This evening there is a Windsor planning meeting where Councillors will decide if they will give permission for a huge ferris wheel to be positioned in the Alexandra Gardens for the whole spring & summer.
As a local Rotarian, we host the Mid-Summer Fair every year, on the last Saturday in June, in Alexandra Gardens raising thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes.
On hearing about the proposed wheel my initial reaction was would the fair still be able to go ahead and if not, what level of compensation would be offered for us to cancel the event. And there must be other events already in the RBWM calendar to make use of Alexandra Gardens and what provisions are being made for them?
It is proposed that the footprint of the wheel will be around 25% of the available park area that, while not enjoyed so much during the winter months, has hundreds of visitors daily during the spring & summer, enjoying the lawns and sheltering from the sun under the tree canopies.
Lawns that get replaced in early spring because of the ice rink are expected to recover in a couple of months to then be covered up again. The report seems to indicate this is OK but I don’t see how that is possible for nature to be accepting of this and surely, if this is given permission and the long term plan by Councillors & Officers of RBWM is to turn Alexandra Gardens into a permanent showground then the gardens would need to be tarmacked over?
The wheel will require an incredibly powerful engine to turn and carry passengers. This will change the ambiance of the park, making it far more noisier than normal, pushing visitors away.
To try and determine public opinion on this I published a poll on our I Love Windsor Community UK Facebook Group and at the time of writing, 148 people have responded in 48 hrs.
- 80 say NO
- 60 say YES
- 8 say, if you go ahead, compensate those already booked in
Alexandra Gardens is a beautiful open space next to the River Thames and was, I believe, gifted to the town for the enjoyment of residents.
Councillors should go with the majority and refuse permission.
If they are minded to go ahead, then a condition must be agreed that compensation, say £2,000 per booking, should be paid to organisations whose bookings will have to be cancelled.
I’m not sure that’ll cut it for the Windsor Triathlon in June!
Thank you.
Jon Davey
Community Champion
I say yes, esp if it brings in money for the Council. We need the roads and pavements fixed. J
I am against this project. Alexander Gardens should be for peoples use and enjoyment…not for commercial use.
I am against this project, Alexander Gardens are a benefit for Windsor & Maidenhead Residents and for visitors – this proposal will ruin a beautiful area intended for people’s enjoyment, which is what it was intended for
A poll of 148 people is hardly representative of the town’s residents!
It was shared on groups with thousands of members on Facebook so 148 responding over 2 days on Facebook is pretty good going… politically, far fewer respond to really important decisions!
Not exactly a new idea.
People seem to have short memories now days, doesn’t anyone remember the previous Ferris Wheel back in 2008?
400 responded on Facebook Windsor past and present protect Alexandra gardens restore to how it was intended. No ice rinks.or Ferris fairground wheel.
400! Saw a few different posts with say 20 remarks each… add the link to the post you are referring to please…
There have been a number of posts about this over the entire social media available. By far the majority reject this project for good reason, it is our (residents) park not the councils who should respect their constituents who pay their wages and expenses !
Well it’s not page 3 but I believe, my first appearance in The Sun 😉
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/25979538/windsor-castle-travel-tourist-holiday-ferris-wheel/