New Community Building Consultation
Please tell us your views by completing our online survey for a new community building
Milton Parish Council provides your local services. We strive to make Milton a better place to live, work and play. Our website includes a wealth of information about how we conduct business and what we do. Use the search or browse the site to find whatever you are looking for. If you can't find the information you require then please contact us.
Latest News
Welcome to Didcot Garden Town!
Welcome!Thank you for signing up to receive updates on Didcot Garden Town.
Back in October 2017, we published our Delivery Plan to help us plan how to deliver the Garden Town. This important document was based on extensive consultation with the community and stakeholders throughout 2016-2017.
The document includes a masterplan and identifies 64 projects that guides how the town will develop up to 2031 and beyond. More »
We're now using these projects to set out our workplan and will be asking the local community, parish councils and businesses to help the projects move forward.
We've put together an information pack that summarises the projects and main strategies set out in the 450-page delivery plan. To find out more, download our summary document on our South and Vale websites.
Didcot Garden Town Principles that help us plan for the future!
We need you!
We are launching three Sounding Boards - these will be run as a local meet-up group to help us shape the way the garden town projects can be introduced in the town and surrounding villages. Each sounding board will meet as a working group with Didcot Garden Town staff. Work may include the following:
- scoping projects
- solving problems
- providing local advice, insight and knowledge
- developing ideas and recommendations to feedback to the Didcot Garden Town Advisory Board and councils
- your thoughts on how you'd like the projects to look and feel
There will be three sounding boards: residents (including community organisations), businesses and parish councils. We aim for each sounding board to meet twice a year.
We are really excited the project has an opportunity for you to be involved. We are looking to holding these workshops in the spring and autumn months - watch this space for more information!
To find out more, email us on info@didcotgardentown.co.uk
Latest News
More funding for
Didcot Garden Town!
Recently, the government announced that Didcot Garden Town will receive an additional £100,000 to allow us continue to work on the delivery plan for our residents.
We are working with the Didcot Garden Town Advisory Board and look forward to working with the Sounding Boards to consider recommendations on our priorities and how to spend the new funding in the best way possible.
The funding was allocated by government to help to support garden communities across the UK to deliver well connected communities.
Upcoming Events
To help us launch the Sounding Boards, we will be holding a community Garden Party at Cornerstone Arts Centre in the summer, once it is safe to do so.
We will let you know they details when the final date is confirmed.
Infrastructure plans for Didcot!
Oxfordshire County Council has launched a public consultation on the proposed range of transport improvements in Didcot and surrounding areas that will support the creation of new jobs and homes.
Work on these infrastructure improvements follows the successful funding announcement of £218 million for Didcot Garden Town from government in March 2019, known as the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF).
All schemes include new and/or improved high quality walking and cycling routes, which will give people real travel choice. Read more here!
To review the latest scheme designs and have the opportunity to give your feedback, click here. The deadline to make your comments is Thursday 30 April.
Projects we're working on!
Science Vale Cycle Network Improvements
Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has been looking at how they can improve cycling and walking networks across the county, to help people become more healthy and active. A better network will help to provide a better environment and promote better connections for everyone between communities throughout Oxfordshire.
We have helped to support OCC to ensure cycling and walking routes in Didcot, surrounding villages and throughout the Science Vale include two of our garden town principles – to create a unique identity and to inspire 'green living'. OCC's current improvements will include better links between Wantage Road, Didcot town centre and Milton Park, and will include access to Culham and Appleford. To read more, click here.
Want to have your say on the local transport and connectivity plans? Click here, to share your opinion!
Harbug
To help with the county's cycle and walkway network improvements, Marybeth Harasz, Didcot Garden Town Project Manager, joined HarBUG (Harwell Bicycle Users Group) earlier this year to cycle the Science Vale network. Together they identified routes within Didcot that need improvements and areas that could be developed to complement the existing network.
You can read their published report here.
You can find the the hand outside the UTC Oxfordshire.
Some of the individual glass discs built in to the new art installation.
Public Art
Didcot Garden Town is lucky enough to be supported by the district councils' Arts Development Officer. The public arts programme is being implemented throughout the town and this helps the town's development of identity, culture, health and wellbeing, and enhances our public spaces. Public art is one of the important strategies set out in the delivery plan.
Throughout each newsletter edition, we will be updating you on the art projects that are being installed throughout Didcot Garden Town and surrounding areas of influence.
REACH by
Michael Condron
You may have already noticed, our newest public art addition to the garden town. 'Reach' was installed in November 2019 at University Technical College Oxfordshire.
In celebration of our local scientific discovery, the hand reaches out in the quest for knowledge and understanding. It compromises of over 600 glass discs made by over 250 residents and school children, representing the amazing discoveries and knowledge held in this area. The project is one of 29 public artworks along a trail through Great Western Park.
Science Vale Business Update
Harwell Campus
Harwell Science and Innovation Campus has been designated as a Life Sciences Opportunity Zone, which is awarded for a 10-year period.
Milton Park
The green revolution is continuing for people living and working around Milton Park.
Introducing Mi-Link, the Innovate UK consortium-led living lab project that is trialling autonomous vehicles in the area.
Culham Science Centre
Culham to be the global fusion hub in £184 million transformation.
Posted: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:30 by Joanne Myers
Updated Government Guidance on access to green spaces
The government's priority is to save lives and the best way to protect yourself and others from illness is to stay at home.
However, exercise is still important for people's physical and mental wellbeing, so the government has said people can leave their homes for exercise once a day.
Please use the following guidance in order to stay safe:
- stay local and use open spaces near to your home where possible – do not travel unnecessarily
- you should only go outside alone or with members of your own household
- keep at least 2 metres apart from anyone outside your household at all times
- gatherings of more than two in parks or other public spaces have been banned and the police will enforce this
- if you have a garden, make use of the space for exercise and fresh air
- take hygiene precautions when you are outside, and wash your hands as soon as you are back indoors
- if walking your dog in areas used by other people, you should walk your dog on a lead to ensure you can safely keep 2 metres away from others. You can find further guidance for pet owners here
Please see the latest government guidance on social distancing. More »
The Cabinet Office has also published the following: Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can't do.
Please be aware that if you are experiencing symptoms of coronavirus illness (COVID-19) or at risk of severe illness if you catch coronavirus, then you must stay at home. See the latest guidance from Public Health England. » Less
Posted: Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:17 by Joanne Myers
Coronavirus (COVID-19) - Milton Parish Council
What a sobering and grounding thing we have all been through this week.
This has been an incredibly trying time for everyone and as much pressure and stress we may feel, let us take a moment to consider the enormous pressure and burden that we place on the brave NHS workers.
We are experiencing an unprecedented and fast moving crisis, we will get through this with kindness, empathy and helping each other. More »
We have many willing volunteers within the Parish, who would be happy to help in any way possible (shopping, prescriptions, phone calls).
If you need help over the coming weeks/months please call our Clerk on 07826 539743 (and leave a message) or email clerk@milton-pc.gov.uk
If you would like to volunteer to help please contact 07826 539743 (and leave a message) or email clerk@milton-pc.gov.uk
The Clerk will be monitoring voicemail and emails daily and will be in a position to sign post individuals/families to available support or volunteers.
Good Food Oxford have been working in conjunction with Oxfordshire Public Health to develop a Food Services Access Map to sign post the most vulnerable in our communities to community services such as Food-banks, Community Kitchens and Food Surplus.
The District Council has requested that all Play Equipment is shut immediately (it is not reasonable to expect children to adhere to the 2m distance rule). The virus can live for 72 hours on hard services.
The open spaces will remain open, they have an important part to play in managing people's wellbeing and mental health over the following weeks/months. Please adhere to Government Advice and keep 2mtr distance to others when outside.
Milton Parish Council
Posted: Fri, 03 Apr 2020 17:10 by Joanne Myers
