Save Christchurch Meadows

This petition had 1,771 supporters

The Issue

Reading Borough Council have proposed the construction of a commercial high ropes course, adventure golf and other developments on Christchurch Meadows in Caversham. We object to any such development on this beautiful area of historic public open space.

The proposals set out in the 2013 Thames Parks consultation document completely contradict the Council's own 2009 Reading Central Area Action Plan (RCAAP), which lists Christchurch Meadows as the first of 10 important areas of public open space that 'will be protected from development' (p.54).

If these developments were to go ahead, they would

- permanently disfigure and change the character of this popular and well-used part of the local river frontage

- be likely to increase the incidence and severity of flooding in Caversham

- lead to a significant increase in vehicle traffic in an already heavily congested area

- be detrimental for nesting areas and wildlife on and around the Meadows

- result in signage, fencing, access roads and lighting that are completely inappropriate for this green space.

The consultation on the proposals was self-serving: its insufficient detail and over-simplified, leading questions made it too easy to say 'yes' to a development that is primarily intended to help improve the Council's financial position. Taking the proposals forward on this basis is wrong.

We want the Council to stick to its commitment to protect Christchurch Meadows from development and retain it as an informal, multi-use, freely accessible open space at the heart of Reading and the Thames Parks.  

Save Christchurch Meadows!

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The Decision Makers

Richard Davies
Richard Davies
Councillor, Reading Borough Council
Responded
“Thank you for demonstrating your committment to green spaces in our community of Caversham by signing this petition, I understand your concerns. This week I wrote a letter to the local newspapers that describes my position on proposals for leisure developments on Christchurch Meadow. For people who haven't seen my letter, here is the text. Last September I successfully asked the Council’s Policy committee to ensure that the public would be consulted if and when there were detailed proposals about what extra leisure facilities in Christchurch Meadow could be. A wide-ranging consultation had resulted in a 2-1 majority in favour of improvements and I didn’t feel we could simply ignore the desire for more things for families with children do locally. We are yet to see the details but for me to support any scheme it must pass three tests – it must not increase the risk of flooding any Caversham homes by reducing the absorption capacity of the meadows; must not be out of scale and inappropriate for the setting of the park and finally must enhance the amenity of the park for families in Caversham and Reading who use it. These sensible criteria could ensure that the balance is maintained between protecting this well-loved, publically accessible Caversham park and providing fun activities for local families in their own neighbourhood that complement the existing excellent children’s play area and tennis courts. regards, Richard Davies Labour Councillor for Caversham Ward”
Ed Hopper
Ed Hopper
Councillor, Reading Borough Council
Responded
“ I entirely commend you on your efforts so far in this petition and I plan to attend the mass show of support on Christchurch Meadows this Saturday at noon. As you may already be aware, in the Rules of Procedures of Reading Borough Council, Item 8. Petitions, clause 5.(e) states: "Where a petition is submitted to the Council signed by 1,500 or more people who live, work or study in the local authority’s area, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, at the request of the Lead Petitioner, will ensure that the topic of the petition is included on the next available agenda to allow a full Council debate on the matter." This can be used to bring a full public debate to a Full Council Meeting however you will need to reach over 1500 signatures who live, work or study in Reading and hand it in to RBC by 6pm the Tuesday before the next Full Council meeting (which is on Tues 25th Feb). This is undoubtedly an issue which a great many people in Caversham and across Reading have strong feelings on, so if you are able to reach the required amount in the next couple of weeks then you will be able to hear and influence a full public debate on the matter. If the lead petitioner would like to contact me directly to discuss the process outlined above then please do feel free to so at ed.hopper @reading.gov.uk . Regards, Cllr Ed Hopper Conservative Councillor for Thames Ward ”
Rob White
Rob White
Councillor, Reading Borough Council
Responded
“Dear campaigner Christchurch Meadows and King’s Meadow are important and much loved green spaces in Reading. They act as an antidote to the built up town centre and the Green Party in Reading thinks that they need to be looked after. Proposals to develop tourist entertainments such as adventure golf and a privately-run high ropes course on Christchurch Meadows are badly thought through and need to be opposed strenuously. Recent studies have established the importance to community health of such green space. Benefits include lower blood pressure and reduced stress levels. These green spaces are available for everyone in the community free of charge. We shouldn’t throw this away lightly. Reading Borough Council state that in a recent consultation 70% of respondents demanded new leisure facilities. If residents of Reading want additional facilities such as crazy golf why not locate them a short walk along the towpath at the existing facilities at Rivermead Leisure Centre? The council observes, somewhat cavalierly, that the Christchurch Meadows site has only flooded 3 times in the last 10 years. We wonder if other readers agree that 3 years out of 10 is already a cause for concern, especially as this is likely to get worse as climate change continues. We urge campaigners to keep up the pressure to get the Council to change its mind. Yours faithfully Jenny Hicks (Green Party Council candidate for Caversham Ward) Rob White (Green Party MP candidate for Reading East) PS you can sign up for email updates from Reading Green Party on this and other issues here: http://greenparty.org.uk/signup.html”
Liz Terry
Liz Terry
Councillor, Reading Borough Council

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Petition created on 25 January 2014