The Berkshire-based grocery chain Budgens is looking to open up a new shop in Woodstock this year.

It would be placed in Wincott Square, at the Park View development within the town.

The Park View development in Woodstock features exactly 300 homes.

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Built by Pye Homes in partnership with landowner Blenheim Estate Homes, the development offers a mix of one-to five-bedroom properties, with 50 per cent of the houses designated as affordable housing.

The site features a blend of apartments and houses, as well as a mixed-use centre and community spaces.

All homes at the Park View site are now sold, though the developers have shifted focus to a new low-carbon community nearby called Hill Rise.

Budgens is looking to trade between 6am and 11pm Monday to Sunday, according to its application for an alcohol licence to West Oxfordshire District Council.

A period of consultation has now opened with residents in the area invited to provide feedback on the proposals to the district council.

A decision on whether it can have its licence will be made in the near future.

Budgens already has shops in Carterton, Witney and Yarnton as well as additional ones in Oxford, Abingdon and in Marcham.

Face Int UK has published survey findings showing strong public support for facial recognition in banking, border control and policing, but weaker backing for broader use in settings such as retail and schools.

The poll of 2,000 UK adults found the strongest support for border control, where 81% favoured the deployment of facial recognition technology. Support was also high for use by police and security forces at 73%, for identity checks by banks at 71%, and for access to secured physical sites at 70%.

Consumer devices also attracted majority support, with 67% backing the use of facial recognition to unlock smartphones and laptops.

Support fell in settings where the case for using the technology appeared less settled. Only 54% supported its use by retailers for security purposes, while 47% backed its use in schools.

Just over half of those surveyed, 53%, said facial recognition should be limited to cases with a clear public benefit and strong safeguards.

The findings suggest a public mood that is more conditional than outright supportive or hostile, as businesses, police forces and public bodies continue to weigh how and where the technology should be introduced.

Selective support

The results indicate that respondents distinguish between security-led uses and more everyday or sensitive settings. Border control, banking checks and restricted-site access drew stronger support than retail surveillance or school use.

That pattern matters because facial recognition has become a broader policy and commercial issue in the UK. Police use has faced scrutiny from privacy campaigners and regulators, while retailers and supermarkets have also explored the technology for security and loss prevention.

For companies considering deployment, the research suggests that public acceptance may depend less on the technology itself than on the context in which it is used. Settings linked to security and identity verification appear to command more confidence than environments where the benefit is less obvious.

Face Int commissioned Opinium to carry out the online survey among a nationally representative sample of UK adults. The sample was weighted by age, gender, region, employment status and political views.

Industry view

Tony Kounnis, Chief Executive Officer of Face Int UK, said the findings showed a more complex picture of opinion than a simple divide between support and opposition.

He said: “Public attitudes towards facial recognition are far more nuanced than people often assume. It is too simple to say that people either support the technology or they do not.

“There is clear support for its use in environments where security is critical and the benefit is easy to understand, such as border control, banking and access to secured sites.

“But support is also highly conditional. People are making clear distinctions between how and where facial recognition technology is used, and they expect it to be deployed responsibly and with strong safeguards in place.

“That is an important message for businesses and public institutions alike. The use of facial recognition technology must be accompanied by a clear explanation of why it is being used, what problem it is solving and how people’s data is being protected.”

The survey comes as facial recognition remains a contested area of technology policy. Supporters argue it can help confirm identity, improve security and reduce fraud, while critics have raised concerns about privacy, oversight and the handling of biometric information.

The split in attitudes shown by the poll reflects that tension. Britons appear willing to accept facial recognition when the purpose is tightly defined, but less comfortable when it moves into settings that may feel more intrusive or harder to justify.

That distinction could shape how organisations present any rollout. The data suggests that public backing is tied to a clear explanation of the purpose, the setting and the safeguards around the use of personal data.

In practical terms, the strongest support lies in controlled environments where identity checks are already expected. Lower figures for retailers and schools indicate that any extension into more routine public spaces may face a tougher reception.

The most widely supported use in the survey was facial recognition at border control, backed by 81% of respondents.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Cellnex and O2 have signed an agreement to improve mobile coverage on the Brighton Main Line, one of Britain’s busiest commuter rail corridors.

Under the deal, O2 will use Cellnex infrastructure to extend mobile connectivity, including 5G, along the route between London, Gatwick Airport and the south coast. The rollout will take place in phases across the line and at major stations including London Victoria, London Bridge and Clapham Junction.

The Brighton Main Line carries more than 300,000 passengers on weekdays and supports 1,700 train movements a day. About 50,000 of those journeys are to and from Gatwick Airport, according to the companies.

The agreement adds O2 to a programme that already includes Three UK, which signed up in 2023. Cellnex is building the network as a neutral host system, allowing multiple mobile operators to use shared infrastructure rather than install separate equipment.

The route has long been difficult for mobile coverage because of tunnels, deep cuttings and older station structures. These conditions have contributed to persistent signal gaps for passengers travelling between central London, major commuter areas and Gatwick Airport.

Route upgrade

The infrastructure was developed with Network Rail under a 25-year contract awarded in 2021. Once fully activated, the system is intended to deliver mobile connectivity across 99% of the 108km corridor.

The build programme has run for three years and involved more than 129,000 working hours and more than 11,000 worker entries at stations and trackside locations. Installed equipment includes 130km of fibre, four base station hotels for mobile operator equipment, 39 distributed antenna systems in tunnels and along the track, dedicated station distributed antenna systems at London Bridge, London Victoria and Clapham Junction, and 16 macro sites along the route.

The shared model is designed to lower costs for operators and reduce the amount of physical infrastructure needed on the railway. Cellnex is also seeking wider participation from other mobile networks so more passengers can use the improved coverage regardless of provider.

For commuters, the upgrade addresses a familiar problem on one of the capital’s busiest rail lines. Mobile connections on parts of the route have historically dropped during calls, streaming and app use, particularly in tunnels and busy station areas.

Steve Cray, Managing Director, Cellnex UK, said: “Regular railway passengers will understand the frustration of losing signal mid-conversation or spending whole journeys with buffering videos. With O2 now on board, many more passengers are going to notice the difference on one of the UK’s most important commuter routes. This collaboration stands as one of the most significant end-to-end telecommunications infrastructure deployments on the British railway so far, and we are proud to be setting a new standard for the UK’s entire rail network.”

Operator demand

The addition of O2 points to growing demand among network operators for shared mobile systems on transport routes where standalone deployment can be difficult and costly. Rail corridors present technical and operational challenges because work must be carried out around live services and within constrained infrastructure.

O2 linked the Brighton Main Line deal to its wider network investment programme, saying the agreement would improve both coverage and capacity for customers travelling between the coast and the capital.

Robert Joyce said: “Our £700m Mobile Transformation Plan is focused on delivering reliable connectivity in the moments that matter most, and railway lines are a key part of that. By working with Cellnex to improve connectivity along the Brighton Main Line, we’ll be bringing improved coverage and capacity to customers travelling from the coast to the capital over the coming months.”

Network Rail said the project had required years of coordination on a route that remains in constant use. The infrastructure owner described the work as part of a broader effort to modernise the passenger experience on a line that is central to commuting into London.

Richmond said: “Passengers on the Brighton Main Line deserve connectivity that matches the importance of this route, and our long-term partnership with Cellnex is transforming what has historically been one of the most technically demanding corridors for mobile coverage into a showcase for modern railway connectivity. A huge amount of collaboration has gone into this project over the last few years to support the infrastructure on a railway that is constantly operational. With O2 now on board, even more passengers will soon experience the benefits of this investment every time they travel.”