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| Street Scene
The Council continues to invest in baskets that have self-watering containers with water reservoirs, which are able to withstand the elements for several days even during very hot spells. The Council has increased its floral displays this year by including two flower towers and window boxes attached to the bus shelters in the central Market Square. The Town Council maintains annual bedding of both summer and winter at various locations around Witney. This includes sports grounds, roundabouts, the cemeteries and on verges. The Town Council also maintains two war memorials within Witney, which are cleaned each year prior to Remembrance Sunday and planted with seasonal bedding displays and maintained to a high standard through out the year. Permanent Amenity Facilities
The sports and recreational facilities consist of two grass cricket pitches, twelve football pitches, two bowls greens, 14 tennis courts, a crazy golf course, a skate park and numerous children’s play areas. During Autumn 2007 spring flowering bulbs of crocus, snowdrops and daffodils were again planted in grass areas at the Council’s main park, The Leys Recreation Ground, Burwell Recreation Ground and King George V Recreation Ground to enhance the spring flower displays in 2008. It is planned to carry out further extensive bulb planting on the main verges within the town during the Autumn 2008. This work will be undertaken by the Witney Woodland Volunteers. In Autumn 2008 replacement tree planting was undertaken within Tower Hill Cemetery. Five mature trees were planted to enhance the area.
The grounds maintenance contractors recycle green waste. The contractor takes away the green waste for chipping. During the winter/spring the chippings are reapplied as mulch on the shrub borders around the town. Each border receives a 75mm depth layer to assist with weed suppression and water retention once every five years.
Cemeteries and Churchyards The current cemetery at Tower Hill is almost full and the Council opened in May 2004 a new cemetery on land off Oxford Hill. The land was previously a farmer’s field for sheep grazing. The new Windrush Cemetery is now fully operational and provides burials in traditional lawn areas, grass meadow areas and woodland areas. The new cemetery has proved to be an exciting project for Council Officers and has successfully balanced the need for burials whilst incorporating and developing areas of meadow and woodland. The cemetery has fine views over the surrounding countryside with views stretches across to the Ridgeway and over Witney. Two public footpaths cross the cemetery and pedestrian access is available 24 hours a day. An area of meadow was initially seeded in autumn 2003 and further reseeded in Spring 2005 and 2008 with a mixture of wild flower seeds including White Campion, Corn Cockle, Cornflower, Corn Marigold and Field Poppy. This will give varied colour from May to September. The wild flower seed mixture will also be used on the meadow burials as they occur. The woodland meadow area was planted with 300 wild flower plug plants during Spring 2008. The plugs included Cats Ear, Cowslip, Ox-Eye Daisy and Red Campion. During Autumn 2007, daffodils, crocus and snowdrops were planted around the entrance areas and the main driveway. Bluebells and Fritillaria were planted in the developing woodland areas. The landscape planting was completed in Spring 2004. Approximately 560 trees consisting of Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Carpinus betulus, Acer campestre and Tilia x europea have been planted, along with 2250 mixed shrubs and 920 mixed native hedging plants. An old oak tree has been preserved and incorporated as the main feature within the woodland burial section of the cemetery. Woodland grave plots will be set in small glades which will be delineated by native hardwood trees e.g. English Oak. No memorials will be allowed to be erected within the woodland or meadow burial sections. This will allow for the naturalisation of the areas. Plots will be identifiable by microchip pegs that will be inserted into the ground following burial. The new cemetery provides a pleasant, peaceful environment for relatives to visit, which at the same time acts as a natural habitat for flora and fauna. The Town Council also maintains two closed churchyards at St. Mary’s Church and Holy Trinity Church. The cemeteries and churchyards have an abundance of wild flowers during spring. Bulbs flower from February through to May and a grand display of Daffodils, Snowdrops, Crocus, Anemones and Bluebells all grace the grounds. Further spring flowering bulbs of Crocus, Snowdrops and Daffodils were planted in autumn 2007 to enhance the displays in 2008 in St Mary’s Churchyard and Tower Hill Cemetery. Allotments
An Allotment Association at each of the four sites ensures greater communication between allotment holders and the Council. Plots on most sites are well tended and there is obvious pride shown by tenants. There is evidence on many allotments of tenants composting green waste for reuse on plots. |
The
Town Council provides allotments at four locations through
out the town. These are situated at Lakeside, Newland,
Hailey Road and Park Road. The Council aims to provide
allotment facilities, at a reasonable cost, for residents to
grow their own crops and by doing so help protect and
enhance the environment.