Henley-on-Thames News
The latest Henley-on-Thames news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
South Oxfordshire Planning Call-Ins End on 31 October
Councillors approved the change on 24 September. From 31 October a ward councillor has seven days after consultation closes to ask for a committee hearing.
More stories
Watlington
Watlington High Street Buyout: £312,700 Pledged So Far
Residents have pledged enough to cover 2 High Street, but the building is under offer to a private buyer. The group has asked the parish council for CIL money.
Community
Henley St John Ambulance Unit Closes After 115 Years
Henley's St John Ambulance unit, founded in 1911, has closed. Its volunteers now cover the town from the West Berkshire Network, and one has served 50 years.
Nettlebed
Nettlebed Kiln Top Hat: Council Heritage Officer Objects
The county wants to rebuild Nettlebed's Grade II* kiln without its 1927 top hat. The district heritage officer, the parish and 60 residents object.
House prices
South Oxfordshire house prices hit £476,026 as growth halves
The average home rose to £476,026 in July, up 3.0% on a year ago, down from 5.1% in June. Semis rose fastest, flats slipped, and Oxford is still cheaper.
Henley-on-Thames
Henley Aldi: County Objects Over 95 Car Parking Spaces
Oxfordshire highways has objected to Aldi's Reading Road store: 95 car spaces against a 62 maximum and a crossing in the wrong place. Decision due 15 October.
Chinnor
B4445 Chinnor to Thame Road Shut Until 8 October
The B4445 between Chinnor and Thame is shut around the clock from 21 September to 8 October. The resurfacing is a low-carbon trial cutting 30 tonnes of CO2.
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire Asks Police for Vehicle Noise Figures
The council leader has asked the Thames Valley commissioner how many vehicle noise reports come in and what is done about them, two months after the vote.
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire £100,000 Nature Grant Opens 28 September
Community groups and parish councils can apply for £250 to £10,000 from 28 September. Half the pot is ringfenced for nature, and anything unspent goes back.
Charity
Henley MP backs SeeSaw call for child bereavement data
No government figures count bereaved children in the UK. Two SeeSaw Young Ambassadors took that to MP Freddie van Mierlo, who has now written to a minister.
Planning
South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2045: Comments Close 29 Sept
The only round that asks what the plan should contain closes 11.59pm on 29 September. Three weeks, against the six and eight weeks set for the next two.
South Oxfordshire
South Oxfordshire Land Charges: 96 Days Down, 64 Waiting
House sale searches stopped for 96 days this year, and 64 were still unanswered on 27 August. The council's report says no law sets a deadline for them.
Local democracy
Henley's Ridgeway merger paused, May 2027 vote goes ahead
The government has paused the plan to fold South Oxfordshire into Ridgeway Council in 2028. Elections in May 2027 go ahead on today's council boundaries.
Parking
Henley Disabled Parking: Four Bays to Go, Object by 2 Oct
Oxfordshire County Council wants to remove four disabled bays in Henley and move the Market Place one. Objections close at 5pm on Friday 2 October 2026.
Henley-on-Thames
Henley Aldi plan: town council recommends refusal
Henley Town Council has recommended refusal of Aldi's Reading Road store over traffic and delivery noise. Comments close 19 September, decision due 15 October.
Henley-on-Thames
Henley new businesses: 14 companies registered in August
Fourteen new companies registered in Henley-on-Thames in August, including a pub company at 30 Duke Street. What the register shows, and what it does not.
Henley-on-Thames
Henley Banking Hub: Temporary Home at the Library Confirmed
Henley's banking hub will open first at the library in Ravenscroft Road, Cash Access UK confirms. Expected October; no opening date or banks named yet.
Thame
Thame Leisure Centre: £370,000 revamp done, new gym open
The £370,000 refit finished on 20 August: a functional gym with a multi-point rig, rebuilt dry-side changing rooms and a much larger accessible toilet.
Henley-on-Thames
South Oxfordshire house prices top Oxford's, £474,283
The district average hit £474,283 in June, above Oxford for the first time since December 2021. Up 5.2% in a year while the South East managed 0.3%.
Transport
A4074 speed limits cut to 50mph: every section that changed
The A4074 lost its 60mph limit on 24 July. Most of the Oxford to Caversham run is now 50mph and two stretches are 40mph. Every section, and who objected.
Thame
Thame September Fair 2026: High Street shut for 4 days
The fair runs 17 to 19 September, but Thame High Street shuts from 4pm on Wednesday 16 until midday Sunday. Both High Street car parks close too.
Planning
Benson 170 homes: the field a minister refused in 2018
Elivia Homes wants up to 170 houses on the Watlington Road field where the Secretary of State refused 120 in 2018. The parish council objects. Ref P26/S1811/O.
Planning
South Oxfordshire planning: officers decide from 31 October
From 31 October, householder and one to nine home applications must be decided by officers, and ward councillors lose the power to call them to committee.
Education
A level results 2026: Wallingford 38% A*-A, Didcot 37%
Wallingford School reported 38% of entries at A* or A and Didcot Sixth Form 37%, against 28.3% for England. The Henley College published a 95.5% pass rate.
Community
South Oxfordshire community grants: £270,000 opens 17 August
Every ward councillor has £7,500 to give away, in grants from £250 up. Applications open on Monday 17 August and close at midday on 4 December, with decisions in March.