The Manor Waste Refurbishment

Wendover Parish Council feels that it is important to clarify some misunderstandings that have resulted from the recent improvements to the Manor Waste.

The Manor Waste project was carried out because this busy area was worn down by heavy use that resulted in 370 broken slabs and uneven cobbles. Because of the unevenness the area had become difficult for users with mobility issues and unpleasant for even younger people with prams. Adverse comments were received; many villagers had fallen and/or injured themselves on the old surface.

The Parish Council started to develop a plan with a simple objective. That was to make the area stronger, safer and more useful for all.

An outline design was commissioned from a local architect.

Wendover Parish Council does not accept that its proposals were not sufficiently open to public scrutiny – meetings of the Amenities Committee and Parish Council are publicised and held in public.

This outline was publicised at council meetings, including the Annual Parish Meeting, where Councillors and the designer were available to discuss the project. Wherever possible the wishes of the community were sought and listened to and the design was adjusted over a period of 4 or 5 years. It came a long way in that time, from a black and white colour scheme with large concrete balls to what we see today.

Councillors engaged with thousands of people to arrive at the hundreds of detailed survey responses that informed the final design.

The consensus led to a design that broadly speaking, updated the 1977 take on the space with a smoother surface with more seating.

The final design was then presented to the planning authority, AVDC, and when they gave the go ahead the work began.

In response to some specific questions on the design published in Wendover News….

Access: The dropped kerbs in the Manor Waste area are to facilitate access for buggies/prams, mobility scooters and wheelchairs and not for vehicles, so there is no need for retractable bollards at these points.

The kerb line has been maintained and retractable bollards have been installed where vehicles are to gain access.

Tactile Paving: Tactile surfaces act as a warning of change for pedestrians with sight challenges. The paving works in with a number of other techniques used by the visually impaired pedestrian.

Drainage: The new surface has been laid to the pre-existing fall with a new gulley installed to assist drainage. It seems to work quite well.

Wendover Parish Council believes that the design brief was fit for purpose and that the outcome is going to serve the village for many, many years. The works were carried out in accordance with current planning regulations.

The Parish Council would also like to respond to those that have written in support of the development. The Council sends its gratitude to those that have offered support for the development, those that completed the consultation questionnaire and those that contributed ideas and opinions at public meetings or by discussing with Councillors.