Welcome to Binfield Heath, a civil parish near Henley-on-Thames in South Oxfordshire. It encompasses Binfield Heath village and the hamlet of Crowsley
PARISH NEWS
To read the latest Binfield Heath newsletter from Marina Hart please click here:
The village newsletter is published by Marina Hart, who would like to hear from anyone with news or information likely to be of interest to local residents, on marina.hart9@outlook.com Contributions are welcomed from people living in the parish and beyond. You can send emails and attachments in Word or as pdfs. Please give your name and contact details. We reserve the right not to publish unsuitable or irrelevant material. We hope you enjoy reading the newsletters and find them useful. For an emailed version please contact Marina.
Woodwax Field and Woodwax Stables
The Parish Council is aware that Woodwax Field is being offered for sale by an auction house and is advertised on several of the usual platforms including Rightmove and Zoopla. The sale technique appears to use the ‘land lotting’ technique, whereby the land is broken into small parcels suggesting that they could be building plots. Potential purchasers who do not make adequate checks can be fooled in to buying the land at an inflated price well beyond its actual value.
Local residents are particularly concerned because the sales details are misleading and wrong in many respects and the Parish Council is in the process of raising the problem with Trading Standards and applying for Article 4 protection from development. In the meantime, the Parish Council would like to correct the errors in the adverts so that locals and potential buyers are in possession of the real facts.
Woodwax Field is in a part of the parish of Binfield Heath designated ‘Open Countryside’ by the Neighbourhood Plan. Both the Local and Neighbourhood Plans oppose any building on land designated ‘Open Countryside’ unless it is for agricultural purposes as defined in the National Planning Policy Framework.
One part of Woodwax Field has planning permission for equestrian purposes and a stable for PERSONAL use only. COMMERCIAL and ANY OTHER DEVELOPMENT is specifically PROHIBITED. A public footpath runs through this plot and the field behind it and the owner will need to maintain and keep it open at all times.
Woodwax Field forms a valuable open space and lies adjacent to the ancient Woodwax Wood, where there are many wildlife species. Barn owls can often be seen from the footpath. It forms part of the setting for the Grade 2 listed buildings nearby.
Green Pond, which has also been advertised for sale, lies within a protected Local Green Space, designated within the Neighbourhood Plan. The trees which frame it will be subject to a tree protection order (TPO).
Any request for development in the Pond triangle or Woodwax Field (apart from the Stable plot) or will be strongly opposed by local residents and the Parish Council, with the backing of our MP, and is very unlikely to succeed.
SHOP PROGRESS
Villagers will have seen the changes taking place at the shop, with new windows just put in. The long shed at the back had to be removed owing to asbestos. Refurbishment and rebuilding continue at pace. Remedial work on the residential accommodation continues.
Message from the Post Office:
For further information please visit our Consultation Hub via the link below:
Consultation Hub – Binfield Heath RG9 4DU
The Forge past, present and future
Responses to the feature on the tyring platform in December’s newsletter have helped us piece together more of The Forge’s history. Highlight is the donation of a welding certificate awarded in 1941 to Mr G.F. Jenkins, the village farrier and blacksmith during and after World War Two. There is a photo of him at work in the booklet ‘A Village in Wartime’.
From speaking to some of the very few people who remember Mr Jenkins, a clear picture is emerging of how The Forge was the hub of the community in days when the horse was the main source of pulling power. Our aim now is to make it a hub fit for the 21st century, whilst acknowledging its past.
On site, after a period of deconstruction, reconstruction has started! In January approximately 100 tons of concrete were poured to provide a base for the floors and stabilise the structure, as the older walls have no foundations. The front section has been rebuilt and extended, with an outer layer of reclaimed bricks to match the existing walls. Over the next month most of the old roof will be replaced and a new roof will be added to the front. Reclaimed tiles will be used throughout.
As for the future, much of that is in your hands! The Forge will provide flexible space for a broad range of activities. Our thanks to those who have enquired already about holding exercise classes, a youth club and even ukulele lessons. If you belong to a local club – or may wish to start a new one – please contact us via binfieldheath-forge@gmail.com and we’d be happy to discuss how The Forge could provide a suitable venue.
Finally, for our latest news and a diagram showing the building's new lay-out, please see the notice board at the front of the site.
The Forge Team
Binfield Heath Parish Council will meet on Monday April 27 at 7pm in the Palmer Room, Dunsden
All local people are invited to meet the council and bring up any matters of interest or concern. If you have anything you would like to raise with the council you can do that in the public question time. You can contact the clerk on clerk@binfieldheath.org.uk
Have your say on unitary council reorganisation
This statutory consultation seeks views on the proposals that the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has received, following the Secretary of State’s invitation to councils in Oxfordshire to submit proposals for unitary local government in the county.
Oxfordshire County Council proposes one single unitary council, South Oxfordshire District Council proposes two unitary councils, to include West Berkshire and Oxford City Council proposes three unitary councils, again including West Berkshire.
To have a look at the proposals and make a choice please respond by completing the online survey at
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/localgovernmentreorganisation
Please make it clear which proposal you are responding to. You can email your response to the questions in this consultation to lgrconsultationresponse@communities.gov.uk. Please include your name and indicate in which council area your home or organisation address is located: Oxfordshire County Council, West Berkshire Council or outside the affected area. Also confirm whether you are replying as a named consultee, submitting an official response on behalf of an organisation that is not on the list of named consultees, or replying as an individual.
Parish Council vacancy
Binfield Heath PC still has a vacancy for a councillor. For details of how to apply please contact Mandy Sermon on clerk@binfieldheath.org.uk . A copy of the full advertisement from SODC can be found on the Parish Council page of this website.
Stay up to date
From this website you can keep up with events in the village with links to more information if you need it. This the fastest way to find out what's going on in your parish and backs up the latest newsletter which you can find on its own page. Here are some links to your day-to-day questions.
Which bin is it this week?
Green or grey? How to get a brown bin… what goes in which? This year’s full calendar can be found on the Parish Council page of this website. More information can be found on SODC’s website on https://www.southoxon.gov.uk/south-oxfordshire-district-council/recycling-rubbish-and-waste/when-is-your-collection-day/waste-collections-calendar/
Potholes and broken signs
These are both an increasing problem. If you are aware of a pothole locally contact fixmystreet.com and give the area and if possible the address and postcode. It's the fastest way to get results. Similarly, if road names or speed signs are damaged, also report them to fixmystreet.com
Roadside rubbish
Fly-tipped rubbish continues to be a problem from time to time. It has to be collected by District Council contractors at considerable extra cost to the taxpayer. If you see fly-tipping - or the results of it - report it online to admin.southoxford@biffa.co.uk
Planning applications
Comment on planning applications direct with SODC at the click of a button, without having to know the application number. Go to the Planning page of this website.
News mail-outs
Receive occasional news mail-outs from the Parish Council on matters that affect you . If you change your email address just sign up again with the new one. If you no longer wish to hear news from us in this form please let us know and we will delete your email details. Visit the village Facebook page to connect with friends and neighbours and join in the chat. Go to the newsletter page for the latest edition of the parish news from Marina Hart.
Contact us
For all enquiries regarding Binfield Heath Parish Council or related subjects please contact clerk@binfieldheath.org.uk