Councillors open new footpath linking two settlements

A NEW footpath connecting two Shiplake settlements has been unveiled.

It is the result of a two-year project of Shiplake Parish Council to connect Lower Shiplake and Shiplake Cross for pedestrians.

The footpath, which cost £20,000 and was completed over two weeks by Smallwood Landscaping, runs parallel to Reading Road, opposite Shiplake College.

It was funded through the community infrastructure levy through which parishes can raise money from developers for infrastructure projects. Dan Hollands, who built the path, said the top layer was constructed with a self-binding gravel, meaning it would improve the more it was used.

Council chairman Chris Penrose said the path would reduce reliance on cars. He said: “At the moment it has been either walking through wet grass, or you walk along the road in Memorial Avenue.

“So, this gives an opportunity for people, for instance, to go to the Plough pub, to go to the memorial hall, the playing fields, the football pitch, the bowls and the tennis court and also for students to walk to the college and to the primary school.

“There are loads of facilities in Shiplake Cross and this gives a linking path, so people don’t have to drive.

“It also means that people in Shiplake Cross now have access to the railway, to the butcher, the pub, so it is a really good community thing to connect the two villages.

“It’s a sustainable eco-friendly thing to have done to make a piece of infrastructure that’s going to be to the benefit of parish residents. It had to be planned as to how it would be constructed, the right material and making sure it makes the best use of the land and is also safe.

“It’s very far off the road whereas the footpath which used to be here was much closer to the road.”

The council wished to thank Stephen Doble, of Shiplake Farm, for allowing access to park vehicles and giving access to enable the construction of the path.

They also thanked Shiplake College for supporting the project and former Oxfordshire County Councillor David Bartholomew, who first suggested the path as a project.