GHRA Committee Nominees 2023/24

Listed in alphabetical order:

Stephen Aggett — Wishes to be considered for post of Chair

Living on Edmunds Drive in a Danwood house, I currently juggle duties as a contract software engineer, father of one two year old boy and Chair of the GHRA. I have been a member of the GHRA Committee for three years.

Whatever I do, I believe in transparency, kindness and a bias for action (it’s better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all). I hope you think I’ve been doing a good job leading the GHRA; if you disagree, please let me know why and don’t vote for me.

I appreciate the opportunity to get to know new residents so if you see me around please don’t hesitate to say hi.

Alex Bell — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

A Graven Hill resident of 3 years and self-builder for 2 years before that, I mostly scratch the itch for tinkering that remains by perpetually restructuring our little garden and creating increasingly over-the-top Halloween displays with my wife and daughter.

I’m an Engineer with 25 years’ experience behind me and have spent much of my career inspecting, investigating and appraising existing buildings. A lot of my work has involved identifying evidence of below-standard building practices, the material impact of such failings and suggesting ways that existing defects can be rectified. However, I have learned through building my own house that it’s much easier to find fault in someone else’s work than to ensure that no mistakes are made under your own watch!

Like many others I think that it’s really the community — the people here — that make Graven Hill such a unique and vibrant place to live. I have been really pleased to see the school finally open and to welcome Wine Valley to the neighbourhood, providing a meeting place for the residents to hang out together.

Having seen the remarkable work that Residents Associations have carried out over past few years and seeing the necessity of such a group to provide a voice for residents in the continued development and upkeep of the site and the community, I would be pleased to offer what I can in terms of time and expertise.

Claire El Mouden — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

Hello everyone, I’d like to stand for the RA committee again please. I want to help build a friendly, vibrant, inclusive community in a village with excellent facilities. I am passionate about community cohesion, I ask questions, do my own research and try to understand different perspectives.

Over my last year I’ve met and corresponded with GHVDC, councillors, Bromford, community-development groups and council staff to advocate for residents on a range of issues. I’ve door knocked and flyered most of the estate talking to residents about their concerns.

Other info about me: professionally I work for Oxford University managing a cancer research programme. I am mum to two boys (age 2 and 8); my youngest will attend the Graven Hill school. I love gardening, baking and Pokémon. We moved here 3 years ago and expect to stay forever!

Should I be elected, I want to advocate for residents during the upcoming masterplan application and s106 changes, especially around delivery of community facilities and to seek improvements to managed areas serviced by Living City.

Paul Davis — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

Hi everyone, I’ve been a resident for almost five years now and was one of the first self-builders to move to Graven Hill back in December 2018. Originally from a software development background, I have led a customer support and consultancy department for the last ten years and am very familiar dealing with the requirements, expectations, and contractual arrangements of a broad range of customers in both public and private sectors. I believe this experience will be useful in representing the best interests of residents to those responsible for providing the infrastructure and other needs of our community.

I expected this development might have delivered more of its original vision by now but appreciate that significant external events have required a degree of compromise and pragmatism. Nonetheless, I would hope to improve the clarity around delivery of the remaining elements of the master plan and ensure any changes are as close to the ones originally set out as is reasonably practical in the current economic and political climate. Whilst important to hold to account those delivering for our community, I believe better outcomes are more often achieved through maintaining good relationships and communication channels with all parties involved. With that all said, it is also important to recognise that Graven Hill is not just a grand self-build project and to ensure there is similarly a focus on the needs and interests of the majority of other residents that make up our unique community.

Iskra Garbachkova — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

Hello fellow residents, I’m Iskra and live on Edmunds Drive.

Over the past years I have been very impressed by the work of the Residents Association, and I would like to volunteer my time to collaborate with this great group of people in their mission to support our lovely community.

Professionally, I am a qualified architect with 11 years of experience in the industry. My work is predominantly in the residential sector and I hope that my knowledge, expertise and passion for sustainability/energy efficient housing would be valuable for the residents.

On a personal level, I am enthusiastic, positive with a strong sense of responsibility. I am committed to fostering a sense of unity and inclusivity within our neighbourhood.

I am excited about the prospect of joining the Residents Association and I hope that my professional expertise and community-oriented mindset will align seamlessly with the association’s goals. Thank you for considering my application.

Chris Grasby — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

My wife and I moved into our self-build house on Read Place in July 2022. We came here from ten years living in France to be a part of this wonderful new community. The reason for our move back to the UK, as for many, was on becoming grandparents for the first time. We needed to be close. I am a retired architect and designed our house. It was never an ambition to do this, but the opportunity arose and, well, the rest is now history. I was invited to join the committee in January 2023 as a co-opted member and I am now seeking election for the next mandate. In retirement I have volunteered (in France) and became a vice-president of the local branch of Association France Alzheimer. In Oxfordshire I am now a volunteer warden at RSPB Otmoor. Community is important. I feel I can bring some specific knowledge and skills to the community at Graven Hill. I would be happy to contribute further as an elected member of the Residents’ Association.

Jitinder Hari — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

I would like to join the committee as a local resident who is keen to work in developing relationships with the whole community. I am also keen to support in avoiding a ‘group think’ dynamic and developing more of a holistic, practical approach on who we work with everyone around us in creating a wonderful environment for us all.

Robert Haxton — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

I have lived at Graven Hill for just over 2 years with my family, but my heart has resided here far longer. I was determined to be a part of this site and actively followed its progress even before a spade had hit the ground. The double opportunity of building our home here (which I’ll always consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to do) and becoming a resident amongst a unique founding community of pioneers was simply irresistible.

Without a doubt, everyone has been brave that has moved to Graven Hill. Not just because of the ongoing challenges that come with living on a building site, but so much of what is taken for granted elsewhere doesn’t yet exist here.

Hence, when I realised the RA wasn’t fully filled last year, I volunteered to support their work. Subsequently, I have been knocked off my feet by the ambitions of the RA and what they have tried to achieve on behalf of our community.

I’m more than happy to offer my continued service at this election and to support the endeavours of everyone within our community to the best of my ability — subject to the added endorsement of the upcoming committee members. 

Craig Lewis — Wishes to be considered for post of Secretary

I’m delighted to propose my nomination for the position of Secretary within the Graven Hill Residents Association (GHRA). Already an active committee member, my journey here has been inspiring and humbling.

Working closely with Bromford residents to tackle build defects has shown me the strength of our community. The surveys I initiated brought our collective voice to Graven Hill Village Development Company (GHVDC) and Cherwell District Council (CDC), leading to constructive discussions.

Facilitating regular meetings between GHRA and GHVDC/CDC has been rewarding, fostering open dialogue. I’ve also stepped in as GHRA Secretary, ensuring thorough documentation and streamlined communication.

My first year was a learning curve, balancing committee duties with daily life. But the joy from contributing outweighed the challenges. As I stand at this juncture, I’m enthusiastic about formally embracing the Secretary role. Unfinished business and a strong commitment to community betterment drive me forward.

Professionally, I specialise in IT, particularly Cloud Security and Infrastructure for government projects and UK Banks. GHRA has expanded my horizons beyond IT, enabling me to build connections and give back to this vibrant community.

In seeking the Secretary position, I aim to contribute my experiences, diligence, and camaraderie to GHRA. With your support, I’m excited to play a more prominent role in shaping Graven Hill’s future.

Simon Loo — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

I would like to put myself forward as a member RA for the upcoming election.

I have previously been RA and helped setup the Google Workspace for email etc. I also ran the FLTR coffee van on-site during lockdown.  I believe I have ideas and effort to contribute in achieving the mission of the GHRA, making Graven Hill an inclusive place, support community events and strengthen the GHRA in dealings with local authority and GHVDC.

I will bring many years of business experience in financial services, business knowledge and organisational skills to the committee should I be elected.

Clare Lowe — Wishes to be considered for post of Vice Chair

My family and I have lived on Graven Hill since 2020 in a Danwood house, which is our forever home. I have been a general committee member of the GHRA for the past year.

I work part-time as a communications officer, having held senior communication roles for 40 years. I am also a photographer and can be seen regularly walking our spaniel.

As part of the GHRA, I have been particularly involved in community events, the future of the woods and green spaces, and the impacts of the new Masterplan planning application. 

I want to support the GHRA Chair in what is an extremely busy role to ensure the GHRA committee continues to help and support everyone in the community here to the best of its ability.

Damien Maguire — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

I would like to put myself forward for the residents’ committee. I have lived in Graven Hill since November 2019 and prior to this lived in Bicester and grew up in Oxfordshire. I have really enjoyed living in this extraordinary community and want to make sure that we do all we can to take care of everyone in this community. 

Sam Omotayo — Wishes to be considered for the position of Treasurer

Hello neighbours! I am Sam, your incumbent treasurer.

Our RA is delivering an excellent service and I will be delighted to continue as your treasurer to help in making this a great community.

Lynn Pratt — Wishes to be considered for post of General Committee Member

I am retired, having worked in education as a teacher of Design Technology and Head of Year/House. I volunteer with the National Trust in the shop at Canons Ashby, near Brackley, and am an artist/printmaker.

I have been part of the Graven Hill community since its inception in 2016, when I was very fortunate to be selected to purchase one of the ten Grand Designs plots on Foundation Square. I bought into the dream to be part of a unique community development, with a mix of housing and a range of community facilities. I love our Graven Hill community with its mix of friendly and supportive residents and have helped facilitate our community events. As a committee member I will look forward to supporting all our community. I believe that we deserve to have the promise of community facilities fulfilled as soon as possible. I have a particular interest to work alongside other committee members for the provision of a Community Centre, as well as properly maintained green areas and an accessible woodland.

I was co-opted onto the residents’ committee in December 2022 and am seeking election as a general committee member for 2023/24.