16/01/2014 BBC Oxford News

Hello, and welcome to South Today from Oxford. In tonight's programme:

The ?4 million plan to provide housing for the homeless. It could

mean people like Blake get a permanent roof over their heads.

Elsewhere, though, residents are worried they could lose their home

of 18 years, as they're told they'll have to move out to make way for

housing development. Also in tonight's programme:

Separated from their mother in the floods. The young otters now being

reared at a wildlife hospital in Buckinghamshire.

And later on: the real story behind the reunion between the prisoner of

war and the captor who tortured him. Good evening. A ?4 million scheme to

tackle homelessness has been announced in Milton Keynes.

Officials there are taking the unusual step of buying 40 homes,

which are currently for sale on the open market to rent out. Last year,

the BBC revealed how Milton Keynes Council had the country's worst

record for families living illegally in bed and breakfasts outside

London. Jessica Cooper has been following this story and joins me

now. Jessica, how do these figures compare to other parts of our

region? Facing a housing shortage isn't just

a problem in Milton Keynes. The latest figures from the councils who

responded show in Swindon 203 households are in temporary

accommodation. Five single people are living in B 52 households

are in the same situation in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White

Horse, 19 are staying in B or hotels. And in Aylesbury, 54

families and 13 single people are in temporary accommodation, but the

council say they don't use B In Milton Keynes, it's become common

practice, but now the council's trying to change that.

Home, sweet home for Trooper and 20 other people. Every night, this

hostel is full. It's hard work if you got no friends and no family and

here on the street. At this time of year, it is hard for anybody to be

on the street. So the council's planning to buy homes on the open

market to help people most in need. I think it should have been done a

long time ago. I don't think Milton Keynes Council realised the amount

of people who are homeless. They should have more hostels and houses.

It would take a lot of homeless people off the streets. But some

question whether 40 homes will Milton Keynes has had an ongoing

problem with a shortage of housing. Now, the council wants to spend ?4

million buying 40 properties for the homeless. It makes a lot of sense

because it allows us to make a difference very quickly within six

months to our bed`and`breakfast numbers. I think it will solve the

situation the council is in right now but give it another two or three

years and those homes will be occupied and I would imagine they

will be needed again. This is typically the sort of property the

council is looking to acquire. It sounds like quite a lot if you're

not used to buying 40 properties in one go but to acquire 40 properties

is not a tall ask. If plans are approved, buying could start by the

end of next month. And next week, for the first time in over 15 years,

the council will start building new council houses. Jessica Cooper, BBC

South Today. Jessica, at the moment, this is just

an idea, isn't it? Yes, the scheme has yet to be agreed

by the council. But we are told that could happen next month. Then the

plan would see the homes to be bought quite quickly, with the aim

of getting people out of B within six months. But the council's not

the first to do this. Last year, Oxford City Council agreed to do

something similar. In August, they had 120 people or families living in

temporary accommodation. They announced they'd spend ?10 million

buying around 55 properties to rent to the homeless. We have been told

that so far none of that money has been spent, it simply set aside.

Next: the planning minister Nick Boles has launched a scathing attack

on a controversial housing development next to Oxford's Port

Meadow, claiming the university should apologise for its

construction. He's been visiting the site with campaigners this afternoon

alongside local MP Nicola Blackwood. An independent report last year

found the Council did meet its legal requirements when it consulted on

the project. But the minister has told the BBC he's not impressed. I

have to say that nothing quite prepares you for the awfulness of it

until you see it in situ. It is as if someone had built the maze prison

in Oxfordshire. It is one of the worst examples of design I have seen

in the year and a half as planning Minister. The process the City

Council followed as one of the worst examples of the planning process I

have heard about. Plans to build a ?35 million science

and innovation centre next to Oxford's castle mound have been

scrapped. It was hoped the Norman Foster designed centre ` called The

Magnet ` would have been a landmark building, attracting 150,000

visitors a year. But the project faced opposition from heritage

groups. Science Oxford, the charity behind the scheme, says planning

restrictions and other factors have led to the decision not to go ahead

with it. People living on a former RAF base

near Bicester are worried they're about to lose their homes, and their

community. Developers want to refurbish their properties as part

of plans to build hundreds of homes at Upper Heyford. The tenants, some

of whom have lived there for 18 years, will have to move out once

the work starts. They say they won't be able to move back because, once

the houses have been renovated and put up for sale, they won't be able

to afford to buy them. Here's Adina Campbell.

Enjoying a lunchtime play with their dog. For this couple, this could

soon be one of the last moments they spent time in their garden. Over

Christmas, they got a letter from their landlord, who happens to be a

housing developer with big refurbishment plans for just over

300 homes in Upper Heyford. It means leaving the place they have called

home for 18 years. This community has built up over a long time. When

we are down we call into each other and have a glass of wine. It is a

lovely place to live. We are so happy here. The housing developer

hopes to start the first phase of its 10`year plan here in this small

community. There are nearly 30 properties here and residents said

they could be and in `` handed eviction notice as early as next

month. They will have the option to buy the properties after renovation

but many feel they would be priced out. The idea of moving everyone out

and refurbishing and selling off the houses, because we can't afford

them, it is terrible. The housing developer says they need to

modernise and create sustainable homes for a better future. We are

going to get people into the housing market. We want to speak to people

one`to`one and understand what the circumstances are, find them an

option to move into before we serve notice. It has also promised to pay

for some removal costs and say tenants will not be served notice

until an affordable alternative is available.

A consultation on the high`speed rail bill for HS2 is to be extended

until mid`February because of what are being called "errors and

delays". It's after nearly 900 pages of an environmental statement were

found to be missing. Parliamentary insiders say that's likely to mean

MPs won't get to debate the HS2 bill until the end of March. It comes as

Buckinghamshire County Councillors have today voted unanimously to

oppose the project at the next stage of the process.

Police are appealing for news of a woman who's gone missing from

Eynsham. Jacqueline Gulliford was last seen about 7:30 on Tuesday

morning when she left her home. Police say they're becoming

increasingly concerned for her welfare.

The floods haven't just affected people and property, they've caused

problems for wildlife too. Over the last fortnight, an animal hospital

in Buckinghamshire has had to take in several animals who've been

orphaned or left homeless by the floods. Charlotte Stacey reports.

Cloud is only six weeks old and still needs milk to survive. She was

found on a road ten days ago with her sister and they were brought to

this wildlife Hospital in Buckinghamshire. It is not they had

been separated from their mother by the floods. They're doing really

well since they came in. They were a bit run down but they have perked up

and we have weighed them regularly and they have put on weight and are

doing very well. We are working on rearing the little one on to fish.

For the moment, they are enjoying a comfortable home and regular supply

of food. But they're not the only flood victims. This badger sett was

so waterlogged he is staying here until it dries out. The floods have

hit the region heart. Many natural habitats are still under water, with

food sources submerged and animals often. Long`term, it will affect

wildlife but we don't know how badly. Some animals live on

earthworms. Are there forms drowning? We don't know. This could

have a serious effect on them. Things are looking brighter for

these otters who will stay here for one year before they're ready to go

back into the wild. Two brothers, who are both serving

in the RAF in Oxfordshire, have been selected for the Great Britain wake

boarding team. Corporals Ross and Richard Phillips, who are twins, are

based at Benson and Brize Norton. They'll be competing in the upcoming

European championships. Both only took up the sport five years ago and

admit there's always been a sibling rivalry.

We used to go down on a mountain bike and from there we have always

competed. It is just natural to us that we keep competing, more so

against each other than anything else. One day I could be better, and

other day it could be my brother. It depends on who is having a good day.

That's all from me for the moment. I'll have the headlines at 8pm and a

full bulletin at 10:25pm. Now, more of today's stories with Sally

Taylor. keeps me in touch with people. I

value the friendships there. Still to come: We reveal the actual

moment a prisoner and his torturer met, which has been made into a

major film. When you've suffered a spinal

injury, it can often mean months if not years of rehabilitation inside a

hospital. It can be a very lonely and depressing time due to the

isolation patients can suddenly find themselves in. That's about to

change thanks to the arrival of a specially`adapted mini bus at a

spinal unit in Salisbury. It's hoped scores of people will find a new

lease of life allowing them to make safe trips outside the hospital, all

of which plays a big part in their recovery.

This woman's life changed in August last year, a previous car accident

precipitated a spinal injury which caused paralysis. The corridors of

the spinal treatment centres have become her home for the past four

months. The television have frequent contact with the outside world. A

specially adapted bus is about to change her life. It means freedom.

It means we can go out and do normal things. Even if it is taking us to

the cinema or further afield, we can go to the theatre in Southampton. It

is a ticket to freedom. Up until now patients have had to rely on local

taxi firms to take them out on short trips accompanied by a carer. This

vehicle will allow a group of them to travel together. It has the

thumbs up from patients. It is very good to get out if you are in here

for weeks or months. It gets very frustrating. It's not only knocks

you physically, it knocks you emotionally and mentally, and

hopefully the bus will help people get back out into the real world. It

is getting out on little adventures like this that help you to rebuild

your life. It all starts with being able to leave hospital and go into

the wider world and realise that life was on. A change is as good as

the rest and with events such as the Chelsea Flower Show and a rugby

match at Twickenham, the road to recovery has only just begun.

A developer that wants to build 180 homes on the site of an old school

in Reading is mounting a legal challenge against the government. A

planning inspector refused permission for Taylor Wimpey to

build on the old Elvian site, where local people have been campaigning

for a new free school. But Taylor Wimpey is challenging the decision,

as it maintains Elvian is a viable site for much needed new homes.

Councillors have accused the developer of trying to ride a coach

and horses through local planning policies.

It's one of the most important Bronze Age and Iron Age finds in the

country. The hoard of ancient artefacts, excavated by

archaeologists in Tisbury in Wiltshire, is being cleaned up ready

for its first public appearance. The rare collection will be displayed in

a new gallery at the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum this Spring.

With each scrape, the tools of today are unearthing the tools of the

past. The objects being cleaned make up 114 artefacts found outside

Salisbury. Part of theirs is this bracelet and a spearhead that was

found completely intact. Cleaning and restoring them to their original

form is a painstaking process. It takes hours for each item. We use

quite a few dental and doctors' tools. With the skull all I will be

removing the soil layer at the top, anything that might disguise the

object itself. We use the microscope to make sure we do not make any

damage to the object. We want to keep it as intact as possible.

What's interesting is this hoard contains what would have been

ancient artefacts at their time of burial. The objects date from 1000

years BC to 800 years AD. It was almost like burying a museum

collection back in history. It is incredibly exciting to have objects

that have not been touched for thousands of years and, out of the

ground and to have them in the museum, I can barely contain my

excitement. It is a fantastic opportunity to excavate a whole or.

Every time we lifted one object up we were red with a group of objects

underneath. The artefacts have been unveiled, but the story behind them

remains a mystery. It will be interesting when they go

on display. Big news today, but Pochettino

saying he is dear. `` staying. No person is ever bigger than one

individual club. A lot of worry over the past 24 hours about whether

something would fall apart. They have to move quickly and get

something sorted out and they have to resolve that but there is no

reason why the club cannot keep going. Nicola Cortese a was a

polarising figure. A very good assessment from a former manager. He

was the one who draws the club forward and the one who was making

the decisions. I think he did an excellent job from a financial point

of view but on the downside it lost its soul. I do not think he cared

too much about the tradition or history of football club and I think

a lot of people, it upset a lot of people.

Brighton are talking to Bournemouth's top scorer Lewis

Grabban after Albion triggered a clause in his contract by bidding

?1.1 million for him. Grabban's now discussing personal terms.

Now, over the past year we've reported the continuing success of

Portsmouth boxer Ebonie Jones. The Charter Academy pupil is already a

European boxing champion in the 50 kilo class. And last week, fighting

for England, she won the Nations Cup in Serbia. Ebonie and the Heart of

Portsmouth Boxing Academy coach Quinton Shillingford came in earlier

and I started by asking her about her latest success.

I was a bit more nervous going to Serbia than other tournament because

one of the biggest teams was Russia and they are one of the top teams

for boxing and there was Kazakhstan and I came up against them as well

so I had Kazakhstan in the semifinal. I came up against a

Russian in the final. It was tough. Tough, but top of the podium. What a

year. What is it down to? Her personal commitment and dedication.

Also the coaches. Running out on Christmas Day. There was no respite.

The dedication you need to get to the top. Great Britain boxing are

watching now. You go up to Sheffield quite often. Yes. I see Nicola Adams

up there. I was nervous to get into a spa but I still wanted to do it

because she is the best in the world. I feel more confident. Does

it make you think that the Olympics is the goal? Yes. I would love to do

what she has achieved. I would love to get old. You are only 15, you

have to balance this with your schoolwork, how do you manage to do

it? It is hard balancing both because I want to put my efforts

into boxing but the school are very supportive and they must believe in

me and think I could be in the Olympics. They allow me time off for

boxing and if I have to catch up they will help me. It is a

tremendous story. How far can she go? She is still young. No one wants

to load pressure, but she is certainly proving to be quite a

talent. She has boxed for England these times and has got a medal

every time. `` three times. Boxing is the sport you love. Yes.

Hopefully there will be more girls wanting to do boxing. You are

proving an inspiration to many. Good news today for their club mate,

ABA heavyweight champion Greg Bridet. He's been called into Great

Britain's podium squad for training next week. That means he's with the

elite British boxers training for a place at the Rio Olympics.

A lot of success coming out of that club.

We have an extraordinary story of reconciliation for you between a

British prisoner of war and the Japanese man who had helped torture

him 50 years earlier. Eric Lomax was one of the so`called forgotten army,

the thousands of troops treated like slaves as they built the Burma

railway. Eric's search for his tormentor is the subject of the new

film The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth. But the real`life meeting

between the two was captured by a Hampshire film`maker for a

documentary that's also being released.

Imprisoned, tortured, mentally scarred. Allied prisoners of war in

Thailand during World War Two. Set to work building the Burma railway.

Among them was Eric Lomax. When a hosepipe full of water is poured

over one's face and down 1's throat, there is not much an individual can

do about it apart from weeks to be drowned. Eric survived, but the

horror never left him. A combination of sleepless nights coupled with

nightmares, flashbacks of various kinds, even in the daytime. In 1991

Eric was interviewed by Hampshire film`maker Mike Finlason and let

slip some startling news. He suddenly stopped and said, for 50

years I have been trying to find the man who interrogated me at the

time, he vanished after the war, I have phoned him. `` I have located

him. Mike persuaded Eric to let him capture the reunion on film, and

travelled with Eric and his wife Patti to Thailand. No`one knew what

to expect. We did not do this lightly. I talked to psychiatrists.

It took a long time to decide to meet him. This was the moment the

tortured and the torturer finally met. To our amazement, he spoke to

him in Japanese, we did not know he do any Japanese. When you were

tortured, do any Japanese. When you were

had been as damaged mentally by being the torturer as he had been

being tortured. It was very moving. We were all very moved. Nagashe had

evaded justice after the war. But as a Buddhist, he was desperate for

Eric's forgiveness. Eventually, Eric said he could never forget but he

would forgive him Both men have since died, but Eric lived long

enough to see his story filmed for the big screen. Both ended up being

happier people. He's played by Colin Firth. He described him as the blood

brother. That is amazing. He said, there comes a time when they heating

has to stop. `` the hating. Did it stopped raining today? We

have had some information from the Met Office to say it has been wet

and mild so far this winter. Sunny spells captured at Bournemouth

Cliffs today by Tim. John took this photo of a squirrel sheltering from

the showers in Dorchester Borough Gardens. And David took this photo

of a rainbow at BBC Oxford. After taking the photo he was off to find

the pot of gold. We see further rain and showers,

unwonted rain falling. Longer spells of rain. The winds will ease during

the second half of the night. There will be some drier periods but a lot

of showers to be had. A mile right to come. `` mild night. There will

be some bright spells and drier periods. The west will see the best

of any brightness. Showers will continue through the afternoon but

they will be few and far between. Temperatures 9`12. The showers

continue tomorrow night. A few dry periods before a band of rain keeps

in from the English Channel. The rain could be on the heavy side, but

some drier periods as well as temperatures falling to 6`8. A start

to the weekend but it not stay that way. Low pressure down towards the

south of the UK, the winds coming up from the south, rainwater likely for

Dorset and Wiltshire, drier conditions, more cloud for eastern

areas. A pretty damp end to the weak and the showers will continue

through the weekend. Tomorrow we are expecting heavy torrential downpours

with thunderstorms. Saturday, longer spells of rain for western areas.

Limited brightness. As we head towards Sunday it is probably the

best day of the weekend to get out and about. Perhaps a frosty start

which could linger for western areas. Monday should be slightly

drier. Our next bulletin is at 10:25pm.