Rye Boathouse Café is officially open

Food and Drink, Fundraising and Trading
Councillor Clive Harriss, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, and Councillor Sarfaraz Khan Raja, Chairman of Wycombe Town Committee, outside Rye Boathouse Café.

The new Boathouse Café at The Rye park in High Wycombe has been officially opened following a £400,000 revamp. The café, at the Green Flag-winning Buckinghamshire Council park, includes brand new facilities and completely updates the old café, also featuring a new ‘living’ green plant roof.

The rebuild has been celebrated today with an official opening by Buckinghamshire Council’s Councillor Clive Harriss, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure.

The new Boathouse Café replaces an old, corrugated metal shed which had fallen into disrepair. It includes a new boat equipment store, public toilets, modern catering facilities, a space for indoor seating, a patio area with outdoor seating and views of the Dyke.

It also has a ‘living’ green plant roof, which provides natural insulation to reduce fuel bills, absorbs 80% of the rainfall and filters out pollutants. It also stores CO2 and provides a habitat and food for birds and insects.

The rebuild was managed in partnership with High Wycombe Town Committee.

Councillor Clive Harriss, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, said:
“The decision to create the new café on the same site as the old one was in large part due to the feedback we had from local residents, particularly calling for a second set of toilets to be installed near the children’s play area. I’m really pleased that residents and café users therefore fed directly into the final design of the new building.

“I visited the site in October last year and am glad to see how far the Café has come since then and congratulate everyone whose hard work and collaboration resulted in this fantastic new facility for the local community.”

Councillor Sarfaraz Khan Raja, Chairman of High Wycombe Town Committee, commented:
“The Dyke is a popular area for boating during the summer season and attracts people of all ages from around the country. I hope the local community and all its visitors will enjoy these new facilities for many years to come.”

The café is open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm (4pm after the clocks go back).