News for Oxfordshire. Est. 2022. Email newsletter twice a week: https://oxfordclarion.uk For stories: news@oxfordclarion.ukhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3murfgvvc322hOxford Open Doors is next weekend. With so many fantastic sites open to the public, how do you know which ones to choose? We asked architectural historian Madeline Odent @oldenoughtosay.com for her shortlist. https://oxfordclarion.uk/oxford-open-doors/05 Sep 2026 11:40 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3murfgvvc322hhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muqx53mm5c2hOnce more for the weekend long read crowd. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Sep 2026 07:24 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muqx53mm5c2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mupft356ok22A tranche of proposals for new EV chargers has been partly deferred by Oxfordshire County Council for further design work and local engagement. In Oxford, four sites were approved, while another three are pending additional work to maintain footway space. https://news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/first-sites-approved-for-oxfordshires-electric-vehicle-charging-programme/04 Sep 2026 16:41 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupft356ok22https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mupdqame3s2cAlan Bird, currently head of City of London School, has been appointed to succeed Helen Pike as the master of Magdalen College School. MCS will admit the first girls into its Junior School in 2027 as it moves to fully co-educational, and is opening a new Science & Partnerships building on Iffley Rd.04 Sep 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mupdqame3s2chttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muoz52op722kThames Valley Police are appealing for witness to a stabbing in People’s Park, Banbury. Ambulance and police attended the scene at 6.30am. The victim is in hospital but his injuries are not life-threatening. Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or make an online report (ref 43260460422).04 Sep 2026 12:54 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muoz52op722khttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muoyuoq3is2kA Stagecoach bus driver has been taken to hospital following an incident on the A361 just north of Chipping Norton, at the turn from Little & Great Tew (and Soho Farmhouse), in which the bus left the carriageway. The road has since reopened to traffic. 📸 via Thames Valley Incident Alert04 Sep 2026 12:50 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muoyuoq3is2khttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muotrqcm4k26News is back and so are we with a packed Friday newsletter. Featuring today: 💸 £3.8m budget slip-up 🌳 Bernwood Forest revival 🌞 Another mega solar farm 🔥 Port Meadow BBQ ban 🦖 Dinosaurs at Blenheim 📆 Events, weekend reading and more! Join thousands of subscribers: https://oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-weekend-4-september-2026/04 Sep 2026 11:19 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muotrqcm4k26https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muoipwmmvc23A second giant solar farm is proposed for Oxfordshire. Cearn Solar Farm would provide 500MW power from a 2,800-acre site between Grove and Faringdon – enough, the developers say, to power 143,000 homes. It follows the Botley West proposal, northwest of Oxford, for 840MW and 2,500 acres.04 Sep 2026 08:01 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muoipwmmvc23https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muofo5cf2s27Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) have an ambitious plan to reconnect one of the last ecologically coherent landscapes in southern England, lying between Bicester, Oxford and Aylesbury. They say it has the scope for nature recovery and habitat reconnection at a strategic scale. https://www.bbowt.org.uk/what-we-do/landscape-recovery/reconnecting-bernwood-otmoor-and-ray-rbor04 Sep 2026 07:06 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muofo5cf2s27https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muoaduebak22The LibDems have held the County Council seat of Chesterton & Launton in yesterday’s by-election, with an increased majority. Jim Hartley is the new councillor. 🔶 LibDem 985 (41.7%) 🔵 Conservative 683 (29.0%) ➡️ Reform 547 (23.2%) 🌹 Labour 75 (3.2%) 💚 Green 71 (3.0%)04 Sep 2026 05:31 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muoaduebak22https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mumtdmgdds2gGood evening! Council meetings are re-starting after the summer break and this evening we have a rather unusual Oxford City Council meeting, called to address a £3.8m “technical miscalculation” in this year’s budget – for which the council is having to dip into its reserves to the tune of £3.5m.03 Sep 2026 16:05 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumtdmgdds2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mumhuwm4ok2uAn emergency barbeque ban comes into force tomorrow in Oxford’s parks and open spaces, following wildfires at Burgess Field (Port Meadow) and Redbridge Paddocks. A Public Space Protection Order bans fires, barbeques, fireworks and sky lanterns at 42 locations across the city.03 Sep 2026 12:40 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumhuwm4ok2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mume2iqi4227Ryan Bridge of Raise the Colours says he is being charged with harrassment in Oxfordshire after the CPS authorised 14 charges, including racial harassment. In a video posted to a subscriber only channel (£9.49/month) clips of which are circulating on X, he said "I won't stop and I won't give up"03 Sep 2026 11:32 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mume2iqi4227https://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mumb4gm5722hSix Oxfordshire secondary schools are to receive funding to go ‘phone-free’. Police & Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber said the initiative “reduces opportunities for anti-social behaviour, and helps decrease the potential for young people to become involved in more serious crimes”. https://www.thamesvalley-pcc.gov.uk/news/pcc-supports-30-schools-with-phone-free-funding/03 Sep 2026 10:39 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumb4gm5722hhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mumauciduk2hThe main road through Kidlington could be “transformed from a vehicle-dominated corridor to a more balanced and people-focused environment” under plans being drawn up by Oxfordshire and Cherwell councils. Cherwell’s cabinet will be asked next week to sign off £45,000 towards a new study.03 Sep 2026 10:35 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumauciduk2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muma7hw6gs2sLimited space, urban heat islands, heavy clay, weird and wonderful trees… the life of an Oxford garden is a tough one. Our expert Amandine Lepers-Thornton shares her top tips on how to get the best from a city garden. https://oxfordclarion.uk/five-challenges-with-oxford-gardens-and-how-to-turn-them-into-opportunities/03 Sep 2026 10:23 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muma7hw6gs2shttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mum6gtdz422iThe Friends of the Ridgeway National Trail say they “strongly object” to a home-owner’s attempt to divert the long-distance path away from a property in Nuffield, near Wallingford. The path passes by the garage, which the owner has recently converted to accommodation.03 Sep 2026 09:51 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mum6gtdz422ihttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mum44zvzrk2iA Botley resident has been told “tough beans” to his attempt to roast coffee in his garage. Vitor Freire Pereira had applied for a certificate of lawfulness, but planning officers decided roasting coffee was not “incidental or ancillary to the normal residential use of the property”.03 Sep 2026 09:10 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mum44zvzrk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mukc4ez2ds2fWe know our readers love animals, and have big hearts. In the first of an occasional series, and in the name of community interest journalism, we profile local pets looking for new homes, and ask if you might have room on your sofa for any of these? 🐾 https://oxfordclarion.uk/oxford-pets-to-steal-your-heart/02 Sep 2026 15:52 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukc4ez2ds2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muklsb7fts2gOxford’s second-hand vinyl store, Riverman Records, is to be converted to a 1-bed flat after Oxford City Council approved an application by the landlord. Planning officers said that the Walton Street shop was “the anomaly in a row of terraces”. 28 members of the public objected to the conversion.02 Sep 2026 18:45 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muklsb7fts2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mukizogbjs2xDozens of re-join Europe campaigners will walk through Oxford on Sunday 6th September, starting at 2 pm, and visiting European sites between Leiden Square and the Spanish civil war memorial. The Walk to Rejoin Europe is being organised by Oxford for Europe. https://oxfordforeurope.com/events/02 Sep 2026 17:55 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukizogbjs2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muki55u4rs2xA community group is encouraging women from all cultural backgrounds to learn to swim. Abbie Mumbi from Gal Hope Inspired has so far has taught more than 100 women from traditionally “non-swimming” communities to swim and to have confidence in water, operating out of Barton and Leys pools.02 Sep 2026 17:39 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muki55u4rs2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mukc4ez2ds2fWe know our readers love animals, and have big hearts. In the first of an occasional series, and in the name of community interest journalism, we profile local pets looking for new homes, and ask if you might have room on your sofa for any of these? 🐾 https://oxfordclarion.uk/oxford-pets-to-steal-your-heart/02 Sep 2026 15:52 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mukc4ez2ds2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muk3bu5qpc2aThe Government decision on Botley West Solar Farm has been postponed by another two months, until 10 November. Energy minister Martin McCluskey said more time was needed “to consider further information received from the applicant”, Photovolt Development Partners.02 Sep 2026 13:49 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muk3bu5qpc2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3mui5gxryec2uWallingford Town Council (yes you read this right) has set up a crowdfunder, to help raise £10,500 towards the cost of professional representation at a Planning Inquiry concerning proposed development of 400 homes by developer Croudace Homes, on land north of Wallingford, west of Shillingford Road.01 Sep 2026 19:23 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3mui5gxryec2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muhz2nx3ok2lOxford West & Abingdon MP Layla Moran has called on the National Audit Office to investigate how the Botley Road bridge went “catastrophically wrong”. In a video address to a public meeting on the bridge this evening, she says “I want to make sure they understand the lessons that should be learned.”01 Sep 2026 18:04 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhz2nx3ok2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muhy3yv4b22uOxford Hindu Temple and Community Centre held a vigil on Monday evening in support of Nepal, as devastating floods and landslides continue to claim lives and destroy homes and livelihoods across the country. Almost £8,000 has been raised to help so far. https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/helpnepal01 Sep 2026 17:47 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhy3yv4b22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muhx3js32k2uAfter a fire in July damaged around 30 young trees at Croft Road Recreation Ground in Marston, the local community has stepped up to care for the trees to help them recover. The Community Wood, of native trees, was planted in 2019 by Marston Community Growing and Oxford Friends of the Earth.01 Sep 2026 17:29 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhx3js32k2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muhvxf7cdc2uThere now follows a thread for the instagrammers, that can get to Blenheim Palace.. 1/3 Blenheim's Formal Gardens, Great Court and Walled Garden are now open to your four-legged friend until Sunday 4th October. On 3rd and 4th October the Palace will host Dogfest... https://dogfest.co.uk/dogfest-at-the-palace-blenheim/ https://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events/autumn-paws-outdoors/01 Sep 2026 17:09 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhvxf7cdc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/oxfordclarion.bsky.social/post/3muhe6xbi3s2uBeers from social enterprise Tap Social are coming to more retailers near you, reports the Oxford Drinker, with listings in a further 50 Waitrose stores bringing the total to over 300, as well as 80 Co-op stores, and finally, from September, on Ocado. https://oxforddrinker.camra.org.uk/2026/08/brewery-news-3/?winst=1788204817971&of=001 Sep 2026 11:51 +0000at://did:plc:sehe5pdc7ptfh5ayttdusqpp/app.bsky.feed.post/3muhe6xbi3s2u