12/03/2014 BBC Oxford News

looking pretty good. Dry in most parts with sunshine around.

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

The ?500 million project th`t will transform part of Oxford city

centre. Plans to redevelop the Westgate Centre are approved,

meaning new shops and rooftop restaurants. It's going to bring

growth to the area. It's not easy to get into Oxford.

Also tonight: The farmer sentenced over the death of a worker on his

land. John Binning, on the left admitted failing to have addquate

safety measures in place. And later on: the piece of `rt which

is actually a car park. Good evening. Oxford's Westgate

Centre IS to be redeveloped, with building work planned to st`rt next

year. Councillors voted in favour of plans for the ?500 million

development last night. The new shopping centre will be thrde times

its current size. It's hoped it will attract more people into thd city

but that's brought concerns about parking and traffic congesthon.

Charlotte Stacey is in Oxford for us now. So, Charlotte, a big change on

the cards? Yes. It's been a long wait. 25 years, several planning

applications and the recesshon. As plans have constantly stalldd, this

part of Oxford's become less attractive for shoppers, losing them

to bigger centres like Milton Keynes, Swindon and Reading. But

now, that could all change. It's over 40 years old but now the

Westgate Centre could get a total make over. This is what the plans

look like. But does everyond want a change? They have opened a new H

Maybe it's an unnecessary spend It will bring great and employlent to

the area. You have to move on. This is where a new Jon Lewis wotld be.

This would be a 3`storey retail building. But while there whll be

more shops, there will be fdwer parking spaces. There is room for

1200 cars at the moment and that could go down to 900. Some people

are also worried about traffic congestion. Oxford is a challenging

city to developing but we h`ve spent a lot of time understanding what the

issues are. It is estimated that Oxford has lost more than ?200

million of trade a year. Thhs could be a way of bringing some of that

money back. Oxford has been under shops for a long time now and that

has been one of the things that has come up from all the servicd. So it

is very important for tourism and our own population and for the

people of Oxfordshire. Therd are concerns it could take away ?55

million a year from other Oxfordshire businesses and there may

be knock`on effects for ret`il in neighbouring towns and citids. So,

there is still a long way to go The development now moves into ` more

detailed design phase, with more in`depth plans for buildings and

public spaces being put forward over spring and summer this year. The

Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, also has to approve the plans. If

everything gets the go`ahead, construction could start as early as

the beginning of next year, with the centre opening in 2017.

An Oxfordshire farmer has bden fined for breaking health and safdty rules

after a man died at his farl. Dean Henderson Smith suffered multiple

injuries after falling throtgh the roof of a barn at Great Park farm in

Besselsleigh in 2012. His elployer, John Binning, admitted failhng to

have proper safety measures in place. Peter Cooke reports.

It was Dean Henderson Smith's second`to`last day at work hn

October 2012 when he was asked to replace skylights on a roof at Great

Park Farm in Besselsleigh. The 46`year`old had previously served in

the army for 22 years but hd and a colleague hadn't been wearing

helmets or harnesses when hd stepped on a skylight, falling seven metres.

He died of multiple injuries in hospital. The owner of the farm

John Binning, was initially charged with manslaughter. That charge was

dropped but this week, he pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the

safety and welfare of his worker. John and his family deeply regret

the tragic accident that resulted in the loss of a valued employde. They

would like to `` expressed their condolences to Dean's familx and

friends. And those closest to him gave their reaction. Dean's partners

said the last 16 months had been the worst of her life. She said in one

moment, her life was wrecked and would never be the same. Since this

tragic death, a number of hdalth and safety improvements have bedn made

at the farm near Cumnor. Thd judge ordered John to pay a fine of

?67,500, saying the 65`year`old had failed to appreciate responsibility

for the health and safety of some of his workers and the death of Dean

was a profound tragedy. A former policewoman from B`nbury

has been jailed for three and a half years for selling personal details

of accident victims. Sugra Hanif got information from the Thames Valley

Police computer and with her lover, Raza Khan, planned to sell ht to

firms of solicitors to purste compensation claims. The referral

fees paid could have netted them ?1 million. Khan was jailed for three

years. A former teacher who raised concerns

about behaviour at an Oxfordshire public school was not constructively

dismissed, an employment trhbunal has ruled. Rachel Ashley cl`imed she

was unfairly forced to resign from her post at the Oratory School in

Woodcote after she reported extreme bullying and animal cruelty but a

judge has dismissed her clahm. People in Oxford are being offered

homes as far away as Birmingham because the city council can't find

accommodation for them in Oxford. The people are homeless, thd housing

is expensive and Oxford Citx Council says it has no option. Sine`d

Carroll joins me in the studio now. Who is affected by this? Holeless

people on housing benefit. Oxford City Council Council has a duty of

care to house them but, as we know, rents are high in Oxford and some

landlords are refusing to ldt properties to tenants on benefits,

so they're being offered hotsing elsewhere. What has the reaction

been from the tenants? Well, only five households have taken tp the

offer. Today, I met Elysha `nd her two young daughters, who live in

temporary accommodation. Thd council have found her a house but ht's in

Birmingham. I would rather be homeless on the streets than live in

Birmingham because I would be homeless in Birmingham apart from

having a roof over my head. I will have no friends and family. How many

people are affected? The cotncil wouldn't tell us but solicitor John

McNulty has seen eight people in similar predicaments since December.

It's a very difficult situation for them because the consequencds are

refusing the offer of accomlodation and the person will become homeless.

Is it just Oxford City Council that is doing this? No. In the London

borough of Hackney, housing was such a problem that they offered tenants

a ?500 incentive to leave the district. That's not on the cards

here. The city council regularly houses people in towns like Abingdon

or Kidlington but moving thdm out of the county is something manx people

are unhappy about. After six months of chipping away,

two carpenters from Oxfordshire finally saw their hard work pay off

as new lock gates were moved into place at Grafton on the Rivdr

Thames. Richard Wicks and Mhchael Yearwood have been crafting the 2.5

tonne wooden structures since last summer. Jeremy Stern reports.

It's taken hundreds of hours to turn huge chunks of shapeless wood into

the two lock gates put in place today. Concentration was kex at

Grafton Lock near Faringdon. The two carpenters who crafted the gates in

Oxford said the job required patience, care and an indoor crane.

It is all handbuilt and heavy work, so you have to have the right

lifting equipment and tools to do the job. The timber is very dense

and hard. There was just enough time for some last minute perfecting but

the carpenters are convinced their gates can withstand water pressure,

knocks from boats and any wdather. The old gates lasted nearly 40

years. The new ones were moved in with the hope they can survhve even

longer. When you see the months you have put into it, and it coles

together at the end, it's ddfinitely good. Some spectators may h`ve been

wondering when everything's going to get back to normal. The Envhronment

Agency says the new gates whll be opened and closed before Easter

The goals from last night's games from Oxford, Swindon and thd MK Dons

are coming up and there's a hat trick in one of them. That's all

from me for the moment. Herd's Sally.

fought this hard, and South`mpton lost. But one of the city's MPs

John Denham, be previewing Basingstoke Bhson s

final tonight. We will also be hearing from the new chairm`n of

Southampton football club and he knows a little bit about icd hockey

or so. `` also. Sussex Police are to start

using a controversial unmanned drone. The ?35,000 helicoptdrs will

be used in an initial trial in and around Gatwick Airport, the force

saying they will help make the county even safer. But civil

liberties groups are deeply concerned, worried that the flying

video cameras could be used to record and spy on people with one MP

branding them sinister and questioning whether they will be

safe. They will be gathering film footage and it can be used to ensure

any unforeseen activity that goes on and can be monitored. It can be used

where the safety of offices is paramount when you can't necessarily

deploy police officers. You can check from the air. A senior

Worthing Borough Councillor has resigned in protest and askdd the

police to investigate the h`ndling of the termination of a contract

between the council and car park firm NCP. It's believed the council

has paid hundreds of thousands of pounds compensation to the car park

provider but the two sides have signed an agreement keeping details

of the settlement confidenthal. Sean Killick reports. For the past ten

years, NCP has run council car parks. In 2009, a pilot schdme was

agreed to reduce parking ch`rges with the Council underwriting NCP's

last `` lost income. Now it is not being renewed and there is ` battle

over how much compensation NCP is due for its losses during the pilot

scheme. NCP sued the Council for ?1 million that is before a High Court

hearing, the two sides reached an out`of`court settlement belheved to

be for around ?700,000 but neither party would confirm that sul. They

issued a joint statement saxing that it was an amicable settlement and

that both sides agreed it would remain confidential. That ottraged

Council cabinet member, Tom, who has resigned from the council in

protest. I always said I wotld not accept a gagging order on this. Why

is the money going to NCP? Ht should be in the public domain. I resigned.

Today, there was mixed reaction I guess the compensation should be

paid but as a taxpayer, it hs not very good. I agree with him making a

stand on principle and resigning. Worthing council should tell us why

they have put that amount of money. In a statement, the force told South

today: Meanwhile, from April one, charges

in the multistorey car parks involved would drop from ?1 70 an

hour to ?1 an hour. From a parking row in Sussex to a

much happier car parking story along the coast in Dorset. If you've

driven into Bournemouth recdntly, you'll have noticed the

multi`coloured building takhng shape on the Wessex Way. Decked ott in

sunshine colours you may be forgiven for thinking it's a piece of art,

it's actually a new car park. And it marks the start of

multi`million`pound plans to give the resort an economic boost. Chris

Robinson reports. The opening of a multistorex car

park isn't headline grabbing news. It looks rather boring but when you

come outside, its colours are warm and inviting and it has got people

talking. It as a vision intdrest. A lot of car parks are dull and

boring. It could cause accidents if people are looking. It might be

something to think about. I like it having some, `` some colour. This is

the view on the busy Wessex way The panels offer a ray of light all year

round. The car park is in the first completed stage of a ?40 million

regeneration stage of the town. Bournemouth is open for bushness. It

is colourful but I don't thhnk that is a bad thing. Car parks nded to be

something a bit different so we actually attract more peopld to ask

what development is. Opposite our student flats. The new residents

move in this autumn. Down the road is more homes. 14 sites are

earmarked for development across the town as well as private hotdl and

leisure developments closer to the seafront. This car park stands out.

It sends a great message. It is a bright beacon of development

activity. The car park opens to the public from Monday.

On to sport and a big night for isotopic `` ice hockey in H`mpshire.

Basingstoke Bison are hoping to end a long run without silverware in the

second leg of the Premier Ldague Cup. And ice hockey is a bit of a

theme of Tony's sports spot tonight he's live at Planet ice in

Basingstoke. It is the second leg of the Premier League final. N`vy ``

Basingstoke have a lead. Thdy are getting the ice ready. This machine

smooths the ice. Look how f`st that is going to be tonight when the

teams get out there on to the rink. More on the ice hockey in a moment.

It has been an ice hockey D`y because I have been to meet a man

whose life has been all abott ice hockey. Ralph Krueger has jtst

really `` returned from the Olympics and he is now a public face to the

Southampton regime. I went to see him earlier. I will bring a

freshness and we will freezd the pitch. What I bring is experience in

the sports world and an understanding of what they need I

will not in anyway take responsibility or be involvdd or get

in the way. I to create an environment where everybody can

concentrate on what they ard here to do. He is very different to his

predecessor who rarely spokd to the media. One of my biggest walls as

chairman will be to create ` great platform of communication at all

levels, where people can express themselves. It is a major

responsibility that I have taken on here, to build those vehiclds of

communication inside and outside the organisation. A question for fans.

If the club for sale? It is not Catherine is embracing the

environment. Soon she has h`d her presence known, she has been visible

in and is coming to games. Can you keep the manager? The answer isn't

very sexy. We need to be successful on and off the pitch and we will do

everything possible to have the best possible team here together. It is

clear he wants to grow Southampton commercially and has an initial

opinion on the thorny subject of playing games abroad. If I look at

what the NFL playing at Wembley does for the NFL worldwide, it is

certainly something that nedds to be part of the discussion. One last ice

hockey question. Who is your money on tonight? I have to cheer on

Hampshire and wish them a rdally good match that night. I will slide

into that environment once hn awhile to remember how cold it can be

playing the sport that grew up playing. It is called in Basingstoke

tonight. The full interview is on the BBC sport website right now A

busy night of football last night. This was the start of a terrific

night. It's got even better in the second half with this free kick It

doubled the lead. Nick Blackman weighed `` waded in to make it

three. After this folly, thd Royals scored three in nine minutes. Leeds

came back with two quickfird goals. This header was converted. @ustin

popped up with the goal of the game. It still finished as a miserable

night for Brian McDermott it on the anniversary office sacking.

Elsewhere, Portsmouth continued to find goals hard to come by. Chances

came and went at Burton Albhon. The outcome was a goalless draw.

Tonight Bournemouth aim for a third consecutive Championship win.

In Racing, a great afternoon for the West Sussex trainer Gary Moore and

his family. He saddled the winner of the big race ` the Queen Mother

Champion Chase. Sire De Grugy romped to victory with Gary's son Jamie in

the saddle ` ahead of the Mhck Channon trained Somersby. Great

celebrations for the family ` Gary also has a stake in the horse. The

other owners, who include a hairdresser, a sweet salesm`n, and a

plumber, were pretty pleased too! 14 years since any silverware for

Basingstoke Bison 's. Tonight, they could lift a trophy in the cup

final. Here is the thoughts of Doug Sheppard. We are confident. We are

in a pretty good spot here. We are hoping to carry that on tonhght 4`1

up and how much of an advantage is that? You have to approach the game

and we will approach it likd it is goalless. We have been pretty strong

at home all year. Our fans have got behind us. We want to reverse that

form. It has been a long tile since you have got some silverward. What

will it be like to lift the trophy tonight? Our fans have been

unbelievable and have always got behind us. No nerves? We ard not

nervous. We are pumped up and ready to go for it. They want to hang

another pennant next to that one. We will have the result at 10:25pm

Now to the weather. It has been glorious. Long may it continue.

A stunning shot of a Red Kite and stunning blue skies too.

We have had some beautiful sunshine and tonight, we can expect clear

skies for a time but dense, patchy fog is working its way in. We start

with those clear spells. A fine day. We may see a touch of frost early on

as temperatures head down to three Celsius. The fog and mist starts to

spill in and by the early hours we can expect some dense, patchy fog.

Some spots could well have some problematic travel disruption first

thing tomorrow through the lorning rush`hour. Stay tuned to yotr BBC

local radio station. We havd that fog to around ten o'clock in the

morning. Eventually it is sdt to shift and we are left with bright,

sunny skies once again. There will be some cloud around at timds. It

feels pleasant with highs of 40 Celsius. Plaques along the coast a

little bit of sea mist. Looking ahead to tomorrow, it is a repeat

performance. Visibility is `n issue through the course of tomorrow

night. We see clear skies for a time and then the fog spills back in We

may see some problematic fog at times on Friday morning. Through the

day on Friday, the sunny skhes are developing so it is feeling fine

with temperatures into the lid teens. I pressure is our nehghbour

for the weekend. We have sole settled conditions for Saturday and

Sunday. It looks like we will see more of a breeze. Here is the

summary. That is it from us this evening We

will have more on that ice hockey game at 10:25pm. We are back

tomorrow at 6:30pm. Enjoy your evening, good night.