Town Team

The Carterton Fast Forward Town Centre Working Group has re-formed to undertake work on the town centre, both in the short term, particularly in relation to the forthcoming Morrisons planning application, and in the longer term to consider further stages of development as the economy permits. The Group has met several times and has been working closely with the Planning Policy Department of West Oxfordshire District Council. A set of 'Development Principles' for Carterton Town Centre has been produced and we are keen to have comments on them. Please click here to download and send comments to Catherine Chater, Town Hall, Carterton, OX18 3JL, email cchater@carterton-tc.gov.uk

Design for the Future

We made a successful application to the Design Council to be part of their Design Your Neighbourhood Initiative. We have been awarded £10,000 worth of urban design consultancy and we have developed the project with consultants from Transform Places UK. Three workshops open to all members of the community have been planned. The purpose of the project is to produce a design strategy which will help us ensure future development in the town centre improves the level of design. In the shorter term, it will also help us design the new market square and improve links within the town centre.

More recently the group has expanded to become the Town Team which is now made up of a smaller working group which is actively involved in improving the town centre, and a wide group of supporters, kept in touch by email.

Aldi

Development of the site on Alvescot Road, previously occupied by Dowleys Garage and Party Zone is complete, and Aldi opened on Thursday 15 March 2012.

The store employs approximately 25 new staff. Store opening hours are 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and 10.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. on Sundays. There are weekly special buys every Thursday and Sunday which are also advertised on their website www.aldi.co.uk

We understand that Aldi are very pleased with the amount of trade since opening.

Go Ahead for Carterton Superstore

A food store planning application which is being seen as a catalyst for town centre growth in Carterton has been unanimously approved by West Oxfordshire District Council's planning committee.

Councillors felt that the proposed development would help improve the town's retail offer, create new jobs, and attract further investment in Carterton town centre.

The application, made on behalf of Morrisons, is to build a 40,000 sq ft superstore, a new 219 space car park and ten dwellings with associated landscaping and access.

The superstore, which will be just off the Black Bourton Road, will be on the redundant former market site and the site of the nursing home, which is soon to be relocated to a purpose-built facility on Milestone Road.

The opportunity to redevelop Carterton town centre was key to determining the planning application, and developer funds were also negotiated by Council planners for a number of significant town centre improvements, under an s106 (planning gain) agreement.

Click on this link Morrisons Latest Plan to view the latest plan in more detail.

Conditions and planning gain for the new superstore development will therefore include the following:

Public art.

The Original Factory Shop

It is good news that following the recent departure of Haldanes from the premises in Alvescot Road, The Original Factory Shop has moved in and provdes a wide range of items, some of which were not previously available in Carterton. Shop online at www.theoriginalfactoryshop.co.uk

The Post Office Sorting Office

We have been reassured by the Post Office that the Sorting Office in Black Bourton Road, Carterton is no longer for sale and will continue to operate as normal for the time being. The Town Council supports its retention, but should it close we would expect the site to continue in employment use.