Security guards for charity shop

The Marie Curie Cancer Care shop in Headington started using prisoners on licence as security guards:

• Oxford Mail, 6 Feb 2004:
  “Prisoners help deter charity shop thieves”

New bus and cycle lane

The County Council has installed a new east-bound bus lane on the London Road near the Green Road roundabout. As this makes the road very much narrower, the cycle lane going in the opposite direction on the other side of the road has to go up on to the pavement.

Cyclox had as the first item on their agenda at its public meeting on 1 December 2004: “London Road: a cycle route is being moved on to the pavement so it goes through a bus stop and past the entrance to a retirement home. Brainstorm: how does Cyclox further the protests?”

A copy of the Oxfordshire County Council (Bus Lanes and Cycle Lanes) Amendment Order 2004, which includes a map of this part of the London Road and the reasons for making the order, can be inspected during office hours at County Hall.

• Oxford Mail, 13 December 2004 (Letter):
  “Gridlock all day long”
• Oxford Mail, 10 December 2004:
  “Changing lanes lead to mayhem”
• Oxford Mail, 5 December 2004 (Letter):
  “New layout must be scrapped”

New Delicatessen

La Plaza delicatessen opened at the former Chef’s Pantry shop at 113 London Road. The city council refused to certify that the use of this shop for the sale of fast food was lawful (04/00943/CEU).

La Patisserie Imperial at 148 London Road gained permission to change from A1 to A3 status (03/00489/FUL and 04/00022/VAR), as it is outside the primary frontage area of the Headington shopping centre. It reopened as Yummy, a Chinese, Thai, and Malaysian café and take-away, bringing the total number of restaurants, cafés and hot-food take-aways in the centre of Headington to seventeen.

Some pictures of the
Headington Christmas
Funday on 5 December 2004

W.H. Smith shop

W.H. Smith have sold nine stores nationwide, including the one in Headington (which when it opened in 1999 was their smallest UK store at 800sq.ft). It has office and staff facilities on two floors above and an 80ft garden at the rear.

It was bought by Mukesh Amin, who owns retail stores in the London area, in 2004. The shop (to be known as “Premier”) was granted a licence to sell intoxicating liquor (to be consumed off the premises).
[In 2013 it became W. H. Smith again]

Warneford Meadow

This meadow was earmarked for development in the Draft Oxford Local Plan for 2001–2016.

A public meeting chaired by Bill Heine was held on 18 June 2004 about the proposed development.

• Oxford Mail, 21 June 2004:
  “Groups unite to save threatened meadow”

Shark comes of age

The Headington Shark was 18 years old on Monday 9 August 2004.

New entrance to Headington Hill Hall

A new gate through the listed back wall of Headington Hill Hall was installed by Oxford Brookes University in 2004. It provides access from Cuckoo Lane for students living in John Garne Way.

Bus attacks

Stones were thrown through bus windows on the London Road, in Warneford Lane, and in Barton.

• Oxford Mail, 3 January 2004:
  “Buses back in the firing line”
• Oxford Mail, 9 January 2004:
  “ ‘Put wardens on besieged buses’”

Cyclist mugger

A youth on a bike tried to mug a woman in Old High Street after she had withdrawn money from Barclays cash machine between 2.30pm and 3pm on Thursday 1 April 2004.

• Oxford Mail, 3 April 2004:
  “OAP injured by cyclist mugger”

Old quarry to be community space?

Magdalen Quarry off Gladstone Road is now a nature reserve, but suffers from anti-social behaviour. City councillor Dee Sinclair suggested it should become a community space, protected by key holders.

• Oxford Mail, 30 October 2004:
  “Quarry has potential as community space”

Toucan …

The former pelican crossing at Latimer Road became a toucan crossing, where pedestrians and cyclists share a wide and unsegregated crossing area, and there is no flashing amber light.

… and Pelicans

• The first of three crossings to be installed in Headley Way was opened just before Christmas 2003
• In May 2004 a new pelican crossing was installed in Old Road near Lime Walk.

Pavement cycle lane near Dorset House

The pavement cycle lane on the south side of the London Road was improved, with the loss of the grass verge outside Headington Junior School. The final part connecting the two sections across the top part of Latimer Road was completed on 4 March 2004. The county council consulted on the idea, but only had eleven representations: five in favour, five against, and one uncertain. They have returned twice to change the track at the top of Latimer Road, but it was still unsatisfactory.

Oxford in Bloom 2004

In 2004 Headington gardeners won eleven top awards in the residential section:

• Best-kept small front garden: Gold and Silver
• Best kept large front garden: Silver
• Best-kept small back garden: Bronze (two awards)
• Best-kept large back garden: Silver
• Most beautiful hanging basket: Silver
• Most beautiful balcony: Silver
• Environmentally friendly garden: Silver
• Residential winners of 2003: Bronze
• First time entrant: Gold

The only prize for businesses went to the Six Bells, which won the Gold for the best-kept public house section. The colleges and guest houses of Headington won no prizes at all.

Headington Poetry Competition 2004

Adult winners:
• 1st Prize: Susanna Reece
• 2nd Prize: Janet Stansfeld
• 3rd Prize: Ralph Lewin
Honourable mention: Richard Jeffery, Mary Parke, A.J. Miller, Stephen Tall

Child winners:
• 1st Prize: Katie Honey
• 2nd Prize: Katie Neal
• 3rd Prize: Zoe Cheung
Honourable mention: Kate Ellis-Sawyer, Bethan Morris, Zora Newsome, Ellie Kay

Entries were judged by the poet Bernard O’Donoghue (Fellow in English at Wadham College, Oxford).

A booklet containing all the entries was available for purchase from Time & Elegance in Windmill Road, with proceeds to Headington Christmas lights.

• See all the entries on the Poetry Competition website

More applications for flats

Revised applications were published on 23 July 2004 for the following:

• Holyoake Hall, London Road. Change of use of upper floor from snooker club to 15 flats and maisonettes (04/01349/FUL)
• Shotover Mound, Spring Lane. Replacement of existing dwelling by 19 flats (04/01339/OUT)
• 20 Beech Road Replacement of house by 11 flats (04/01355/FUL)

Holyoake Hall was sold by University College to property developers W.E. Black Ltd of Chesham in 2003, who planned to keep the art deco styling of the building. It was originally built in the 1930s as a dance hall, with shops underneath, replacing Holyoake Terrace. The shops occupying the ground floor under the snooker club in 2004 were Co-op Funeral Services, Co-op Travel Care, Matthew Clulee Hairdressing, Oxford Kebab House, Domino’s Pizza, Ladbroke’s, and Café Bonjour. The decision to refuse the earlier application went to appeal

Shotover Mound City councillors voted unanimously on 27 January 2004 to reject a second set of plans submitted by J. Atiyah for 27 flats on this site, and a public inquiry was held.

• 5 Feb 2003: “Flats plan opposed”
• 22 May 2003: “Residents want flats bid blocked”
• 30 January 2004: “Revised flats design rejected”

Mason’s Arms Oxford Pub of the Year

The Masons Arms was voted Oxford City CAMRA’s City Pub of the Year 2004. They also started trial brewing at their own Old Bog Brewery.

London Road pollution

Central Headington was not included in Oxford City Council’s local air quality management assessment, but local residents, traders, and councillors are urging that it should be.

• Oxford Mail, 24 November 2004:
  “Residents want pollution tests”

Headington dentist allowed to continue working

Hamid Mozneb of the Manor Dental Surgery in Osler Road is to be allowed to continue working, following a disciplinary inquiry by the General Dental Council on 17 September 2004.

In November 2002 Mozneb was found guilty of serous professional misconduct relating to his work at the Marston Dental Practice, and in August this year a Sky News reporter posing as a patient in an undercover investigation was told that all his fillings needed replacing.

• Oxford Mail, 20 November 2002:
  “Claims of bungled dentistry”
• Oxford Mail, 21 November 2002:
  “Patient not in pain, dentist claims”
• Oxford Mail, 23 November 2002:
  “No ban for guilty dentist”
• Oxford Mail, 18 September 2004:
  “Dentist ‘has made efforts to improve’”

Parking for Manor Hospital at White Horse

Solicitors have confirmed that no planning law is being broken by the White Horse pub, which is allowing about 20 workers at the Manor Hospital to use its car park for £20 a week each. Nuffield Hospitals were only granted planning permission for the hospital (which opened on 25 October 2004) subject to parking restrictions designed to reduce traffic chaos in Headington.

• Oxford Mail, 20 November 2004:
  “Pub helps motorists defy transport plan”

Lanes too dark for Brookes students

Brookes students organized a candlelit march down Pullens Lane on 25 November 2004 to emphasize how dangerous it was for women at night. This lane has an uncertain status, as the part behind the white gate was traditionally a private road. The section of Cuckoo Lane that runs down the back of Headington Hill Hall received similar criticisms in May 2004.

• Oxford Mail, 25 November 2004:
  “Students go on safety march”
• Oxford Mail, 29 May 2004:
  “ ‘Nightmare’ footpath prompts safety calls”

No foundation status for NOC

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre has failed in its bid to gain foundation status.

• Oxford Mail, 1 July 2004:
  “NOC out blow”
• Oxford Mail, 16 January 2004:
  “NOC suffers status blow”
• Oxford Mail, 29 October 2003:
  “Petition aids protest over hospital status”
• Oxford Mail, 8 November 2003:
  “Call to fight foundation hospital”
• Oxford Mail, 13 November 2003:
  “NOC pushes for new status”

Planning meeting abandoned

The meeting of the North-East Area Committee on Tuesday 29 September 2004 had to be abandoned because only five of the twelve councillors on the committee turned up.

• Oxford Mail, 29 September 2004:
  “Lack of councillors ends meeting”

Olan Mills

Olan Mills Photography Studios moved into the former Moben kitchen and bathroom shop at 104 London Road. This is their 72nd portrait studio.

• Oxford Mail, 3 March 2004:
  “Retailer outbids charity for shop”

Richard Doll Building

Sir Richard Doll performed the topping out ceremony on the Richard Doll Building in Old Road on 23 March 2004. This building will house:

• OU Clinical Trial Service Unit
• OU Epidemiological Studies Unit
• Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit
• Part of the Department of Public Health

New name for NOC?

The Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre was considering changing its name.

• Oxford Mail, 14 January 2004: “Name dropping”

New buildings in Old Road

Retrospective planning permission was granted at the beginning of 2004 for a 20m-long electricity sub-station with a sprinkler pump house and telecom data building at the Institute of Health Sciences in Old Road.

The University of Oxford started work on the buildings without planning permission, and local residents were not happy with their appearance.

Oxford Tube catches fire

An Oxford Tube bus caught fire on reaching Headington on the night of Sunday 27 June 2004.

• Oxford Mail, 28 June 2004: “30 flee coach blast”

Eighth estate agent for Headington

The former Bristol & West office near the main Headington crossroads reopened as Andrew’s Estate Agents in 2004. The other seven estate agents are:

• Adkin
• Allen & Harris
• Buckell & Ballard
• Chancellor’s
• Charles Lawson
• Connell’s
• Lee & Lindars