tip: if copying and pasting an email address - remove the space

 

Chairman's Report - April 2023

extracts, from the Chair's Report published April 2023 in the members Spring newsletter

 

We do hope that you can join us at the URC Church in Oxford Road for our AGM on the 18th of May. We have an interesting guest speaker.

 

It will be your opportunity to get more involved with the Marlow Society. We are looking to recruit more folk to our Executive Committee so come along and put your hand up! Our aims are - the preservation and development of our lovely town and its surrounding villages. Marlow is an ever evolving place (just ask those who have lived here for some time how the High Street scene has changed). We recognise this facet of living here and are by no means trenchant in the face of progress! We are a dynamic organisation and one well worth being a member of.

 

... do look out for our social media messages in future. We will have a series of campaigns on key issues that will affect our day to day life in the town.

 

I feel that, with the demise of the Wycombe District authority, Marlow has been more peripheral to the County’s attentions. Of course we are geographically on the edge of the County, and regarded as well off compared with other areas - but that is no reason to neglect the repair and restoration of our pavements, for example. We feel that decisions are being taken by the County by Councillors and officers with no, or little knowledge of Marlow.

 

We would like our iconic bridge to be taken more care of. Works have been spread out over the past few years and a number of bearings are still to be replaced. The matter of weight limits has still not been resolved with Automatic Number Recognition technology thought to be too complicated by the powers that be.

 

It was encouraging to note that nearly 500 signed a petition to limit the use of Higginson Park for public events. The latest "Christmas in the Park" event damaged the grass considerably and surely this is an unsustainable use. Higginson Park is held in trust for the people of Marlow and we will continue to campaign for more accountability from Buckinghamshire Council.

 

The threat of further erosion to the important green belt remains. The Film Studio plans have met an impasse with the objection from the Environment Agency on the issue of ground water pollution (who knows what is buried in the old gravel pits?) and National Highways. They believe that queuing traffic will impact the A404 by pass.

 

So - plenty more on our plate and by no means "NIMBY" stuff. Of course we live in an area that is under constant attention of developers. The Marlow Society is all for appropriate improvement and development.

 

It has been a pleasure to share the position of Co-Chair with my fellow member Richard Parker for the past few months. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the AGM on the 18th of May.

 

Andrew Wood