Western Valley

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Western Valley
Zulu Farm near Harwell - geograph.org.uk - 1315521.jpg
Zulu Farm
Oxfordshire UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Western Valley
Location within Oxfordshire
Civil parish
  • Western Valley
District
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Didcot
Postcode district OX11
Dialling code 01235
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Oxfordshire
51°37′N1°17′W / 51.61°N 1.28°W / 51.61; -1.28

Western Valley is a civil parish in the eastern part of the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England, to the east of Harwell and the west of Didcot. Historically it was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. It consists of the western part of the Great Western Park housing estate on the edge of Didcot, and will also include the proposed Valley Park development. The parish was created in April 2023 by splitting the Harwell civil parish where it was crossed by the A34 road, which runs along most of the western boundary of Western Valley, and the Great Western Main Line runs along the northern boundary. [1] [2] It is bordered by the civil parishes of Harwell, Milton and Sutton Courtenay in Vale of White Horse; and by: Didcot and West Hagbourne, both being in South Oxfordshire. The parish lies wholly within the Blewbury & Harwell ward of Vale of White Horse District Council, the Hendreds & Harwell Division of Oxfordshire County Council, and the Didcot and Wantage parliamentary constituency.

Elections to the eight seats on the new parish council were to be held on 4 May 2023, [3] but only one valid nomination was received by the returning officer. [4] Nominations were reopened, and a further four candidates were elected unopposed on 14 June 2023. [5]

The parish contains two secondary schools: Aureus School and UTC Oxfordshire. These are on the western edge of the only substantial settlement, the Great Western Park housing estate, part of which is within Didcot. In the centre of this, and also partially within Didcot, is a large open space known as Boundary Park.

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Oxfordshire is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Gloucestershire to the west. The city of Oxford is the largest settlement and county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abingdon-on-Thames</span> Market town in Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England

Abingdon-on-Thames, commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in the Vale of the White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. The historic county town of Berkshire, the area was occupied from the early to middle Iron Age and the remains of a late Iron Age and Roman defensive enclosure lies below the town centre. Abingdon Abbey was founded around 676, giving its name to the emerging town. In the 13th and 14th centuries, Abingdon was an agricultural centre with an extensive trade in wool, alongside weaving and the manufacture of clothing. Charters for the holding of markets and fairs were granted by various monarchs, from Edward I to George II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wantage</span> Town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England

Wantage is a historic market town and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. Although within the boundaries of the historic county of Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since 1974. The town is on Letcombe Brook, 8 miles (13 km) south-west of Abingdon, 24 miles (39 km) north-west of Reading, 15 miles (24 km) south-west of Oxford and 14 miles (23 km) north-west of Newbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didcot</span> Town in England

Didcot is a railway town and civil parish in South Oxfordshire, England, located 15 miles (24 km) south of Oxford, 10 miles (16 km) east of Wantage and 15 miles (24 km) north west of Reading. Historically part of Berkshire, the town is noted for its railway heritage, Didcot station opening as a junction station on the Great Western Main Line in 1844. Today the town is known for the railway museum and power stations, and is the gateway town to the Science Vale: three large science and technology centres in the surrounding villages of Milton, Culham and Harwell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harwell, Oxfordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Harwell is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about 2 miles (3 km) west of Didcot, 6 miles (10 km) east of Wantage and 13 miles (21 km) south of Oxford, England. The parish measures about 3.5 miles (6 km) north – south, and almost 2 miles (3 km) east – west at its widest point. In 1923 its area was 2,521 acres (1,020 ha). Historically in Berkshire, it has been administered as part of Oxfordshire since the 1974 boundary changes. The parish includes part of Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in the southwest. The 2011 census recorded the parish's population as 2,349.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of White Horse</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

The Vale of White Horse is a local government district of Oxfordshire in England. It was historically part of Berkshire. The area is commonly referred to as the 'Vale of the White Horse'. It is crossed by the Ridgeway National Trail in its far south, across the North Wessex Downs AONB at the junction of four counties. The northern boundary is defined by the River Thames. The name refers to Uffington White Horse, a prehistoric hill figure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Oxfordshire</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

South Oxfordshire is a local government district in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England. Its council is temporarily based outside the district at Abingdon-on-Thames pending a planned move to Didcot, the district's largest town. The areas located south of the River Thames are within the historic county of Berkshire.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983-2024

Wantage was a constituency in Oxfordshire represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appleford-on-Thames</span> Village in Oxfordshire, England

Appleford-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the south bank of the River Thames about 2 miles (3 km) north of Didcot, in the Vale of White Horse district, in Oxfordshire. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 local government boundary changes. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 350. On 1 April 2000 the civil parish was renamed from "Appleford" to "Appleford on Thames".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wootton, Vale of White Horse</span> Human settlement in England

Wootton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse about 3 miles (5 km) north-west of Abingdon. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfordshire. The parish of Wootton includes the hamlets of Whitecross and Lamborough Hill and the western part of Boars Hill. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 2,709.

Milton Park is the UK’s largest single ownership innovation community, situated in Vale of the White Horse in South Oxfordshire, England. The Park is located between Didcot and Abingdon in Science Vale UK, a cluster of significant growth, innovation and enterprise.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chilton, Oxfordshire</span> Human settlement in England

Chilton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England, about 3+12 miles (6 km) southwest of Didcot. The parish is a historic part of Berkshire, though under the 1974 local government boundary changes was transferred to the administration of Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 894. The village is just off the A34 road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale of White Horse District Council</span>

Vale of White Horse District Council is the local authority for the Vale of White Horse, a non-metropolitan district in the south-west of Oxfordshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didcot and Wantage (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 2024 onwards

Didcot and Wantage is a constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, it was first contested at the 2024 general election. The seat was won by Olly Glover representing the Liberal Democrats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olly Glover</span> British politician

Oliver Guy Nicholas Glover is a British Liberal Democrat politician who has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Didcot and Wantage since 2024, elected with a 39.8-per-cent share of the vote for the newly created constituency. He is also a town and parish councillor in Oxfordshire. Glover has worked in operations management for various railway companies.

Great Western Park is a village immediately west of Didcot, Oxfordshire, England consisting of 3,300 houses, built in the 2010s. It lies on the border between the districts of Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire, with the central area being administered under Western Valley parish in Vale of White Horse whilst Great Western Park North and South are administered as part of Didcot, in South Oxfordshire.

References

  1. "Parish Boundary". Harwell Parish Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  2. "New Vale parish to be called Western Valley". 14 December 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  3. "2023 Notice of Election". Harwell Parish Council. 16 March 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  4. Stone, Mark (4 May 2023). "Notice of Uncontested Election" (PDF). Abingdon: Vale of White Horse District Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  5. Stone, Mark (14 June 2023). "Notice of Uncontested Election" (PDF). Abingdon: Vale of White Horse District Council. Retrieved 18 July 2023.