Great Western Park, a 3,300-home estate is due to be finished this year, and was initially granted planning permission in 2008, with a new GP surgery included. 

The planning permission for the new surgery dates back about 10 years but there have been repeated delays.

Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon launched a petition calling for swift action after the previous developer Assura pulled out, and it quickly attracted more than 2,000 signatures online.

Didcot West county councillor Ian Snowdon (Image: Oxford Mail)

He said: “Finding a new developer is a positive step but there is still some legal work to be done.”

Woodlands Medical Centre has appointed London-based Apsley Henley Med Ltd as the new developer for the long-awaited project.

The appointment, confirmed today, follows action taken by the former NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (BOB ICB) to identify an alternative developer.

This comes after Assura’s proposal for the new surgery building was deemed unaffordable.

Great Western Park in Didcot (Image: Oxford Mail)

Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, has repeatedly pressed for updates on the delayed scheme.

In October, he raised the issue in the House of Commons with Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging action to help unblock plans. Following this exchange, Mr Streeting promised to ‘find out what’s gone wrong’.

Mr Glover explained at the time that Great Western Park has added more than 3,000 homes to Didcot, with Valley Park under construction adding over 4,000 more. Yet the GP surgery promised in 2008 remains an empty patch of land.

Despite the council having granted planning permission, Woodlands Surgery prepared to run the new facility, and the Integrated Care Board (ICB) supporting the case for one, progress was stalled with NHS England, leaving local primary care services struggling to cope with increasing demand for appointments.

Mr Glover said: “Residents in Great Western Park have waited far too long for the GP surgery that was promised years ago.

“However, today’s announcement is an important step in the right direction. With a new developer now appointed, this should provide the momentum that is needed to get this project up and running.

“My constituents deserve access to primary care that keeps up with housing growth, and I will continue to press the ICB to make sure that this project finally becomes a reality.”

Mr Snowdon’s petition calls for a binding timetable and delivery commitment from the ICB and urgent interim GP capacity measures such as temporary clinical space, additional staff, or expanded appointment capacity.

About £791,000 in developer contributions was secured for the new surgery in 2016.

They noted long-term declines in the numbers spotted during the RSPB’s long-running Big Garden Birdwatch citizen science scheme.

Average starling counts per garden fell to a record low for the second year in a row, dropping by another 3% in this year’s birdwatch.

According to the RSPB, starling numbers recorded in the survey have plunged by 85.1% since the scheme began in 1979.

Greenfinches saw a modest 2.3% rise in average counts this year, but the charity said their numbers remain around two-thirds down on 1979 levels.

RSPB scientists warned that these songbirds are among the species vulnerable to diseases that can spread at bird feeders, and are urging households to reconsider when they feed birds, how they do it and what food they put out.

Beccy Speight, the charity’s chief executive, said: “We’re not asking people to stop feeding, just to feed in a way that protects birds’ long-term health.”

This year, more than 650,000 people took part in the birdwatch, which involves spending an hour counting birds in a garden or local green space during the last weekend in January.

The results can help conservationists gauge how the country’s bird life is faring.

The house sparrow held on to the top spot and the blue tit remained at number two again this year, followed by starling in third, woodpigeon in fourth and blackbird in fifth.

While starlings jumped from fourth to third place for the most commonly spotted species in 2026, it was largely because fewer woodpigeons were reported compared to last year, the RSPB said.

The charismatic birds are found across the UK, with numbers swelling during winter when more of the species arrive from northern Europe, and can be seen in huge numbers performing aerial displays known as “murmurations”.

Before the year 2000, starlings were regularly the most numerous species recorded in the Big Garden Birdwatch.

However, they are now “red-listed” because of concerns over their falling population.

What is causing the decline of birds?

The RSPB said there is a lack of evidence behind what might be driving the decline although a fall in chicks’ survival rates over their first winter could be contributing.

Greenfinches have seen their population particularly devastated by the disease trichomonosis, which spreads more easily when birds gather around feeders in summer and autumn.

The songbird is also on the conservation “red list”, with other UK-wide surveys indicating a loss of more than two million birds since the mid-1990s.

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Ms Speight said: “Feeding birds is something millions of us love and value, but the science shows us that birds such as greenfinches have been affected by the spread of disease at feeders.

“By making small changes together, we can ensure garden feeding continues to be a positive force for nature.”

What’s your favourite type of bird in the UK? Let us know in the comments

Somebody or some people have dumped household furniture near Drayton substation off Hanney Road in Steventon.

Vale of White Horse District Council is aware of the illegal dump and has sent workmen down to log it.

The council pointed out that the waste is a very short drive to the Drayton Household Waste Recycling Centre along Steventon Road up to Drayton.

Waste fly-tipped in Steventon (Image: Vale of White Horse)

A spokesman for the council said: “Over the Easter weekend, someone dumped this large amount of waste near the electrical substation along Hanney Road, Steventon.

“All of these items could have been taken free of charge to the nearby recycling centre, just by completing the county council’s free online booking form.

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“If you know where this rubbish may have come from, or who may have been responsible for the fly-tip, our envirocrimes team would love to hear from you – email envirocrime@southandvale.gov.uk or call 01235 422146.”

Householders must now book a slot to use any of Oxfordshire County Council‘s household waste recycling centres through a system on the authority’s website.

Bookings are available up to two weeks in advance or 30 minutes prior, subject to availability.

Residents without internet access can book slots over the telephone by contacting the council’s customer service centre on 01865 519800 between 8.45am and 5pm, Monday to Thursday, and 8.45am to 4pm on Fridays.