At the Recreation and Amenities meeting of Henley Town Council on Tuesday 29th May 2018 Councillors considered a detailed report on recurring problems on the meadows – written by HRG Cllrs Hinton and Miller and Town Hall staff. The report had been some months in preparation:
The meeting approved recommendations including:
- Add more bins along tow path in Marsh Meadows
- Remove the 3 large wooden bins in Marsh and replace with green bins
- Add a skip style bin with lid and bin store between mill and marsh meadows
- Place plaques on bins and BBQ tree stumps reminding people to clean up
- New signage is already underway but temporary sign will be placed at entrance to Marsh from Mill Lane.
- A Friends of the Meadows group will be initiated
- Added suitable seating to adventure playground
- Concerning the public toilets
- The public toilets will in future be cleaned by a contractor at the end of the day enabling them to be kept open later in the evening and opened in the morning by parks staff – fresh and clean.
- Concerning Makins Meadows
- The adult gym was finally approved
- Fencing for the new playground was sorted
- Agreement to pay for trees as part of landscaping
Further actions including investigating the costs of CCTV, ad hoc security and a park patrol are in progress
The Meadows, and other recreational spaces, are a great asset of Henley (compare with Marlow) and attract many people to the town. They need on-going considered and careful management not some quick fix.
HRG put in the necessary time and effort.
HRG are always eager to hear ideas from individuals or from opinion polls and surveys, but someone has to get on with the job.