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Residents in peaceful protest over work on soldier museum (From Oxford Mail)
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Residents in peaceful protest over work on soldier museum
10:30am Tuesday 12th February 2013 in News
By Tom Jennings, covering Witney and West Oxfordshire. Call me on 01865 425403
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Sue McGlynn, front, and other Brown’s Lane, Woodstock, residents have had letters from the police after refusing to move their cars for work on the new Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum
RESIDENTS have started a peaceful protest against a new military museum by blocking workmen from putting up scaffolding.
Work on the £3m Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum in the grounds of the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock began last year.
Contractors need to put up scaffolding in Brown’s Lane to install glass in the building and repair a listed wall.
But residents said they were not consulted until the last minute – and have refused to move their cars out of the way.
Contractor Feltham Construction contacted police – who warned residents their cars would be towed if they were not moved.
Work on the scaffolding was due to start on Friday.
Brown’s Lane resident Sue McGlynn said: “We decided on a ‘Gandhi protest’ of passive resistance – a policy of just doing nothing – and have left our cars in place.
“All we are asking for is a decent bit of notice. There is a lack of cooperation on the museum’s part.”
She said cars would only be moved when the residents had been “properly consulted”. Ms McGlynn, who said the consultation process could take weeks, was “incensed” to get a letter from police on Tuesday that said cars would be towed away if they were not moved.
Police were last night unable to say under what legislation the action would be taken.
Resident Mike Farley said: “Woodstock has a considerable traffic parking problem and Brown’s Lane is one of the few places you can park with no restrictions. The contractors were effectively taking away four parking spaces.”
Last year, residents complained about the scale of the two-storey building, saying they were unaware it would rise so high over the Grade II listed wall.
Mike Holmes, Soldiers of Oxfordshire Museum property and finance director, said: “We are working with Oxfordshire County council to resolve the issues.
“We have followed the procedures laid down by the county council.
“We hope that we can resolve the issue quickly and it will not delay the project.”
He said contractors would be moved to other parts on the development while discussions about the scaffolding continue.
County council leader Ian Hudspeth, member for Woodstock, said the scaffolding licence had been temporarily suspended, which means the scaffolding cannot go up, to allow talks between the museum and residents.
Comments(12)
zimmer, Wolvecote.
says...
2:26pm Tue 12 Feb 13
How dare you compare your childish tantrum to that of Gandhi, those of us still alive that fought for your freedom are wondering why we did, so that you can park your car. You are a disgrace, and to suggest that you should be properly consulted, you have already before. When it comes to people like you I wish that I had laid down my arms and surrendered, and I am not the only one.
xjohnx
says...
3:54pm Tue 12 Feb 13
Bring on the tow trucks (crushers?).
I wish MsMcGlynn would stop being a self seeking empire builder and get a hobby instead.
Feelingsmatter
says...
4:17pm Tue 12 Feb 13
Sid Hunt
says...
5:39pm Tue 12 Feb 13
As to the attitudes of the residents - pathetic.
Oxonian
says...
7:08pm Tue 12 Feb 13
zimmer, Wolvecote. wrote:If, as you say, you fought for our freedom, surely that includes the freedom to protest against something that you think is wrong.
Brown’s Lane resident Sue McGlynn said: “We decided on a ‘Gandhi protest’ of passive resistance – a policy of just doing nothing – and have left our cars in place.
How dare you compare your childish tantrum to that of Gandhi, those of us still alive that fought for your freedom are wondering why we did, so that you can park your car. You are a disgrace, and to suggest that you should be properly consulted, you have already before. When it comes to people like you I wish that I had laid down my arms and surrendered, and I am not the only one.
JanetJ
says...
8:37pm Tue 12 Feb 13
les842
says...
10:46pm Tue 12 Feb 13
Oxonian
says...
11:20pm Tue 12 Feb 13
les842 wrote:les842
Oxonian. I normally ignore People who do not use their real name. But don't you think that there are more Pressing (Urgent) Matters in England to protest about, to use your Freedom that was Fought For, (Wisely) Rather than for someone Parking on a Public Road. ?
Why don't you use your real name if it matters so much to you? Most people use pseudonyms when making comments on this site.
There are lots of urgent matters to protest about: we all have to choose what's important to us. The protesters in this case weren't protesting about people parking but about not being given enough notice of building changes in Woodstock. I applaud them for taking some action, when many people would just accept a situation they disapprove of.
zimmer, Wolvecote.
says...
12:53pm Wed 13 Feb 13
Oxonian wrote:Everybody will disprove of something, nothing is ever 100%. So nothing will ever be done, anywhere, ever. My neighbours do not like the new development down the road on The Mill site, I say to them, if I had objected to your houses being built 50 years ago you would not have a house now, they have no answer. Thank god we were not like you back then, there would be no Barton, Blackbird Leys, Woodfarm or Minchery Farm, all of which were built on fields and woodland. Think about the past and where you live. More importantly where are your grandchildren going to live.
les842 wrote:les842
Oxonian. I normally ignore People who do not use their real name. But don't you think that there are more Pressing (Urgent) Matters in England to protest about, to use your Freedom that was Fought For, (Wisely) Rather than for someone Parking on a Public Road. ?
Why don't you use your real name if it matters so much to you? Most people use pseudonyms when making comments on this site.
There are lots of urgent matters to protest about: we all have to choose what's important to us. The protesters in this case weren't protesting about people parking but about not being given enough notice of building changes in Woodstock. I applaud them for taking some action, when many people would just accept a situation they disapprove of.
Oxonian
says...
1:10pm Wed 13 Feb 13
zimmer, Wolvecote. wrote:I can't see what an extension to Woodstock Museum has to do with houses built for people. People often have good reasons to oppose building plans. Suppose the council told you that your house was being demolished to make room for a new motorway or railway line - wouldn't you protest then?
Oxonian wrote:Everybody will disprove of something, nothing is ever 100%. So nothing will ever be done, anywhere, ever. My neighbours do not like the new development down the road on The Mill site, I say to them, if I had objected to your houses being built 50 years ago you would not have a house now, they have no answer. Thank god we were not like you back then, there would be no Barton, Blackbird Leys, Woodfarm or Minchery Farm, all of which were built on fields and woodland. Think about the past and where you live. More importantly where are your grandchildren going to live.
les842 wrote:les842
Oxonian. I normally ignore People who do not use their real name. But don't you think that there are more Pressing (Urgent) Matters in England to protest about, to use your Freedom that was Fought For, (Wisely) Rather than for someone Parking on a Public Road. ?
Why don't you use your real name if it matters so much to you? Most people use pseudonyms when making comments on this site.
There are lots of urgent matters to protest about: we all have to choose what's important to us. The protesters in this case weren't protesting about people parking but about not being given enough notice of building changes in Woodstock. I applaud them for taking some action, when many people would just accept a situation they disapprove of.
SophyB
says...
6:25pm Thu 14 Feb 13
les842 says...
10:53am Tue 12 Feb 13