GIVE US A BREAK! NO MORE HOMES UNTIL THERE ARE SOME MORE JOBS IN THE TOWN

END OF AN ERA
The last vestiges of the old Parker Knoll factory are disappearing under the developer's bulldozers. Councillor John Grantham who worked on the site for many years was there this week on a sentimental trip with his camera. Other old PK hands who want to get a last glimpse of the place had better get a move on.

MORE DELAY FOR ENTERPRISE CENTRE

THIS ENTERPRISE CENTRE HAS BECOME A SCANDAL
Whats the latest excuse

JAN 18th TO GINA BURROWS; I am writing to you as my representative on the Town Partnership. It was stated at the Town Council on Monday that an answer was expected at the Partnership Meeting yesterday about plans for the sale and development of the five acres of employment land at the Parker Knoll site. I am sure you are aware of how much interest and concern there is about this  issue in the town - particularly since we have been told on at least three  separate occasions over the last year that an answer was expected within the  next week or so. I  would like your reassurance that firm information about the employment land  was forthcoming and I would be grateful if we could be told what it was.   GERRY ALCOCK

JAN 18th TO GERRY ALCOCK: At last night's meeting Will reported that negotiations were still continuing between Wimpey and the potential buyer. They should have exchanged in December but a legal problem arose and now their anticipated exchange date is in February. This is hugely frustrating but is in the hands of two sets of lawyers. Those representing the Partnership in this and WODC are keeping the pressure on but there is a limit to what can be done to move it further any faster. It seems both parties are keen to complete but meanwhile this is immensely frustrating for us all and it is understood how the patience of some of the community is being tried.  I'm afraid this will not constitute 'firm information' but that is as firm as it gets at this point which is a shame. GINA BURROWS

Psst.....TESCO ARE COMING

A fellow councillor rang me up to tell me that he had heard from another councillor (who generally knows about these things) that there's a really strong rumour around town that Tesco have bought the 5 acres of employment land at the Parker Knoll site. Its not surprising that as the District Council Planners keep failing to deliver any definite news about what is happening the rumour mill will take over. This one started when a local business man who would rather like to set up a car showroom on London Road called in at the Wimpey Site Office to enquire when units would be available. No chance he was told. The employment land has been sold to Tesco. Its over three years since the original planning permission was given. This involved Wimpey having to produce a detailed marketing plan for industrial units on the 5 acres. We were told that marketing of the Wimpey houses could not proceed until this plan was all tied up. (hmmm) It now seems that the only marketing plan Wimpey ever had was to sell the land on to somebody else. We have  been told that any new owner would have to accept the plan for industrial units agreed with Wimpey. The story goes that there is an eager buyer but negotiations have been dragging on because of legal problems (see below). What the rumour mill now says is that Tesco have bought the land and will spend a year proving there is no demand for industrial units. Then the planning permission expires and Tesco will re-apply this time for "retail" use - which is perfectly OK. They will claim they are creating 100 jobs. They will probably also sweeten their application with an offer to build (or at least contribute a few million towards) a link road from London Road, through Tank Farm and the School to join up with Burford Road (the so-called Eastern By-Pass mentioned in the County Transport Review). There is then a huge quantity of land ready for residential in-filling between the new link road and the existing town boundary - owned by Oxfordshire County Council with options already sold to developers. The cash registers will be ringing out for everybody. Lovely jubbly. The first application for residential development at Tank Farm has already been made. Our town centre will end up like Stow - full of shops selling pots and casserole dishes. It is absolutely vital that we receive reassurance about these 5 acres of employment land as a matter of great urgency. We want the employment units which were promised - not a Tesco supermarket.

GREAT NEWS ABOUT THE 5 ACRES
OF EMPLOYMENT LAND AT PK

The Chipping Norton site will be marketed by Meeson Williams who recently produced a review of prospects for commercial property in Oxfordshire - including this encouraging forecast.....The trend for relocations to less well established business locations will continue. We believe that opportunities still exist in some of the the secondary rural and market towns which will continue to see an increase in occupier demand, such as Faringdon, Carterton, Wantage, Thame, Chipping Norton and Woodstock. All of these towns have the potential to provide a good business infrastructure.

Now that this ownership issue has been settled, it should at last be possible for an agreement to be reached about premises on the site for a new Enterprise Centre and for a proposal for grant funding to be submitted to SEERA. Congratulations to the West Oxfordshire planners for coming through with their side of the deal. Now its over to the Partnership to get cracking.

PLANS FOR INDUSTRIAL UNITS HAVE NOW BECOME AN "OFFICE PARK"
YET ANOTHER BROKEN PROMISE

In the last few years I have sat through many discussions about the 5 acres of employment land at Parker Knoll. There has never - in my view - been the slightest doubt that what was being promised were "industrial units" and " workshops". The marketing Plan agreed three years ago talked abut a "mix of units". We were expecting places suitable for small engineering companies, fabric and furniture makers , electronics designers - and - who knows - even the odd Formula 1 component maker. After all, the whole point was try and lure back to work in Chippy some of the skilled and semi-skilled workers who had been left high and dry by the Parker Knoll closure and to try and tap into the fantastic pool of skilled motor engineering talent in the area. And in any case there was already plenty of office space available at Cromwell Park.....and a distinct shortage of office workers. Ceta could never recruit enough people.

Now a design statement has appeared for the development of this employment land - distributed yesterday at the Town Council. A few quotes: "An outline planning application was made to redevelop this site for B1 use and in particular Office use". (Section 1.2) "Provision of 3-storey buildings are acceptable on the site"  WODC Planning advice quoted (Section 7.1) "It is proposed the new office park is designed...." (Section 11.1).

A plan shows 14 square and rectangular buildings surrounded by car parking and with no serious landscaping features densely packed into the site in a grid. If they are to provide the proposed 86,000 sq feet of space ("necessary to be viable") there will probably need to be two or three stories.

It looks as if what will be built is offices - pure and simple. Another Cromwell Park but much less attractive and without the space between buildings. Is this really what's planned Perhaps the Partnership will tell us on Wednesday evening (18th July). Is there really such a demand for office space  The Town Partnership spent 10,000 on a "feasibility" study for the site's development two years ago which supposedly established levels of demand. That study has never been published. Perhaps the time for publication has come.

Councillor Keith Greenwell writes:

1 Chipping Norton already has a surfeit of office accommodation with space available on Cromwell Park and more to become available once CETA relocate to their new premises. What is required is small industrial premises that will foster small businesses employing say up to 10 and providing jobs for the school leavers who want practical, hands-on jobs. The sort of units that exist in Kingham or Crawley Mill and have attracted specialist businesses doing operations like 'light investment casting', 'classic motor cycle restoration' and specialist woodworking.

2 The new business park needs to compliment other business sites in the town. More offices are not going to compliment existing business sites. Why are some of the ex employees from PK that wanted to start upholstery businesses now using small factory premises in places like the Wychwoods Quite simply because, when you ask them they tell you they would have preferred to stay in Chippy but, there were no suitable premises available at rents they could afford within CN. We have exported jobs and skills to other areas of West Oxfordshire and nothing in this proposaL will bring them back!

Chipping Norton District Councillor Robert Townley, who asked the council for an update on the plans, said he was pleased progress was being made. "This will be of great benefit to the town. We have been waiting for it for some time and now it looks as though everything is falling into place. The centre isn't exactly imminent, it'll take all of a year, but it will be a boost to the town." The developers, the company is administered by the Standard Bank of Jersey, are preparing a detailed marketing plan for the centre, which could offer up to 85,000 sq feet of space for small businesses. The centre could include flexible workspace with a wide range of support services not just for tenants but existing businesses too.