Arncott Parish Council

Low Level Training - Training Area, St George’s Barracks, Bicester,

Saturday 06 July 2024 – 1800 to 2130hrs.

For information; low level training will be conducted on the Training Area, St George’s Barracks Bicester, Saturday 06 July 2024.
For local awareness, the training will consist of blank rounds and simulated small explosives between 1800 and 2130hrs.
Training will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.

This type of training activity is conducted on an irregular basis.

Reminder: MOD EXPLOSIVES TRAINING EXERCISE
Tuesday 27th February between 8h and 17h

Today we received the following notification from the MOD regarding some demolition works due to start today.

"...
Good afternoon.

Apologises for the short time frame in letting you know, but I just wanted to get in touch to let you know that I am having some demolition works undertaken in the plot of MOD land opposite our C Site North Gate entrance, which will remove the old Railway buildings as they are now in an unsafe condition.

I’m sure you appreciate such a large scale project doesn’t always come to fruition until the very last minute when all parties have come together and agree the start dates and phase of works in order to then proceed at pace, as has been the case with this demolition project.

There will be some noise generated during all of the works but in general noise should be confined to the demolition period, w/c 26th February for approx. 10 weeks (circa end 31 May 24 or earlier), with the first two weeks as the mobilisation period with mainly setting up the contractors compound and welfare cabins, etc.

The works are scheduled to be undertaken during standard working hours, Mondays to Fridays. However, if we encounter issues during the demolition phase then we may need to extend the days or run over in the weekend, but this is not anticipated at the moment and would be a last resort if a building was partially unsafe and we needed to eliminate such a risk as a priority activity..."

For clarification, C Site North is the entrance on Norris Road coming into the village from Lower Arncott. Any queries or urgent issues with the works, please contact the parish council and we will pass on the queries to the MOD.

Confidence Charge Range - Training Area South, St George’s Barracks, Bicester,

Tuesday - 27 February and Tuesday 19 March 2024

For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday 27 February and Tuesday 19 March 2024.
For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of small explosions between 0800 / 1700hrs.
The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice students in safe handling and use of explosives.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown at the perimeter of the Training Area South.

Training will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.

This type of training activity is conducted on an irregular basis.

The parish council has been asked by the Rural Housing Trust to publicise that the shared ownership property – 10 Harper Close, Upper Arncott – is for sale. Please see attached PDF for details:

Check out this 2 bedroom semi-detached house for sale on Rightmove 2 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in 10,Harper Close, Upper Arncott, Bicester, Oxon. OX25 1QW, OX25 for £207,500. Marketed by Barton Fleming, Bicester

ARNCOTT VILLAGE REMEBRANCE DAY SERVICE 2023

Remembrance Day for this year is Sunday November 12th. A Remembrance service will be held at the Arncott Village War Memorial Garden starting at 3:00pm. All are welcome to attend.

Confidence Charge Range - Training Area South, St George’s Barracks, Bicester, Tuesday 17 October 2023.

1. For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday17 October 2023.

2. For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of relatively small explosions between 0800 / 1700hrs.

The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice students in safe handling and use of explosives. In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown at the perimeter of the Training Area South. Training will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.

3. Please expect this type of training activity on an irregular basis for the foreseeable future.

Arncott parish council has received the following email message from Ambrosden parish council.

Ambrosden parish council, with the kind help of South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, are pleased to offer a free Community Basic Life Support Awareness Training session on Saturday 29 July at 10:00am in Ambrosden Village Hall. There are 12 places available. It is open to adults only due to the content of the training. The session will last for 90 minutes and will include training in CPR and the use of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and will involve some activity on the floor, so please be comfortable with getting up and down, and dress appropriately. The session is available on a first come first served basis. To request a place, please email [email protected] with your name, address and a contact telephone number. Please book your place by end Saturday 22 July by emailing the [email protected]

Sobell House and Katharine House Hospices are looking for volunteers.

Sobell House currently require volunteer support on their In-Patient Unit and Volunteer Drivers to help them in the transportation of their patients and equipment.

Bereavement Volunteers and Volunteer Companions are needed to support both Katharine House and Sobell House Hospice.

See attachment for details

Confidence Charge Range - Training Area South, St George’s Barracks, Bicester, Tuesday 18 July 2023.

For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday 18 July 2023.

For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of relatively small explosions between 0800 / 1700hrs.
The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice students in safe handling and use of explosives.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown at the perimeter of the Training Area South.

Training will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.

Please expect this type of training activity on an irregular basis for the foreseeable future.

Confidence Charge Range Training Area South, St George’s Barracks, Bicester, Tuesday 20 June 2023.

For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday 20 June 2023.

For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of relatively small explosions between 0800 / 1700hrs.

The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice students in safe handling and use of explosives.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown at the perimeter of the Training Area South.

Training will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.



Please expect this type of training activity on an irregular basis for the foreseeable future.

Please be advised:

Confidence Charge Range Training Area South, St George’s Barracks, Bicester, Tuesday 30 May 2023.

For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday 30 May 2023. The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice the students in safe handling and use of explosives. Please expect this type of training activity on an irregular basis for the foreseeable future.

For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of relatively small explosions between 0800 / 1700 and will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown on the perimeter of the Training Area South.

On the 17th March 2023 our old Tornado from the MOD gate was unveiled at Boscombe Down Aviation Collection. Paul, our parish council chairman went along with Cllr Dan Sames and his wife for the unveiling. The work on the plane is far from complete but it is progressing well. This is an article from the Salisbury Journal https://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/23411470.tornado-gr1t-unveiled-boscombe-aviation-collection/. Pictures from the day are also included below.

Please note the upcoming road closure.

As you may well be aware, the new pathways in the village hall play area have been in need of repair for several months. The company that installed the pathways has advised the parish council that the necessary work to repair the pathways will be taking place this Thursday the 23rd February.

Please be advised of upcoming explosives testing on the MOD site:

Confidence Charge Range Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday 28 March 2023.

For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, Tuesday 28 March 2023. The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice the students in safe handling and use of explosives. Please expect this type of training activity on a irregular basis for the foreseeable future.

For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of relatively small explosions between 0800 / 1700 and will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown on the perimeter of the Training Area South.

I have been contacted by someone from Boscombe Down Aviation Collection regarding the Tornado that used to sit as gate guardian on H Site.

On Friday the 17th March they will be showcasing the fully repainted plane on a special day and they have invited anyone who wishes to go to let us know with confirmation that they can attend. I'll get more details later this week but ideally if anyone would like to go let me know in a PM with names and numbers.

Many thanks.

Arncott parish council has been advised by Ambrosden parish council that OCC will be holding a public exhibition in Ambrosden village hall to provide information and progress on the Ploughley Road / A41 junction works. This exhibition is scheduled to take place from 15:30hrs to 20:30hrs on Thursday 2nd February. This is your chance to go and find out what has happened, why all the delays, what’s happening over the next few weeks and when it all might come to an end. Please let your friends and neighbours know.

On Tuesday the 10th of January 2023 a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks (SGB) Bicester.

The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice the students in the safe handling and use of explosives.

For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of small explosions between 0800 - 1700 hrs and will be conducted in accordance with Defence and SGB Range Standing Orders.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown on the perimeter of the TAS, SGB.

Just a reminder that there will be some small explosions on St George's Barracks today as the MOD is doing training.

On the 13th of December 2022 between 0800 - 1700 hrs there will be series of small explosions which will be conducted in accordance with Defence and SGB (St George's Barracks) Range Standing Orders.

In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown on the perimeter of the TAS (Training Area South), SGB.

Sunday 13th November. A Remembrance Day service will be held at the Arncott War Memorial garden starting at 3:00pm

The parish council has been asked by the Rural Housing Trust to publicise that the shared ownership property – 7 Harper Close, Upper Arncott – is for sale. Please see pictures for details.

At 12:00 noon on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral – Monday 19th September, an Arncott village resident, Mr Steve Raffell, has volunteered to play The Last Post on his bugle at the village’s War Memorial Garden. If you would like to attend at that time to pay your respects, please feel free to do so

Oxfordshire County Council Trading Standards are carrying out free testing of electric blankets during September and October this year and bookings are now open. Please see the attached flyer.

Apologies for forgetting to post this sooner.

Confidence Charge Range Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, 05 Sep 2022.


For information; a Confidence Charge Range will be conducted on the Training Area South (TAS), St George’s Barracks Bicester, 05 Sep 2022. The confidence charges are relatively small and are designed to practice the students in safe handling and use of explosives. Please expect this type of training activity on a irregular basis for the foreseeable future.


For local awareness, the range will consist of a series of small explosions between 0800 / 1700 and will be conducted in accordance with Defence Range Standing Orders. In periods where the range is “live”, a red flag will be flown on the perimeter of the Training Area South.


Would you kindly inform the local residents of this training activity.

On a side note, this training is necessary for our forces to ensure their safety when on active duty.

ARNCOTT VILLAGE HALL – REPLACEMENT FLOOR PROJECT

Work will begin at 8:00am – 8:30am on Monday 8th August in the village hall to replace the existing floor in the main hall. The existing floor consists of oak finger block square tiles. These tiles are destined to be scrapped off. If anyone wants to use some of them to fit to a floor area in, for example, a cupboard or bathroom, then go over to the village hall on that Monday and take away what you need as and when the tiles / finger blocks are available following removal from the hall. First come, first serve. For your info, each square tile measures 120mm x 120mm and consists of 5 finger blocks. The vast majority of the finger blocks measure up at 120mm long x 24mm wide x 7mm thick - some of the finger block sizes will vary slightly from those sizes. Note that it is almost certain that the vast majority of the square tiles will break up into individual finger blocks when lifted from the floor but the finger blocks will be re-usable and can be re-purposed.

Please be aware that due to the peak in heat for the next couple of days DEMS Trg Regt will conducting training later in the day. This means that the AEOC Course will be firing until 2200hrs for the next couple of days

We've received a reminder from the MOD about dog walkers not picking up after their dogs on the old roads. Please do pick up after your dogs. If you find a bin is full please take it to another bin or dispose in your green bin at home.

With regard to the OCC proposal that was offered to our parish to have the speed limit changed from 30mph to 20mph, the time window has now closed for village residents to submit their votes. Many thanks to those of you who did vote. There are between 700 and 750 people in Arncott who are registered to vote in an election. In the interests of providing a democratic choice, the parish council went to great lengths at the beginning of March to publicise OCC’s proposal to all of our village’s residents and they were requested to register a YES or NO vote as to whether or not the proposed offer should be accepted and pursued. The parish council received a total of 132 votes in response to that request. There were 93 NO votes and 39 YES votes. As the NO votes outnumber the YES votes by around 2.5 to 1, the parish council will abide by the majority decision and will not therefore be asking OCC for a change to the village’s existing 30mph vehicle speed limit. The parish council has asked our County Councillor - Calum Miller – to convey that decision to the appropriate body within OCC.