooding.
Witney MP Charlie Maynard has been knocking on doors in Witney and meeting residents' pets. A hairy experience... His August looked like this.
Oxford East MP Anneliese Dodds has been drumming up support for Cllr Brad Baines' petition for a safer crossing at Abingdon Road/ Weirs Lane.
Oxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran (a former teacher) shared the opportunity for teachers to join the parliamentary Teacher Ambassador Programme. And she celebrated Surfers Against Sewage’s swim of the length of the Thames (sooner them than us).
Didcot & Wantage MP Olly Glover is part of the APPG on Fair Votes. They've published a cross-party proposal on electoral reform. He hit out at the government's plan to scrap the UK Space Agency (UKSA), based in Harwell, and fold it into a Government department: “Space holds great untapped potential for research and innovation happening in Oxfordshire, for the UK economy, and for key sectors like defence, energy and finance. We simply cannot risk our capabilities being undermined.”
Henley & Thame MP Freddie van Mierlo presented the prizes at Henley’s Regatta for the Disabled. In Parliament he asked the Foreign Secretary to sanction Benjamin Netanyahu and secured a commitment that the Government would continue to reduce the cost of childcare.
Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber has clarified his recent comments on shoplifting with an opinion piece on crime, calling on residents to report crime instead of merely posting about it on social media: “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. In the same vein, he hosted the Fight Back Against Retail Crime event at Oxford's Westgate; attended a youth forum to hear young people’s perspectives on policing; and visited a church and Bunkfest in Wallingford. If you're interested in becoming a police officer, there's a recruitment event on Saturday in Reading.

University and research

A new vaccine research initiative at the University of Oxford, CoI-AI (Correlates of Immunity-Artificial Intelligence), will use AI and human challenge models to study the immune system, its reaction to germs and antibiotic resistance. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard of the Oxford Vaccine Group said it will “help us to understand immunity more deeply to develop innovative vaccines against deadly diseases that have so far evaded our attempts at prevention”.
Oxford Brookes University is celebrating three years of its Enterprise Centre with an event on 9 September. Since launching in 2022, it has supported 27 start-up businesses – researching new cancer treatments, ways to slow age-related macular degeneration, new vaccines, and more – to raise £18m in grants and investment. Potential collaborators and investors are welcome to the celebration event.
Oriel College has announced a new exhibition, ‘The Rhodes Legacy Through the Eyes of Zimbabwean Sculptors’. Opening on 3 October, the exhibition discusses the colonial campaign led by Cecil Rhodes in Zimbabwe, charts the history of the Rhodes Must Fall campaign in Oxford and shines a light on the tradition of Zimbabwean stone sculpture. (In 2020, following the global Black Lives Matter movement, more than 1,000 protesters assembled outside Oriel College and called for the statue of Rhodes to be removed.) William Beinart, emeritus Professor at Oxford’s African Studies Centre, said: “This is an opportunity to hear a Zimbabwean perspective on Rhodes’s legacy. Our aim is to develop discussion on the issues raised by Rhodes Must Fall and showcase Zimbabwean sculpture.”
A display of fossils discovered during excavation works for HS2 has opened at the Natural History Museum in Oxford. The railway cuts through rock outcrops spanning the full Jurassic period and has produced some spectacular fossils, including ichthyosaur remains, crustaceans and cephalopods.
Misleading media coverage is shaping public debate on immigration and human rights, a study from the University of Oxford has found. Analysis revealed frequent misreporting and mischaracterisation of immigration tribunal cases, risking undermining trust in the legal system. Professor Başak Çalı of the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights: “Politicians, journalists and commentators may legitimately hold different views on immigration and human rights. But mischaracterising how the law operates does a disservice to the public. Evidence should be the foundation of any debate.”

Walking and cycling

Residents calling for a greenway and cycle route from Thame to Haddenham station have launched a petition. The distance is only 2.5 miles, but the busy A418 is unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists. They say that a greenway would “encourage walking, cycling, and healthier lifestyles; improve safety, particularly for children, commuters, and recreational users; and reduce traffic congestion and emissions”. The petition has already topped 1,500 signatures.
The new railway bridge walkway on the north side of Botley Road has opened, just hitting the “end of August” deadline. The route is 4m wide (we’ve measured it!) and will eventually have space allocated for pedestrians and cyclists, but for now cyclists are still being asked to dismount. A second path is being constructed on the southern side, replacing the older narrow path. The official, albeit widely disregarded, cycling route to the west continues to be via Cripley Place.
Five more schools around Oxfordshire could get traffic-free streets at pick-up and drop-off times. Oxfordshire County Council is proposing “school streets” in Banbury, Carterton, and Didcot, as well as expanding an existing zone in Sandhills, Oxford. For the first time, the schemes include a secondary school, St Birinus Boys’ School in Didcot; the primaries are Harriers Academy in Banbury, Edith Moorhouse and St Joseph’s in Carterton, and Willowcroft in Didcot. Restrictions would be enforced by number plate recognition cameras. Consultation is open until 13 October.
A new-build ‘eco-town’ estate in Bicester is to become a de facto Low Traffic Neighbourhood. Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to install cameras on Charlotte Avenue in Elmsbrook so that through passage is restricted to buses, cyclists and pedestrians.

Dates for your diary

Ride & Stride, Saturday 13 September. Go church-bagging by foot or bike in aid of historic chapels and churches.
Polish Culture Festival, Saturday 20 September, Greyfriars School. Free family fair celebrating all things Polish – food, music, dance, crafts – organised by Oxford's Polish School.
Improbable Sessions: AI and Consciousness, Tuesday 23 September, Oxford Playhouse. A quartet improvising music in response to speakers on artificial intelligence.
Natural Elements sculpture exhibition. 6 September–8 November, the Turrill Sculpture Garden, South Parade, Summertown. Jon Earney’s found-stone sculptures meet Sally Dorrity’s hand-built, frost-resistant stoneware creating a conversation between fired clay and carved stone in a garden.
The Story Museum has released its autumn calendar, everything from Les Enfants Terribles (a gameshow hunt for Oxford's most awful child) to Fairy Tales for Grown Ups.
Oxford Open Doors. 13–14 September. Have you planned your trips yet?

This weekend

⚠️

The Government will be running a national test of the Emergency Alerts system on Sunday 7 September 2025. Mobile phones and tablets will receive an alert, make a loud siren-like sound and vibrate. If you are a domestic abuse survivor with a concealed mobile phone, Refuge have put together this guide.

Museum Resources Centre open day. Saturday, 10-4. Behind the scenes at the Oxfordshire Museum's store near Standlake. Booking essential for free tours and talks.
Oxford Thai Food Festival, Botley Park. Saturday, 11-7. Street food, music, dance, crafts. £5 entry.
Botley Skatepark Celebration Jam. Saturday, 12-4. Rescheduled after last month's heavy rain.
Headington Beer Festival. Friday–Sunday, Masons Arms. Many many beers.

Oxfordshire’s independent media

The Oxford Sausage meets Chris Raworth, fairground model maker.
Vinay Raniga, former Conservative PPC for Oxford West & Abingdon, asks on his YouTube channel why “nearly 30,000 millionaires have left Britain”.
Ox in a Box reviews the Big Feastival as early bird tickets are released for 2026.
The Bishop of Oxford, Bishop Steven, has a Substack (blog, for those of us over about 30) and he's even recorded it on Spotify. This week’s reflection is How to begin a new job (and avoid toxic masculinity).
The Witney Gitzette satirically says West Oxfordshire is down to two doctors so receptionists and Facebook shamans are stepping in. At least, we think it’s satire.

Notes from Clarion HQ

The decision on Oxford’s congestion charge will be taken next Wednesday at an OCC Cabinet meeting. We’ll be live-posting from 10am over on our Bluesky account.

We were sorry to see Abingdon North county councillor Nathan Ley (temporarily?) deactivate his, usually very informative, Facebook account this week after his thoughtful take on the St George’s flag campaign got reported in the most sensational way possible by the Express (no link, they don’t deserve the clicks) following a report in Oxford’s legacy paper… and the comment sections were exactly as you’d expect. Meanwhile, over on the Clarion Bluesky and Twitter accounts, you were debating the Heyford Park new town, OCC’s railway plans, and making terrible puns about monks. We have the best readers.