Cathy Street Good afternoon all,
I hope this email finds you well?
Please find attached a letter from Wing Commander Lawson, Officer Commanding Operations Support Wing, which provides information regarding a proposed new radar tower for RAF Brize Norton.
If you should have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Best regards,
Leanne King
Mrs L M King |D| Media and Communications Officer
25 MAR 2021
West Oxfordshire district councillors have approved a joint electric vehicle infrastructure strategy, paving the way for zero-emission transport in the county.
Developed in collaboration with Oxfordshire County Council and local authority partners, the Oxfordshire Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy (OEVIS) lays out the framework to realise a countywide vision for the charging of electric vehicles (EVs).
Adoption of the Strategy is just one of a number of recent measures taken by the Council – including the appointment of a Biodiversity and Countryside Land Management Officer and investing in its first electric vehicle – to deliver against its corporate priority of: “leading the way in protecting and enhancing the environment by taking action locally on climate change and biodiversity.”
Last month the Council also approved its Climate Change Strategy 2021-25.
With an end to sales of diesel and petrol cars set for 2030, it is expected that 25,000 battery electric vehicles will be on Oxfordshire’s roads within the next five years.
To meet this emerging demand, the OEVIS sets an aspiration for 7.5% of all local authority managed public car park spaces to be adapted to fast or rapid electric vehicle charging points (EVCPs).
One hundred and forty charging units, able to charge 280 cars simultaneously, are due to be rolled out across the county through the Government and private sector backed Park and Charge Oxfordshire project. Thirty-five units, servicing 70 parking bays, will be installed in West Oxfordshire later this year, contributing to the Council’s target. On top of this, the Council is currently in the process of evaluating tenders to appoint a partner to plan and install additional EVCPs in the district, to cover a wider and more rural geographic distribution.
The changes will support residents, businesses and visitors to make low-carbon transport choices and move away from vehicles powered by polluting fossil fuels in a bid to reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality.
Councillor David Harvey, Cabinet Member for Climate Change at West Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Bringing EVCPs to Oxfordshire is a truly collaborative project which will revolutionise how transport on our roads will look in the years to come.
“One of the biggest barriers to people taking the plunge right now and converting to electric is the level of uncertainty about the charging options available. Purchasing a car is a big financial commitment for the vast majority of people, so it is essential we provide the public with the right infrastructure and reassurances if we want them to make the change.
“The roll out of the new EVCPs, backed up by the new strategy, will enable residents to invest in EV with confidence, knowing they can charge their vehicle in a way which is convenient to them, fits in with their lifestyle and the amount of mileage they predict they are likely to do.”
Developing the infrastructure to support EVs is just one objective outlined in the Council’s Climate Change Strategy to decarbonise the district around the key issue of transport. Encouraging active forms of travel, creating low-traffic neighbourhoods and piloting new technologies, which support ultra-low carbon-emission transport, are just some of the climate change mitigation measures the Council is keen to advance.
West Oxfordshire District Council is the first authority to formally adopt the OEVIS following Oxfordshire County Council councillors’ approval of the Strategy last week; Oxfordshire’s remaining district and city councils will seek approval in April.
The Climate Change Strategy for West Oxfordshire 2021-2025 is available at: www.westoxon.gov.uk/environment/climate-action/climate-change-strategy/
Contact Information
West Oxfordshire District Council Communications Team
01993 861616
Black Bourton Parish Council Update March 2021
75th VE Day Trees.
The Parish council would like to thank all the residences that donated towards the Village 75th VE day Trees and Bench Fund we would like to announce that we raised a fantastic £508.72, we would also like to thank all the volunteers and all the work that was put in behind the scenes to make this happen, we would like to also thank Chevron for donating a beautiful new engraved bench to go on the Village Green. A special thanks to Cllr. Ted Fenton for his donation from the Councillor Priority Fund without the grant this project would never have gotten off the ground.
New VAS Cameras and Speed Awareness Posters.
Many of the residence may have noticed we have working very hard to address the issue of speeding through the Village, we have new posters that have been attached to posts all around the Village, and we are currently looking to purchase 2 new VAS solar powered cameras to be positioned where the 3 posts are situated within the Village.
We have also replaced and received new roundels that are currently placed on our white gates and all through the village.
If you have any incidents of speeding or dangerous driving within the Village please make a note of the time/date of the incident and the number plate if you can, and please report to Police but also let us know, we are here for you and to act on your behalf, with so much more human traffic on the roads we want to protect you.
Please report to Charlotte Cartwright on bbparishclerk@gmail.com
Playpark Improvements.
You may have noticed we have cordoned off some equipment in the Playpark over the next few months. We hope you will notice improvements and changes within our play area. The cordoned off equipment needs to be removed or repaired so please do not use it. If you wish to put any ideas forward or would like to help to volunteer to help with the improvements we wish to make, please contact the Parish Council Clerk on bbparishclerk@gmail.com
Our next meeting will be held virtually on the 21st April 2021
If you wish to contact us or join us as a Councillor, we would love to hear from you.
Black Bourton Parish Council Update.
Left to Right – Cllr. Lanham, Cllr. Miles, Cllr. Shaw and Cllr. Pope
Last year the Parish Council decided that it would like to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day by planting 75 trees at different locations around the Village. Unfortunately, due to the Covid Pandemic, and subsequent lockdowns, we were unable to complete this project by the 8th of May 2020.
In the interim period the Parish Council has had to overcome not just the Covid issues but other issues such as the escalation in the price of Trees.
We are pleased to announce that the last of the 75 trees was planted on the 28th February 2021 along the Burford Rd.
We would also like to thank everyone that has been involved in this project in whatever shape or form, and for the fantastic donations that have been given to be able to complete this mammoth task.
Not only will the trees add some additional colour and interest to the Village they become a haven for wildlife and help contribute to reducing our carbon footprint.
Good afternoon,
I write to inform you that on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th February 2021, RAF Brize Norton will be using the 25m Range from approximately 1000 – 1500 hrs.
This is to allow our 2624 Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF) Regiment Squadron to conduct essential Phase Two training to RAuxAF RAF Regiment
Gunners. This training is crucial activity to the preservation of the 2624 Squadron personnel Phase 2 training pipeline.
Options to re-locate this training to an alternative location have been pursued, however due to waterlogging at another Range, this precludes completion of much of the range activity. This training has also been deferred from last year and Range availability limits the option to delay this training further.
In order to minimise the disturbance to our local community, we have reduced the number of personnel attending this training which will decrease the number of live fire, in addition to this, the number of rounds and the operating hours have also been reduced.
I apologies in advance for any disturbance caused during this time whilst we are constrained to our home environments, due to the National Lockdown.
Please allow me to reassure you that all efforts have been made to reduce the scale, duration and impact of this activity within our local community.
Finally, I wish you well in these difficult times.
Take care,
Kindest regards,
Leanne King
Mrs L M King |D| Media and Communications Officer
Subject: 20210107-LCWG Minutes 08 December 2020
Good afternoon,
Happy New Year to you, I hope you managed to enjoy the festive season in some way.
Apologies for inconvenience, a few amendments were required to the minutes from our last meeting held
in December 2020, therefore please find attached the revised version for you to view. Please note the
radar pattern information and the Noise Abatement Policy are currently being prepared and once I have
those I will distribute accordingly. However, I can now share with you the summary of the 25m
Range Noise Monitoring Survey, please see below:
A monitoring exercise was carried out in the village of Black Bourton on 5th November to assess the levels
of noise from gunfire at the 25m range at RAF Brize Norton. The shooting on the day was identified as
being representative of normal use of the range and the meteorological conditions were favourable for the
exercise. At the start of the monitoring period it was relatively still, less than 3 mph wind speed, and a
temperature of around 7 degrees Celsius was recorded.
The monitoring location chosen was on the public footpath, off Burford Road, adjacent to an area of
paddocks. This was closer to the range than the properties on Burford Road and less affected by traffic
noise, approximately 920 metres to the west of the range. A Cirrus Optimus, Type 1, Sound Level Meter
was used for the measurement period and calibrated before and after monitoring using a Cirrus CR:515
Class 1 calibrator. Recording started at 10:32 and ceased at 13:47 with firing commencing at the range at
around 11:55.
There is no legislation or guidance which specifies limits for gunfire noise levels in the environment.
However, a methodology used in the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) Guidance on the
Control of Noise from Clay Target Shooting can be applied to derive an indicative shooting noise level to
give an indication whether annoyance is likely. Gunshots recorded were analysed and a logarithmic
average of the highest 25 levels was calculated to give a shooting noise level. Based upon research the
guidance states that at shooting noise levels below the mid 50’s dB there is little evidence of significant
levels of annoyance at any site, whereas for levels in the mid to high 60’s, significant annoyance is
engendered in a majority of sites. The shooting noise level calculated for the range was found to be lower
than 45.7 dB at nearby properties and is therefore considerably lower than the benchmark for annoyance.
It has to be stressed that this is a methodology used for clay target shooting though so whilst not directly
comparable it is considered to be a good indicative tool.
Whilst noise from gunfire may be audible at properties in Black Bourton the levels recorded on the
5th November 2020 do not indicate that any further noise mitigation measures need to be considered at
the 25m range. It is understood that local residents are notified when firing at the range is due to take
place to pre-warn them of the proposed activity and that weekend and night-time use is restricted where
possible. It is recommend that this practice continues.
Please be reminded that a further noise monitoring exercise will take place Spring 2021 and we
expect a further summary will be provided at that time.
Take care and stay safe,
Kind regards,
Leanne King
Mrs L M King |D| Media and Communications Officer
As a Parish Council we hold monthly meetings every 3rd Wednesday of the month. As we are only able to hold virtual meeting at present, if you have any questions or ideas that you wish to put forward please contact bbparishclerk@gmail.com.
We are still hoping to find another councilor to join our Council, if you are interested in finding out more then please do contact us.
We have purchased some new bins to go into the playground these will be put in very soon. Also, we hope you like the new gates with signs and roundels, traffic calming is one of our main priorities – anything to slow the traffic down.
At the moment we are in correspondence with the District Council with the hope we can secure some funding to potentially have 2 or 3 speed humps installed so please watch this space.
You may have noticed that we have orange fencing around two of the pieces of equipment within the playpark, we are hoping to be able to make them safe or replace them by the spring.
As I am sure many of you were aware we were able to secure a grant from our local councilor priority fund to purchase and plant some trees in our village. After many talks with the local council we are now moving forward in purchasing some trees to replace the ones removed from Alvescot Road. We are looking at breaking the purchase and planting down into 3 projects to make it more manageable at this time with the pandemic.
If you have any ideas about where you would like to see the trees planted, please get in touch.
You could read past minutes here.
Many Thanks
Charlotte Cartwright
Black Bourton Parish Clerk.