1.0       INTRODUCTION

With the introduction of the unitary authority of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the ending of Berkshire County Council and enhanced roles for Parish Councils, the time has now come for Cookham Parish Council to outline what they see as the needs of the community into the next Millennium.

Although Cookham is a rural community it is becoming ever more urbanised.  Like may other villages throughout the country Cookham is seeing the disappearance of the village shops, increased vandalism and anti-social behaviour, parking problems and ever increasing demands for more and extended housing. 

The area around Cookham is mainly Green Belt and a large amount of the village is in a Conservation area.  In 1935 the Parish Council gave much of the common land to the National Trust.

Cookham is made up of three areas, Cookham Dean, Cookham Rise and Cookham Village. 

These three wards are represented by fifteen Parish Councillors as follows: 

                        Cookham Ward (Cookham Village)                  2

                        Cookham Rise Ward                                      9

                        West Ward  (Cookham Dean)                         4

The Parish Councillors are all unpaid, but are supported by a paid part time Parish Clerk.  The Parish Council does not own its own Parish Office and currently rents a small room in Elizabeth House Day Centre.  This is on a term of six months notice.  With local government changes in Berkshire this facility is fast becoming inadequate for the role that it is serving.  It is hoped that the Clerk will have some part time help in the office and also improved computer facilities should also help to reduce the workload.

There are also three Borough Councillors who represent the Cookham and Bisham Ward on the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. 

Major areas that need to be addressed are:

            Protection of the Green  Belt

            Improved facilities for sport, youth, the elderly and the community as a whole

            Road improvements

            Parking improvements

            Environmental Improvements and Protection

            Use of the Internet 

This documents looks at the current situation in Cookham, and analyses both the good aspects that we need to ensure are not eroded and the not so good aspects that should be addressed by the Parish Council in a planned way.

2.1       Population and Housing

             Cookham is a community that consists of 5,755 in 1991.  Although building continues the size of the community has actually reduced.  In addition Cookham has the oldest average age in Berkshire.

             Over the years the price of property has steadily increased over and above national house prices, this is mainly due to the Cookham area being a much sort after place to live.  It has had the negative effect of making properties in the area too expensive for first time buyers and with the sale of Council property has greatly reduced the availability of affordable housing.  A large amount of building has taken place in the form of extensions to current housing and also brown site development, mainly in the form of family size housing.  Due to such development small cottages are now fair sized properties with high price tags.  Cookham is fast becoming unbalanced in the type of properties available to purchase.  It is important that the balance is redressed.

 2.2       Cookham's Economy

            Cookham, still being semi rural, in the Green Belt and much being in a Conservation area has very little large economic activity, land and facilities not being readily available. There are many restaurants and public houses, one of the highest number per capita in the country.  Cookham Village has lost the shops that provide the everyday essentials such as bread and milk. Cookham Village mainly caters for the better off tourist with expensive dress shops, hat shops and souvenir shops. 

             The main area of shopping for provisions is in the Cookham Rise area where a parade of shops provides most of the necessities of everyday living.  The shops are finding it harder and harder to compete with the local supermarkets.  It is important that these local shops are supported. The area in which they are located has just been sold by ASDA Holdings and is not very becoming to a village such as Cookham.  The new owners should be contacted to improve the whole look of the area which they own. 

            Cookham Dean has a village post office.  Other shops in the area have had to close. 

            Cookham is mainly a farming community and has 12? farms in the area.  One of these dominates the rest and has turkeys, pick your own also some sheep and cows. Copas Farms regularly supply the Parish Council with their plans for their farming activities. Some of the farms have facilities for small enterprises to rent outhouses.  Farms are slowly being sold and split up.

             In addition to farming Cookham is also a tourist area, being in an attractive area of the Thames and also being the home of Stanley Spencer the famous English painter.  Cookham has done very little to exploit tourism and does not even have a brochure for the village.  One problem is the lack of parking in the village. There are a small number of local bed and breakfasts that are English Tourist Board approved.  The village also has no tourist office or information point.  The Stanley Spencer Gallery opens its doors to many thousands of visitors each year from all over the world and could be marketed as part of the Cookham web site that is being worked on in conjunction with the Chartered Institute of Marketing.  This could also be applied to other areas of Cookham.

             In addition Cookham is the home of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and the Odney Club owned by John Lewis. 

 2.3       Schools and Pre-School Facilities

            Cookham only has schooling for Pre-School and primary age groups.  After the age of 11 children need to go to the Grammar School system in Marlow, the comprehensive system in Maidenhead or privately.

             Cookham has three state primary schools, two of which are church of England schools:

                         Holy Trinity Primary School (C of E School))

                        Cookham Rise Primary School

                        Cookham Dean Primary School (C of E School))

             All three schools were built between the late 1800's and early 1900's.  All three schools have recently had improved classroom.

             There is also one independent primary school:

                         Herries School

             Herries school takes children up to Common Entrance.

             There is a Nursery School run by the Royal Borough in Cookham Rise and a privately run one in Cookham Dean, there is also a Montessori run school.

             There are four Pre-School Toddlers and Play groups run as private concerns:

                         Rainbow Play group (Cookham Dean Village Hall)

                        Toddler Play Group (Methodist Hall)

                        Mothers and Toddlers (Holy Trinity)

                        Noah's Ark Pre-School (Cookham Dean permanent site)

             Cookham provides for more children than are actually living in Cookham and many come from outside usually Maidenhead.  This can cause severe car parking and traffic problems at school times.

 2.4       Community Facilities

            Cookham has some very enthusiastic groups and a large number of interests are catered for, from Bridge to WIs and Painting to Horticulture.  There are several private facilities available to host these interest groups:

                        Cookham Dean Village Hall

                        The Pinder Hall (Cookham Rise)

                        The Parish Centre (Cookham Village)

                        The WI Hall (Cookham Dean)

                        Methodist Wesley Hall (Cookham Rise) 

            The Pinder Hall is much in need of a face lift along with many such halls in the country.  In addition the Primary Schools, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Cookham Social Club, the Cookham Day Centre and the Cricket Club also will rent out their facilities.  The Cookham Scout hut can sometimes be made available.

             Cookham has an active members Social Club located in the centre of Cookham Rise.  This is run privately and has bar facilities, pool, darts and table tennis and also an upstairs room that can be used for functions.

             The Parish Council has three allotment areas one in each ward.  In general there are normally spare allotments.  As the government are encouraging the use of allotments, the idea of encourage the use of allotments to the community should be considered.  In 1998 the Parish Council started a best allotment competition for each of the three allotment areas. A new car parking facility has recently been built at Alleyns Lane allotments.

            Cookham has its own library in the grounds of Cookham Rise Primary School which is manned for a few hours a week.  The library building has come to the end of its life and is in need of replacement.  There is a plan currently under review to replace the library as part of a community project.  This will include a new library with a cyber cafe extension, an office for the Parish Council and a small community room.

             Cookham Parish Council also has a Cemetery, with a small chapel and a cottage.  The cottage is rented out to help fund the Parish Council's activities.

 2.5       Sporting Facilities

            Cookham has several sports clubs:

                        Cookham Dean Football Club

                        Cookham Dean Cricket Club

                        Badminton (3 Clubs playing at Pinder Hall)

                        Carpet Bowls

                        Winter Hill Golf Club (owned by John Lewis Partnership)

                        Cookham Reach Sailing Club

                        Petanque (Cookham Dean Cricket Club, Spencer's Public House)

             In addition there are aerobics classes, Tai Chi, netball, circuit training, yoga, health and beauty plus private tennis and croquet groups.

             Cookham does not have any public tennis courts, although several Cookham Dean residents have their own courts.  The possibility of the Cricket Club also providing tennis has been suggested, but there is a problem with land. 

            Cookham has fourteen acres of grass owned by the Parish Council called the Alfred Major Recreation Ground which is mainly used for football by the Cookham Dean Football Club the ground also includes a children's play area.  There is also a multi purpose court, completed in October 1999, that has been marked out for both netball and basketball.  Both layouts meet match standards. 

            The two main sports that people would like to have marked out on the hard surface are Basketball and Netball, although tennis was also considered a priority, but a large number of people did not want any fencing, which would make tennis a problem.  The National Basketball Association will be contacted on the possibility of supplying basketball posts free as part of a lottery funding initiative. 

2.6       Facilities for Children and Young People

            In 1997 The Cookham Youth Project was set up to help provide facilities for young people. 

             The main facilities offered to young people in Cookham are:

                         St John Ambulance - Badgers and Cadets

                        River Church Youth Club

                        Methodist Church Youth Club 11-15 years

                        Rainbows (girls under 11 years 1 pack)

                        Brownies (3 packs)

                        Guides  (1 troupe)

                        Scouts (2 x beavers 6-8 years, 2 x Cubs 8-11 years, 1 x Scouts 11-16 years,

                        1 x Ventures - 16-20 years only Ventures include girls)

                        Junior Amnesty Group - Holy Trinity Church (10-16 years)

                        Cookham Dean Cricket Club Colt Team

                        Cookham Dean Football Club (several youth teams)

                        Winter Hill Golf Club (training sessions for young people)

                        Holy Trinity Choir (boys only)

                        Cookham Dean Church Choir (mixed)

                        Jazzmix (Michael Weinblatt's encourages young people interested in playing

                                    Jazz)

                        Cookham Youth Project - Youth Clubs 11-13 (2) and 14-18 years (1)

                                     (linked to Berkshire Assoc. of Young People)

                        Baby-sitter Training Sessions (14+ years)

                        Cookham Twinning (encourages young people to have links with  twin in

                                    France, work experience, school visits, sports visits etc.)

                        Holy Trinity Church are planning to employ a full time youth worker.

             In general young people in Cookham have not been well catered for. This can often lead to unsociable behaviour particularly during holiday times. One of the major problems is finding trained staff and obtaining funding to provide facilities.

 2.7       Facilities for the Elderly

            Elizabeth House is the Day Centre for the older person.  Anyone from the village and surrounding area who is over 60 years old can join.  The Day Centre is open until 3.30pm each weekday and morning coffee and lunch is provided.

             There are several clubs catering for the older person:

                         Friday Club

                        Good Companions

                        Evergreens

                        University of the 3rd Age

                        Arthritis Care (special transport provided to Marlow or Maidenhead branches)

             There is also a minibus from Help the Aged who transport older people to events.

 2.8       Facilities for the Disabled

            As many of the facilities in Cookham are fairly old they have not necessarily been converted for the disabled.  The Medical Centre provides ramps for wheelchairs, but most of the hall facilities do not have cloakrooms that could cater for wheelchairs and even access can be difficult.

             The three Primary schools are taking access for the disabled into account, particularly Cookham Rise where there is currently a disabled child and Holy Trinity, who have ensured their new building cater for wheelchair access etc.  They have also set up special accommodation for an autistic child.

 2.9       Traffic and Parking

            Cookham has an ever increasing traffic problem.  During the second half of the 1900’s a large amount of development took place, particularly in Cookham Rise with very little consideration being given to volumes of traffic and parking facilities.  This leads to difficulty for pedestrians, particularly with cars parking on pavements. 

            There are some black spots regarding parking and traffic: 

Cookham Rise Post Office (parking on corner on double yellow lines)

Junction between Cookham Dean School and Post Office

Whyteladyes Lane (cars parked on bend and speeding traffic)

Cannondown Railway Arch (vehicles not giving way)

Cookham Village (lack of parking facilities for shops)

Churchgate (dangerous exit for vehicles)

New Road andWorster Road onto High Road (dangerous exit onto

High Road)

New Road and Haldore Hill  (dangerous exits onto Lower Road)

Speeding on Sutton Road, Whyteladyes Lane, Switchback Road North,

High Road, Dean Lane and Lower Road,

Problems of old people crossing at Country Stores (consideration for a

pavement outside the Social Club   

            Traffic calming has already taken place through the Pound when three road humps were installed in 1997, these appear to have improved this area, but there are many complaints about the humps not being able to be seen easily at nights.  It had been suggested that light reflecting strips could be put on the humps, but this has been rejected by the Royal Borough.  The location of the humps could be improved with lighting.

            There is also a Royal Borough run initiative to have a car park in Marsh Meadow to alleviate the parking problems in Cookham Village.

 2.10     Roads and the Environment

            The roads in Cookham are generally in a bad state of repair, with numerous potholes.  Part of Dean Lane has been resurfaced, but not all of it and also parts of Maidenhead Road.  There is also a promise to resurface the pavements and road surface in Lower Road.  Particularly bad areas are also Whyteladyes Lane, parts of High Road and the remainder of Dean Lane that was not resurfaced.  In the past resurfacing has been superficial and so potholes very quickly appear again.

            Switchback Road North is an accident blackspot and there have been several deaths along this stretch of road.  There is now a 50mph speed restriction in place, after requests from the Parish Council, however Accident Black Spot type signs that also were promised have not yet materialised.

             Cannondown Railway Bridge is a very dangerous area for pedestrians.  New 'right of way' signs have been erected, but are still not clear.  Various suggestions have been put forward to the Royal Borough and a petition has also been given to them signed by local residents.  

            The Parade in Cookham Rise is a problem area, as it is maintained by the residents, although they are not the actual owners.  With the reduction of local shopping this becomes more and more difficult for the local shopkeepers.

             Transco have two gas holders in Whyteladyes Lane, which are now being removed.  In 1998 Transco planted an arboretum of 35 deciduous and evergreen trees around the holders to improve the area. 

            The Royal Borough asked Cookham Parish Council for suggestions for improvements in 1997, none of the suggestions were taken up, but the Royal Borough made improvements at Churchgate and also at the war memorial.  They were also going to improve the area at the end of Cookham High Street and Sutton Road.  This was not however done.

             Cookham Bridge is in urgent need of repair, but due to lack of funds there is currently a one way system in operation.  When funding is finally found to repair the bridge, it will have to be closed for a period of several months, which will be of great inconvenience to the traders and villagers.

             Lullebrooke Bridge is also in need of repair.  No one is absolutely sure who owns the bridge, but the Odney Club, the Environment Agency and Cookham Parish Council have agreed to fund the rebuilding as a joint venture.

             The Parish Council should take a more proactive part in Highways matters now that they are being run from Maidenhead rather than far away in Reading.

             There are no special cycle facilities in Cookham.  People should be encouraged to use cycles rather than their cars within the village.  Encouragement could be given to children cycling to and from school as well, provided it is safe to do so.

             Cookham has many footpaths, some of which are maintained by the Parish Council.  

             The beautiful area of natural beauty in which Cookham is set is supported very much by the Cookham Society.  In addition national, environmental societies are very much in evidence within the area.  Some of these are the National Trust, the Woodland Trust, the CPRE, the RSPB, also the Berkshire Bird Bulletin Board that sets up nesting boxes and tries to protect wild bird habitats. 

2.11     Public Transport

            Cookham has an hourly bus service to Maidenhead.  This does not necessarily link well with train services however. 

             There is also an hourly train service from the station that is situated in the centre of the village.  The service runs between Maidenhead and Marlow with stops at Bourne End Cookham and Furze Platt.  There are additional trains at peak hours and also a through service to London.

              Co-ordination of train and bus times should be looked at.

2.12     Computerisation

Although the Parish Council has had computer facilities since 1994 it was only in 1999 that they upgraded their computer equipment so that they were able to have E-Mail facilities and also to gain access to the Internet.  In August 1999 the Clerk to the Council was able to use E-Mail facilities and in October 1999 a basic Parish Council website was set up using a free Internet Service Provider, Freeserve.  This was then linked to the Cookham community website Cookham.com.

 The potential for improving communications to everyone within Cookham and also to link to the Royal Borough and further afield are large.  The Parish Council is currently able to use the domain name of Cookham.com and has an E-Mail address of Parishcouncil@cookham.com which is currently forwarded to the original Freeserve address.  The Parish Council website currently contains the following information:

 Parish Council Office information plus current points of interest

The Parish Councillors (with facility to E-Mail them)

Allotments, Alfred Major and the Cemetry

Parish Council Minutes

Agendas and Planning Applications

 This information could be further extended to include both further Parish Council information and to have links with the RBWM.  Royal Borough links could improve communication of Planning decisions and minutes.  The possibility of linking into the RBWM system should be examined.  There has been a certain frustration with the limitation of the RBWM’s ability to supply information such as officers’ E-Mail addresses to the Parish Council. 

With the possibility of Cookham Rise Primary School Community Project being implemented, this would allow cyber café facilities for all to view this information.  The successful free internat access offered to the village over Christmas 1999 also has encouraged use of the Internet and should be an encouragement to people to view local matters through this medium.  Links through to Education Boards and Social Services should also be considered.

 The Cookham.com site offers facilities for residents comments, this could be immensely useful to the Parish Council and use of the Cookham.com site for discussions between the Council and residents should be encouraged. 

2.13     Summary

            The main areas that need to be addressed in Cookham are: 

                        Protection of the Green  Belt

                        Improved facilities for sport, youth, the elderly and the community as a whole

                        Road improvements

                        Parking improvements

                        Environmental Improvements and Protection

                        Use of the Internet