WITH so many pressures emerging on its future economic and cultural development, some of the key institutions that will deliver those changes are beginning to get together to build a vision for Thame’s future.
Thame’s MP, John Howell, recently chaired a seminar for the town, district and county councils, as well as the police and local health groups.
In a statement following the meeting, Thame Town Council released the following statement from its town clerk, Helen Stewart:
“We wanted to get agreement from our town councillors that we should grasp the nettle in pulling an overall blueprint for the town together. We wanted also to make sure that our key institutional partners would support us before we talked to the public and to the many groups active in the town?s future. This is a great opportunity.
“Today?s meeting was only the first stage. Now we can go out with confidence to work with those groups who have the town?s future at heart and are already working on projects.”
John Howell MP added: “A tremendous amount of work has been done already on different aspects of the town?s future. South Oxfordshire District Council, for example, has been active in helping the town?s economic development. Many volunteer groups are actively taking forward individual projects.
?What emerged today was a need for the town council to show leadership in playing a co-ordinating role across all these activities.”
Thame’s County Cllr, Nick Carter, commented: “Thame is about to face a number of large new developments. It would be utter madness if these were dealt with on an individual stand-alone basis.”
He concluded: “Today we have started by getting local authorities on side and I look forward to playing any role I can in involving the community in designing the town?s future.”
Photo: Thame from the air, with the Cattlemarket in North Street, top right, which will soon come up for redevelopment when the cattlemarket moves to a new site on the present Thame show ground.
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