After three years, slipway can finally be used again

A CAMPAIGN to restore slipway access to the River Thames at the bottom of Friday Street in Henley has finally succeeded.

A coalition of residents, town councillors and community groups has battled for three years to restore public access.

This finally happened on Monday when developer Sorbon Estates removed a pontoon next to its moorings to create access to the water.

The saga began three years ago when Sorbon filled in the slipway with concrete to create two parking spaces without planning permission.

The land is not registered and the company, part of the Shanly Group, which owns several moorings next to it, said it had acted on health and safety grounds as the slipway posed a risk to pedestrians.

It said it considered the work to be an improvement.

In April 2021, following talks with the town council, the company agreed to dig out the concrete and install new railings along the public footpath.

But when the work had still not been completed by December that year the council employed a contractor to remove the concrete and asked Sorbon Estates to pay the £6,000 bill for the work.

The council said that filling in the slipway had been unlawful as it was undertaken without either planning permission or a flood risk activity permit.

Town clerk Sheridan Jacklin-Edward said at the time: “Naturally, we are incredibly disappointed that Sorbon did not keep their word. There was no sign of progress and, unfortunately, we had no choice but to take matters into our own hands. The council and the community could not tolerate any further delay.

“We tried to contact Sorbon ahead of the work being carried out but they did not respond to us. Now that the work has been done, we will be contacting them again and request that they reimburse the council for the costs.” The slipway still could not be used to access the river because it was blocked by pontoons belonging to Sorbon Estates.

In January last year the council called on the Environment Agency to investigate and, if necessary, use its powers to revoke the company’s mooring licence.

Sorbon Estates said the pontoons had been in place for more than 10 years and were in constant use, so the land had not been used as a slipway for at least that length of time.

It said they had been installed with permission and licence from the Environment Agency and planning consent from South Oxfordshire District Council, so there were no plans to remove them.

In June last year the Henley Society and the River Thames Society joined forces to pressure the Environment Agency into resolving the dispute over the pontoon. They enlisted the help of Henley MP John Howell, chairman of Parliament’s all-party committee responsible for the River Thames, who wrote to agency chief executive Sir James Bevan twice, calling on him to take action.

The pontoon was expected to be removed by the end of April but further delays put the date back to this month.

Tom Berman, who chairs the River Thames Society, said: “It’s important to say that we’ve been campaigning for this for nearly four years and we’re delighted to see it opened at last.

“We have not been pleased with Sorbon Estates, who’ve known that they’ve been in the wrong on this and have dragged their feet over a long period of time. Even in these last stages, it was going to happen on April 1, then it was going to happen at the end of July and now here we are in the middle of August.

“We know more now through Freedom of Information about the Environment Agency’s negotiations with Sorbon Estates and they do not come out with credit.

“They were more interested in finding a compromise with Sorbon, regardless of how long it took for the public to get back on this slipway and they were not attending to the public interest like they should have been doing.

“There’s really no excuse that it has taken this long for the Environment Agency to exercise its authority as the guardian of the navigation and of the public.”

Geoff Luckett, chairman of the Henley Society, said: “I am delighted to have it open at long last. It has been a hard struggle.

“Thanks to the River Thames Society and ourselves and Mark Rowberry, who has been very active in pursuing the Environment Agency. Suddenly it has all come good. I don’t think the Environment Agency comes out of it covered in glory. They really dragged their heels.”

Town councillor Stefan Gawrysiak said: “It’s wonderful news that the slipway is now open and accessible. We’ve always had the vision that for river users like paddleboarders, this is a perfect spot for them to enter the water and I thank Sorbon Estates for getting on and doing it.

“It shouldn’t have taken so long but we’re here now and it will be open in perpetuity for all the residents of Henley and the river users.

“Thanks to Tom and the River Thames Society and the Henley Society for keeping this on the agenda. I would also thank Sheridan for doing an awful lot of work on this. It’s just great news.”

Mr Rowberry said: “After more than two-and-a-half years of hard slog, at times frustrating due to lack of communication, we have finally achieved the desired outcome.

“We battled severe resistance from both the Environment Agency and Sorbon. I am absolutely delighted the public slipway has now been restored for anyone to use as originally intended.”

A Sorbon Estates spokeswoman said: “We are pleased to announce the removal of the pontoon adjacent to the Friday Street slipway. We are aware that this has been of huge importance to the local community and we thank them for the patience they have shown.”