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Oxford Clarion

@oxfordclarion.bsky.social
5.9K followers 158 following 11K posts

News for Oxfordshire. Est. 2022. Email newsletter twice a week: oxfordclarion.uk For stories: news@oxfordclarion.uk

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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 4h
Oxford University’s plans for new offices and academic space on Little Clarendon Street, demolishing the existing 1970s building, have been narrowly approved by city councillors. Locals had objected to construction traffic and the potential loss of two community venues, Common Ground and the Nest.
Aerial view with buildings namedCGI proposed frontage on Little Clarendon Street
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 5h
A 370-home development in Witney is headed for appeal after West Oxfordshire District Council failed to consider it in time. Hallam Land submitted plans for a site at Peashell Farm back in January 2025. Both Witney Town Council and Oxfordshire County Council, say they have no objections.
Aerial image with site marked on it
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 21h
Oxford University researchers & their collaborators have developed a new sensor that can detect a Parkinson’s disease-related protein in patients’ blood, with over 90% accuracy in initial tests. If the results hold up in larger studies, researchers hope that the disease might be detected earlier.
science.org
Electronic profiling of neuronal extracellular vesicles enables early prediction of Parkinson’s disease
Misfolded alpha-Synuclein (α-Syn) accumulation is the defining molecular pathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), yet blood-based assays remain challenged by the high background of peripheral α-Syn orig...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 21h
A peaceful read for the evening crowd. 🚨Long read klaxon🚨
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 21h
Despite our efforts to sanitise a couple of risqué stories, the open rate on this weeks (goat) newsletter is unusually low. Check your spam filters, or read it here. It’s a good’un.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 22h
16th-century tapestries are being vacuumed on the floor of the Weston Library. The Sheldon maps of Oxfordshire and Worcestershire were removed from display last month and are being prepared for storage by conservators from the Bodleian and National Trust. digital.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/objects/38d9...
Sheldon Tapestry map spread out on the floor of the Weston LibrarySheldon Tapestry map of Oxfordshire - detail (© Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford, CC BY-NC 4.0)"Conservation in progress" sign
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
All the Oxfordshire news you need in our twice-a-week newsletter. Featuring today: 👷‍♀️ All change at the Odeon and the Castle 🚊 Trams for Oxford? 🐛 New exhibition at the Bodleian 😳 Libertines in Henley 📮 Eminem ⨉ Oxford City Council Join over 5,000 subscribers: oxfordclarion.uk/the-clarion-...
oxfordclarion.uk
The Clarion, 6 October 2026
All change in Oxford city centre at the Castle and the Odeon – and will Banbury be far behind? Plus trams, new OED words, and Eminem… This week’s long read Does being prepared for emergencies mean ...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The UN Older People’s Day will be celebrated in Oxford on October 7th at the Town Hall, with an event organised by older people for older people, to consult, inform & involve residents of 50 years and over on issues which are relevant and of concern and interest to them.
Promo flyer for UN older people's day. Details as per post.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Does being prepared for emergencies mean stocking up on dismal tinned food? Not necessarily. We look at growing your own food – for emergencies, for self-sufficiency, or simply for fun. oxfordclarion.uk/grow-it-fora...
oxfordclarion.uk
Grow it, forage it, preserve it
Does being prepared for emergencies mean stocking up on dismal tinned food? Not necessarily. We look at growing your own food – for emergencies, for self-sufficiency, or simply for fun. To great medi...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Demolition is underway today at the Odeon cinema on Gloucester Green. The site is being redeveloped as a 145-room aparthotel, trading as ‘Wilde Oxford’, which is expected to be complete in late 2027. The ground floor will incorporate a community space, cafe and bar.
Demolition underway at the Gloucester Green cinema
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The 2026 Nobel Prize for Medicine recognises pathbreaking work in optogenetics, a technique first pioneered at Oxford: it enables neuroscientists to ‘spark’ different cells in the brain, with Oxford University's Gero Miesenböck the first person to demonstrate optogenetic control of neural circuits.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Oxford’s buses are the first to be fitted with new ticket machines by operator Stagecoach. The TK300 machines have improved GPS tracking for live bus information, faster ticket issuing, and quicker contactless payment processing.
New Stagecoach ticket machineBus drivers at the launch of the new machines
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Four students have succeeded in punting from Oxford to Cambridge, having skipped part of the Oxford Canal closed due to drought. The crew from St John's (Cambridge) left Magdalen on 23 September. They have so far raised over £10,000 for the Alzheimer's Society. www.justgiving.com/page/punting...
justgiving.com
Oxford to Cambridge Punt for Alzheimer's Society
Help Ryan Vowles raise money to support Alzheimer's Society
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A new plan sets out proposed walking and cycling improvements for the Charlbury area. It suggests discouraging through traffic from the town centre streets, improving routes to the primary school, and widening the narrow footway to the railway station.
Walking and cycling sign in Charlbury town centre
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
163 new homes are planned for the north-western edge of Carterton, by the small village of Shilton. David Wilson Homes describe it as a “landscape-led extension to Carterton” with a green area to “preserve the soft countryside gap towards Shilton”.
Artist's impression of the developmentSatellite imagery of Carterton showing the proposed development area
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
765 homes are proposed for the northern edge of Witney, adjoining Burford Road in the space between the existing Kingfisher Meadow estate and Dry Lane (to Crawley). The site is earmarked for housing in the West Oxfordshire draft Local Plan.
Artist's impression of the new developmentLocation plan of the proposed development
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Reposted by Oxford Clarion
Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Once more for the weekend long read crowd..
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Oxford Brookes student India Merlin Weisser has won the prestigious AJ Student prize, a national annual architectural award. "Exploring Principles of Care through an Intergenerational Women’s Co-operative" proposed intergenerational women’s housing along the Thames in Oxford.
architectsjournal.co.uk
Winners of the 2026 AJ Student Prize announced
Students from Oxford Brookes and the Bartlett share the undergraduate prize, while De Montfort’s Part 2 takes home the postgraduate award
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Once more for the weekend long read crowd..
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In museum news, Charlbury's town museum has gained official 'accredited' status by the Arts Council. Accreditation means that a museum meets national standards of good practice for visitors, collections, and management. The status lasts for five years. charlburymuseum.org.uk/news/charlbu...
Charbury Museum, am old stone building with hanging baskets
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
An unusual battery-powered tram could be considered as a fast link from Oxford to Witney, Carterton and other nearby towns. Oxfordshire councillors have been inspecting the Coventry Very Light Rail system, whose tracks are laid just 30cm into the road surface – greatly minimising construction cost.
Coventry Very Light Rail. Photo by Carlogold at Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Following criticism of the Bodleian-OpenAI partnership, the library has published its new AI policy. The Bodleian commits to 'avoid reinforcing existing biases', a balance between openness and the protection of authors, and to advocate for public policy reform. www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/sites/defaul...
The Bodleain, by Roger Close. No AI was involved in the taking of this picture.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Two Oxford English dons have advised on Middle English dialogue for forthcoming horror film Werwulf, set in the 13th century. Dr Eleanor Baker and Professor Daniel Wakelin acted as consultants for director Robert Eggers. Werwulf will be released on New Year's Day. www.ign.com/articles/rob...
ign.com
“Does This Take Place in Hell?” Director Robert Eggers Teases Eerie Details About His 13th-Century Medieval Horror Film Werwulf
Director Robert Eggers reveals eerie new details about Werwulf, his upcoming medieval horror film starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A little bit of Oxford is coming to New York on Sunday. The Christ Church Cathedral Choir, who sing in Oxford’s cathedral six times a week, are performing at the Carnegie Hall as the culmination of their US tour. The choir includes choristers as young as nine, as well as professional lay clerks.
Christ Church Cathedral Choir (photo by Ian Wallman via Christ Church website)Carnegie Hall (photo via Christ Church Connections website)
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
A full-to-bursting edition of the Clarion Weekend newsletter featuring… 🚴‍♀️ Oxford’s new cycle network unveiled 🏪 City centre shop sale supported 🏗 New homes in Sandford and Chilton 🗳 Indies and Tories team up 🌳 A lovely bench under a tree Join over 5,000 subscribers! oxfordclarion.uk/clarion-week...
oxfordclarion.uk
Clarion Weekend, 2 October 2026
There’s nothing the Clarion likes more than new cycling routes, and this week Oxfordshire delivered. Plus new houses, political goings-on, brilliant Bicester kids, and the latest in the OUFC stadium s...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
ICYMI.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Reminder, if you are a newsletter subscriber, to check your spam filters at lunchtime. There are currently 5 stories we've sanitised in order to get past the filters but - well... (What is WITH the news this week?! This is an entirely new problem).
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Plans have been unveiled for a network of cycle routes linking nearby towns and villages to Oxford, backed by county and city councils – and unusually, the University of Oxford. The Oxford Greenways would connect 200,000 residents to the city on traffic-free paths. oxfordclarion.uk/oxford-green...
oxfordclarion.uk
Oxford Greenways: a cure for congestion?
How far would you be prepared to cycle to work? Research suggests that, for most people, 2 to 5 miles is the sweet spot. That's 10 to 30 minutes each way. Enough for health benefits, but not too tiri...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Campaign group Friends of Stratfield Brake have announced they intend to lodge another appeal against Oxford United’s new stadium near Kidlington. Their previous application for a judicial review was turned down last week at the High Court. www.friendsofstratfieldbrake.org/2026/10/01/l...
friendsofstratfieldbrake.org
Legal Update: Appeal
Our lawyers have advised that we have grounds to appeal the judge’s decision to refuse permission for a judicial review of the planning approval for the proposed football stadium on the Triangle...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Oxford Preservation Trust has announced the shortlist for its 2026 awards – from the oldest continually inhabited building in England, via iconic college gates, to modern sculpture and new eco-homes. We take a look in a long read. See how many you recognise! oxfordclarion.uk/heritage-old...
oxfordclarion.uk
Heritage old and new: Oxford’s 2026 awards line-up
Any Clarion reader who stepped through Oxford Open Doors in September has the Oxford Preservation Trust to thank. But the popular annual event is just one part of the charity’s mission to preserve and...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
High Street games shop Hoyle's reopened this morning after a brief refurbishment timed to take advantage of Oxford's new traffic filters. Countywide bus services stop 100 metres away, while Hoyle's sustainability commitments include bike courier deliveries. hoylesoxford.com/pages/doing-...
Hoyles on the High Street - shop frontage
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
St Edburg’s primary school in Bicester has been given two awards recognising its commitment to inclusion and children’s rights. It has been named a Flagship School by the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM) and has also received the Gold Award from UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme.
St. Edberg's school. (via diocese of Oxford)
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
150 new houses are proposed for Sandford-on-Thames, on the southern edge of Oxford – but getting there by bike will mean waiting at four light-controlled crossings within 400m, dismounting on a narrow section of pavement, and crossing the fast and busy entrance to Heyford Hill Sainsbury’s.
Illustrative map of the proposed 150-home siteNarrow path with "cyclists dismount" sign
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Oxford's Christmas Light Festival www.oxlightfest.com is returning, and Oxford City Council is calling for community organisations across the city to take part. Deadline to register to take part is 16 October. Details: www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article...
Rabbit at previous Christmas light parade. Damian Cugley, Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
People who smoke in Oxfordshire are being encouraged to take part in Stoptober and make use of free local support, as the county prepares for a national change designed to help protect future generations from the harms caused by smoking. news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/stoptober-su...
news.oxfordshire.gov.uk
Stoptober support available as Oxfordshire prepares for smokefree generation
People who smoke in Oxfordshire are being encouraged to take part in Stoptober and make use of free local support, as the county prepares for a national change designed to help protect future generati...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Apparently this is the week for NSFW stories (RIP our newsletter). Oxford’s STI rate is 66% higher than Cambridge’s, recording 674 diagnoses per 100,000 residents. Oxford ranked 5th overall; Manchester took the top spot. Thank you to the follower who spotted this.
metro.co.uk
The UK university towns with the highest STI rates
This is one ranking where Oxford beats Cambridge.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Friday's newsletter currently has 3 (three) NSFW stories and counting. We are spending our Wednesday evening attempting to sanitise them so they don't get blocked by your email clients. Friday lunchtime we'll find out how effective all your spam filters are....
static.klipy.com
Alexis Rose Schitts Creek
Alt: Alexis Rose Schitts Creek / Actual footage of Clarion writers peering at their screens...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The UN Older People’s Day will be celebrated in Oxford on October 7th at the Town Hall, with an event organised by older people for older people, to consult, inform & involve residents of 50 years and over on issues which are relevant and of concern and interest to them.
Promo flyer for UN older people's day. Details as per post.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock has won a Sandford Award for its heritage learning programme. The award is UK and Ireland’s quality mark for heritage learning, independently assessed for sites with engaging, inspiring and inclusive learning experiences. news.oxfordshire.gov.uk/the-oxfordsh...
news.oxfordshire.gov.uk
The Oxfordshire Museum scoops national heritage learning award
A nationally recognised quality mark has highlighted the Oxfordshire Museum as one of the UK and Ireland’s leading places for heritage learning.The Oxfordshire County Council-run museum, in Woodstock,...
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Earth Trust, the environmental charity based at Wittenham Clumps has installed three new cycle shelters, with green roofs and one with e-bike charging facilities, as part of improving sustainable transport to and around the site.
new bike shelters
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Two local pubs have elbowed their way back into CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide this year. The Chequers on the High returns after dropping out in 2026, while the Red Lion in Northmoor is back after a change of tenancy. oxforddrinker.camra.org.uk/2026/09/camr...
oxforddrinker.camra.org.uk
CAMRA celebrates Good Beer Guide winners as new edition published
Chequers in Oxford and Red Lion in Northmoor back in guide for 2027
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Reuben College, Oxford’s newest (established in 2019), has appointed its second ever president. David Gavaghan, a computational biologist, will succeed Lionel Tarassenko. He will take up the position on 1 September next year. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-09...
ox.ac.uk
Next President of Reuben College announced: Professor David Gavaghan
Professor David Gavaghan has been elected as the next President of Reuben College.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Oxford University has retained its first place in the Times Higher Education rankings for a record 11th year. It won subject firsts in medical & health and computer science, and was ranked 2nd for social sciences and engineering. www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-09...
ox.ac.uk
Oxford named best university in the world for record 11 years in a row
The Stephen A Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities at Oxford.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
42 new homes are proposed for the village of Chilton, just over the A34 from the Harwell Campus. Two previous applications on the same site have been turned down at appeal. Developers Southern Strategic Land call it “a well-considered and comprehensive extension to the existing village”.
Aerial image showing the site location and the Harwell Campus (from planning application documents)
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A campaign by a group of Bicester students to ban school uniform in pornographic content has reached the national press and attracted almost 7,000 signatures. The Cooper School’s Little Feminist Bookclub believe children “are being sexualised by the depiction of school-aged identities”.
Little Feminist Bookclub students at the Cooper School
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service are collecting children's bikes to support local school bike libraries, on 10 October from 10am-12pm at the Slade Park Fire Station Donated bikes will go to bike libraries at St Francis, St Ebbe's and St Frideswide Primary schools.
Poster for event, details in post, they want bikes with 14" frame size and above.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Women Against The Far Right & Oxfordshire Stand Up To Racism (OSUTR) will hold a vigil on 3 October to counter a planned demonstration of the Oxfordshire Patriots. The groups condemn what they say is a far right group hijacking suffering of victims of child sexual exploitation in the name of racism.
image from previous vigil large pink sign 'Oxford Women against the far right refugees are welcome here' (Roger Close)
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The Public Inquiry into Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre expansion, due to begin on 6 October, has been postponed. The Coalition to Close Campsfield say that this follows a letter from lawyers acting on their behalf, requesting the Home Office to publish more information.
banner with 'coalition to keep campsfield closed' as part of a demo in Oxford city centre
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
The Westgate is to host a Recruitment Fair on 6th October. The fair will feature a range of opportunities including retail and hospitality roles from partners including John Lewis, TK Maxx and Superdrug, alongside technical and operational roles with the centre’s service partners Mitie and CBRE.
Westgate sign, shot from below. there are two mannequins in a shop window next to it.
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Oxford Clarion @oxfordclarion.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Plans are being developed for up to 12 new affordable homes on former garages in Blackbird Leys. Funding from the government’s Brownfield Land Release Fund (BLRF) has already enabled the demolition of the garages and planning permission is being sought. www.oxford.gov.uk/news/article...
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