Dukes Meadows Trust created a masterplan for the park in 2002 after extensive public engagement and consultation. At the time it was derelict, fly tipped and had cars joy ridden abandoned and burnt out on it on a fairly regular basis. In the years following the creation of the plan, the trust has realised most of it; Raised grants and commissioned the building of the two play area, planted an orchard, hedgerows, meadow areas, improved the entrances at Riverside drive, Corney Reach and, most recently Edensor Road. Established a weekly food market and renovated a semi derelict building to create artists studios, which now fund ongoing maintenance and further improvements. The Trust leases and is solely responsible for the maintenance and management of the paddling pool and shares maintenance od the play area. The Trust also maintains the hedge around the bowls green and the hedge along Riverside Drive and around the play area, which it planted. In 2016, without any communication, the council announced it was creating a masterplan for Dukes Meadows. It transpired that this was in fact a project of the then leader to create a sports hub at Dukes Meadows. The involvement of the leader meant that the usual feasibility work didn't happen, so there where lots of surprises around existing leases and terrible access. Much has been spent for what has been achieved. The public areas of the park are in a worse state.The Trust commission the first feasibility report on improving access along the Thames Path and for the sports clubs on the upstream side of the bridge. The report concluded that a footbridge would be the most cost effective, practical option. Opening up the footbridge on the upstream side was unfeasible as it would need to be DDA compliant which would involve a massive ramp along Barnes passage or a lift on that side. Tunneling through the embankment not likely to get permission from Network Rail and expensive. I believe the final cost of the bridge is £8 million. A huge amount of money will have been spent on Dukes Meadows, but the public areas not improved by the trust are still derelict; Promenade Approach and its link with the Thames Path derelict the Promenade semi derelict. Riverside Drive is a patchwork of tarmac and the pot holes soon reappear. Trees along the river are not pruned so there is no river view. There s no signage of the park on the A316 and no directional signage around it, so visitors get lost adding to traffic congestion. The new parking bays created on the riverside have torn up what was a pleasant grass verge. There is no parking regulation mid week, so the area is used as a free car park by cars and coaches.It would be a useful lesson on how not to spend a great deal of money on a park. There is a new leadership so we hope there will be an improved approach to spending council money.
Kathleen Healy ● 1517d