19th July 2005

Responding to today's "summit meeting" on the future of the rapidly eroding Thames towpath, hosted by the City Council's Environment Scrutiny Committee, Oxford's Green councillors have welcomed the opportunity for renewal of the city's waterways. The meeting, which included representatives of the City Council, County Council and several colleges, discussed the degrading Thames Towpath and possible solutions - all of which required large amounts of  investment in the widely used footpath.

City Cllr Matt Sellwood, who was at the meeting and is a member of the City's Central, South and West Area Committee, commented: "We can't keep patching up the towpath and watch it fall back into the Thames - it is in a woeful state. However, this problem provides us with a unique opportunity to join together with other Oxford stakeholders to transform the Thames into the area of  outstanding natural beauty that it should be. Working together, we could not only reverse the decline of Oxford's waterways, but improve them beyond measure."

Schemes that were put forward by the Green Party at the meeting include tapping into three main funding streams in order to revamp the towpath.

Cllr Sellwood added: "A joint group of stakeholders could access money from many different sources; the towpath is part of a major cycling route, is a well-known tourist attraction, and serves as one of the main development areas for British rowing. With the 2012 Olympics now coming to London, the improvement of this area is important not only for cycling and tourism, but also for the development of grassroots sport."

The next 'summit meeting' on the future of the Thames towpath will be held in September, under the auspices of the City Council's Environment Scrutiny Committee.

FMI: Cllr Matt Sellwood matt@greenoxford.com / 01865 202257 (temporary number)