Agenda item

Slough Canal Action Group are working on an agreement with CRT to lease the triangle of land at Goodman Park which suffers from vandalism, severe littering and fly tipping on a regular basis.  The agreement will mean that the council can enter the CRT land and clear it and make small improvements when a budget is available.

JW stated that legal have been instructed to look at the terms of the agreement with a view to getting it signed in the near future.  A break clause is to be included.

TH stated that the land had been fenced cheaply, landscaped and a path put in.  Unfortunately over time the fence has become broken and out of repair, the landscaping has become overgrown and anti-social behaviour happens.  TH suggested that removing vegetation and fencing entirely would reduce the maintenance costs, however, there is still the ecological loss of natural habitat to be considered.

A water based risk assessment was done in November 2017 with a view to piloting a project to have water based activities such as ; kayaking and paddle boarding on the canal aimed 11 + year olds.  The risk assessment outcome was that from Uxbridge Road to Middlegreen Road would be the best section of the canal for activities with paddle boarding rejected due to the higher risk of falling in and the shallowness of the water with unknown hazards.  There was a huge amount of plastic bags and cans in the canal which are difficult to see from the towpath.

TH confirmed that the dredging in 2014 was limited with only a central channel being dredged.

The problem of littering underneath the Wexham Road footbridge was discussed with JW proposing that a mesh cage is erected over the footbridge to prevent people throwing rubbish over the side.  Rough sleeping at this location and at various points along the canal is also recognised as a major issue and the Action group is seeking to work together with CRT and the Resilience team at the council on this.

JW is looking at getting a specialist cleaning company to quote for clearing the litter at this location.  There are health and safety issues in asking volunteers to tackle this section due to needles.

Members felt that the fencing of the Tiling Company should be removed now rather than wait for the regeneration to happen.  However, any work to remove the fencing on this narrow section would not affect the difference in levels which would require a lot more investment than simply removing the fence and is not realistic at the moment.

JW agreed to seek an update from the SUR on when the planning permission will be submitted with a new design and when this will be consulted on.