FAMILIES UNHAPPY AS ISLAND UP FOR RENT

FAMILIES who spent generations camping on an island in Shiplake are “heartbroken” now that the site has gone on the rental market.

Former plot-holders at Shiplake Lock Island say that the Environment Agency, which owns it, have allowed it to deteriorate after they were forced to leave almost two years ago.

The campsite was closed in March 2023, just weeks before the camping season began, when the families were told that they would not have their annual licences renewed.

At the time, the agency told the Henley Standard that the decision was made primarily to “meet health and safety requirements and comply with the Public Health Act”.

A year later it said the plan was to let the site out to a third party with a view to opening a commercial campsite to “encourage everyone to engage with the natural environment”.

Now the island has been listed online by estate agents Carter Jonas for £12,000 per annum. The agents are offering the site to let by informal tender on 10-year leases.

The families, who previously took responsibility for maintenance of the land, said it has fallen into a state of “neglect” since they were told to leave.

Pip Prior, 52, grew up visiting the island with her parents, Anne and David Hawkins, who met there as young children. She said: “All plot-holders are heartbroken at the current condition of the island. It seems to us that this is what happens when a cash-strapped public body uses health and safety and a profit imperative as blunt instruments to close facilities that have been a part of the community, heritage and environment for more than 100 years.

“As things stand, the Environment Agency has lost three years of guaranteed income from our rent and spent thousands of taxpayer pounds on fencing off the island and preventing maintenance of our plots — with absolutely no guarantee of any increased income to show for all of that.”

Ms Prior said the plot-holders would be seeking to reinstate the traditional camping model, which she said had low environmental impact and was valued by the community.

She said: “Given the state of the island now, after three years of neglect, it’s hard to see what commercial camping outfit will be interested in taking it on.

“The traditional camping model, with low environmental impact and enabling access to the outdoors for hundreds of people each year, was much valued by the local community and recognised in the local area plan.

“The island community will seek to reinstate our traditional camping model, in spite of the damage and deterioration to the site.” Shiplake Lock Island is one of five “campsites along the River Thames” the Environment Agency has listed with the agents. Another is in Hurley.

The listing describes Shiplake Lock Island as having about 15 to 18 plots, each consisting of a timber building with a decking area.

It described these structures as being in “poor condition” adding that there is a toilet block with shower facilities which “requires renovation/refurbishing”.

The agent said that the island also featured a number of timber outbuildings, including a former boat storage shed and three storage buildings described as being suitable for use as offices.

It added that the site had permission for the use of the site as a campsite, along with a licence for camping under Section 269 of the Public Health Act 1936. However, it said that currently the plots are too close together and will need to be reduced under the current licence.

Last month, the agency was granted a certificate of lawful use or development by South Oxfordshire District Council for continued use of the island as a camping site for 17 pitches on a seasonal basis between April and September.

Shiplake Parish Council objected, saying that the agency should have been required to submit a full planning application along with plans for managing the site.

The island is protected by the Shiplake Neighbourhood Plan, produced in 2022, which says the island has not changed “overly in form or layout since the Thirties” and that it should be “afforded additional protection to maintain the unique character”.

In its objection, the council also raised concerns about insufficient parking and road access, accessibility and safety.

The council had written to the agency last April to persuade it that the Shiplake Islanders group, representing the historical plot-holders, was the best option for ongoing management of the land.

It said the islanders “enhance the safety and standards on the site to help maintain its character and charm” and that a transient camping site run for profit raised safety concerns.

Neighbours in Loddon Drive also opposed the agency’s plans. Elizabeth Tawse wrote to the planning authority to say that a weir pool next to the lock, which was deep and subject to strong currents, would pose a safety risk to commercial campers who were not familiar with the risks.

Gavin Dunbar, who lives opposite a weir pool opposite the island, said the site will not work as a commercial operation because of the lack of suitable parking, potential dangers and inevitable accidents.

A spokesman for the Environment Agency said it wanted to encourage a “more inclusive approach” to use of the island and that, as a public body, it needed to comply with wider government principles for managing its assets, such as delivering greater impact for the public, wildlife and environment.

He said: “When previously operating as a campsite, Shiplake Lock Island was only enjoyed by a limited number of people and was inaccessible to the wider public. We want to encourage a more inclusive approach that will ultimately allow everyone to come and stay at this remarkable destination on the Thames.

“To ensure that we can operate our campsites safely and professionally, we are pursuing an open and competitive marketing approach to the letting of five sites along the River Thames, including the site at Shiplake Lock Island.”

An online petition to save the camp and to keep it in its old form has collected more than 2,000 signatures since it was launched in August 2023.

The former plot-holders on the site made up a community which has come together each summer since Edwardian times.

The families used the island to maintain and restore significant boats, including rare Victorian whiffs, wherries and punts.

They also participated in and helped to run the annual Wargrave and Shiplake Regatta, making up around 20 per cent of all the entrants and taking up roles on the committee.

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