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MWRG NEWS ARCHIVES
Archived news items from previous versions of the Latest News page:
SPECIAL ADVISER APPOINTED
We were pleased to announce the appointment in March 2007 of Paul Wagstaffe, MBE, as a special adviser to the group on navigation and related issues.
Paul is Vice President of the Inland Waterways Association, Chairman of the Inland Navigation Committee for the Royal Yachting Association, a Member of Thames Regional Fisheries, Ecology and Recreation Advisory Committee of the Environment Agency and Secretary of the Thames Boating Traders Association.
He brings to the role 30 years of experience in the waterways area and was awarded an MBE for his work with the Inland Waterway Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC) plus his work with community boats.
EGM APPROVES CHARITY MOVE
The EGM held on 12th March 2007 unanimously agreed that the group should proceed to incorporate as a Company Limited by Guarantee and apply to the Charity Commission for charitable status. The committee believes this will be a key next step in the development of the group, assisting funding efforts and allowing the potential for Gift Aid to boost the value of member subscriptions.
Once charity status has been achieved, the membership and business of the group will be transferred to the new legal entity, which will continue to be known as Maidenhead Waterways Restoration Group.
WATERWAYS POETS 'WAX LYRICAL'
The 'UK Authors' international writers group in February 2007 held a workshop at which participants were asked to write a poem for the Maidenhead River Project, lamenting the current condition of the waterways and wondering quite how the rubbish there seems to grow on its own.
Were delighted to showcase the resulting 6 poems on our web site, in a new section called Poets Corner (see left hand Menu). Whether you are a fan of poetry or not we are sure you will agree they capture the essence of the waterways very well.
SHADOW MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT VISITS THE WATERWAYS
We were please to host a visit in late February 2007 by the Shadow Minister for the Environment, Peter Ainsworth MP, who had been invited to visit by the local Conservative Group. The Shadow Minister spent nearly an hour walking the route and being briefed about our restoration plans. Mr Ainsworth was very supportive and said of the project ..." The York Stream and the Flood Relief Channel are hugely wasted assets, right in the heart of town that badly need the sort of improvements planned."
RBWM Conservative Group Leader David Burbage also joined the visit and said.."The Conservative Group want to understand how the Council can help overcome town centre planning and regulatory obstacles, to show we want to help them [MWRG] get their plans off the ground, appreciate their fundraising efforts and come forward with a ‘can do’ attitude to help Maidenhead”.
SHORT VIDEO NOW ON LINE
Bourne End Video Camera Club in January 2007 completed the first of a planned series of short films on the waterways project. The film can be accessed through the Video Library/Short Video link in the navigation menu to the left of each page of the web site.
MAIDENHEAD TOWN CENTRE PLAN: TOWARDS 2026
In January 2007 RBWM launched a public consultation on its draft Maidenhead Town Centre plan, which sets out the proposed vision for the town up to 2026. We were pleased to see so many aspects of our waterways restoration plans endorsed and incorporated into the borough's vision for the town, including creating a waterside feel to the areas by Chapel Arches and a public open space adjoining the restored waterway at Moor Arches in Moorbridge Road.
CORE STRATEGY REVIEW SUBMISSION MADE
In December 2006 we submitted our formal submission in response to RBWM's final public consultation on its draft updated Core Strategy. The draft Core Strategy is now to be reviewed by a government appointed inspector in spring 2007.
Once adopted, the updated strategy will govern policy on all new developments and priorities across the Royal Borough for the next 20 years. We support the thrust of the draft Core Strategy, but have proposed the addition of a policy which would recognise the potential for waterways restoration to play a key role in helping improve Maidenhead town centre. A specific policy whereby all developer gains arising in the adjoining areas should be channelled back into helping progress the restoration work itself has also been proposed.
MFRC CHANNEL "RESTORED" ....!
One surprising consequence of the heavy rainfall in December 2006 was the flooding of the Maidenhead Flood Relief Channel (MFRC), as water overflowed the small weir that usually directs 100% of the available flow down York Stream only.
Although hardly navigable (it was for a while c9" deep) the flooding of the MFRC temporarily gave us an opportunity to visualise how this part of the restored waterway could become a very attractive feature close to the town centre. The photo shows it when flooded (on 5th December 2006) due to the raised water levels.
PATRON ANNOUNCED
We were pleased to announce at the end of November 2006 that Sir Nicholas Winton MBE has agreed to become the Group's first Patron. Sir Nicholas has been a member of the Group since its formation in March, is a long term Maidenhead resident and an enthusiastic supporter of the waterways project. He is best known publicly for his war time exploits, when he was responsible for organising the rescue of Jewish Czech children from Nazi death camps prior to the outbreak of World War II.
AGM REPORT
The Group held its inaugural AGM on 18th October 2006, barely 7 months after its first public meeting. The event was well attended by members and the local press. The formal part of the evening was quickly concluded, the provisional constitution ratified and officers appointed for the coming year.
A slide show presentation led by Chairman Peter Prior reported on progress since formation and our plans for the coming year. Afterwards members were able to have a drink at the bar whilst chatting to officers and reviewing the detailed drawings of the proposed route for the waterway.
Our thanks are due to Maidenhead Sailing Club for hosting the event.
NEW SPONSOR
We were delighted to receive confirmation in October 2006 that the Louis Baylis (Maidenhead Advertiser) Charitable Trust has agreed to become an additional sponsor of the Group. The £6,000 of funding committed will allow us to establish some permanent signage about the project at York Stream and also to assist with professional help with fund raising.
LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION...!
Members of Bourne End Video Camera Club and Maidenhead Camera Club have joined forces to create a photographic record of the waterways - as they are today and during the restoration works. In October 2006 they completed the first stages of the planned filming, which included the main town centre areas and the notable bridges that cross the neglected waterways.
We look forward to welcoming them to the opening ceremony to photograph the completed project…!
TEMPORARY DAM
An application for a temporary dam submitted to the Council in August 2006 was opposed by the Environment Agency (EA), which after consultation proposed alternative testing methods to establish the porosity of the channels. The technical role and need for the temporary dam is currently on hold whilst we test the approach recommended by the EA. To compile more technical data, piezometers are to be installed along the main parts of the planned route, to measure ground water levels over an extended period, helping to inform the final scheme design.
OUTLET SURVEYS
In early August 2006 members of MWRG conducted a detailed survey of existing drains/outlets exiting in to York Stream. The type, level (above the bed), location etc of each outlet found was recorded and will be input to the overall technical design.
The final scheme design is likely to involve a combination of lowering the stream bed and also raising the stream water level, so we need to be careful to avoid creating flood risk to the basements of nearby buldings where their surface water outlets are low/vulnerable.
YORK STREAM CLEAR UP
A HUGE THANKYOU to everyone who joined us in June 2006 for a very successful event, during which we cleared the river bed and removed litter along the banks of York Stream. Our thanks especially to Furze Platt Scout Group, Rotary, Rotaract and the Civic Society who all provided volunteers, also the Council for their loan of equipment.
An impressive 50 volunteers turned out on the day and cleared litter from the banks, cut back the overgrown lower stream and removed various ‘foreign’ objects from the stream bed - traffic cones, shopping trolleys, a door, a barrel, various dead logs/branches, a swivel chair, scaffold poles, concrete posts, wooden pallets amongst others…!
The MWRG displays above Chapel Arches, telling about our plans to restore York Stream and the adjoining channels to a navigable standard, proved very popular with passing shoppers. The response from residents was overwhelmingly positive, with more than 90 people signing to confirm their support and of these 12 immediately joined up as new members.
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