Cllr Tony Green

Frogmoor

A working party chaired by Tony Green is recommending that the Cabinet support a bid to erect a large screen on the Frogmoor open space.

It is hoped that this could be in place by the time of the Olympic Games enabling people to watch events in the High Wycombe town centre. The intention is that the screen would be a permanent fixture allowing sporting and cultural events to be broadcast.

This would revitalise Frogmoor, encouraging restaurants and cafés to serve refreshments to customers enjoying the entertainment.

This proposal has now been agreed by the Cabinet.

Newly widened underpass by Bucks New Uni

The underpass beneath Abbey Way has always been a bottleneck in the movement of people between the University and the rest of the town by St Mary Street.

Three years ago, Councillor Tony Green, then the Cabinet Member for Younger and Older People took the decision that the passageway was too small and uninviting. Although used by a lot of people moving between the town, the University amd the Hospital, it was dark and narrow.  By closing the small community centre under the flyover, it was possible to widen the passageway to create a much more welcoming gateway.

Finally, the funding for the work was found, and the newly widened passage opened to the public last week. Hopefully making communication between the different areas of the town a little bit safer and easier.

At last night’s meeting of the Cabinet of Wycombe District Council, a decision was made to stop working towards the Stadium and Sports Village at Booker Air Park. The proposals had raised strong views both for and against. Those against were a mix of local residents, glider club members and people who thought that the proposal was unnecessary. Those in favour were mainly sports club members who saw the potential in having a sports village where different sports could come together to benefit from shared resources.

At the Cabinet meeting, Councillor Tony Green was one of a number of Councillors who spoke in favour of moving forward with the project but they were  not members of the Cabinet and so did not have a vote.

Tony spoke about the economic advantages that the project could bring to the District and said:

“Wycombe used to be an area with below average unemployment. Recently, this has changed dramatically to the position where unemployment is over the national average at nearly 9%.

This is unlikely to change in the near future. For Wycombe to come out of recession by 2018, 2,191 jobs need to created annually.

The Community Stadium and Sports Village will not, on its own, resolve this problem but has the potential to help by:

• 400 additional jobs due to project.
• Business start-up units planned for as part of the development.
• Retention and possible expansion of the high tech businesses currently operating on the air park.
• Career opportunities for aspiring footballers to progress to a professional career via academies.
• Add to the Wycombe offer along with Eden and the Swan which will help raise the profile of Wycombe among firms looking to re-locate.
• Making Wycombe a destination for professional and amateur sports would increase its attractiveness to potential employers as it would give health and entertainment opportunities to their employees.

There is no guarantee that this project will pass all the tests that are needed for it to happen, there are immense hurdles still to conquer such as the funding and meeting the strict planning criteria.

But if we kill it now, we are definitely going to lose the job opportunities that come with it, and condemn hundreds of people to an uncertain financial future.”

What the village could look like

At a breakfast meeting this morning, Wycombe Sports Development Limited (WSDL) showed members of Wycombe District Council and Bucks County Council their vision of what a Stadium and Sports Village could look like in Wycombe.

The picture above shows the proposed components of the scheme. WSDL answered many questions from the Councillors about everything from car parking provision to the recyled material being proposed to clad the stadium.

The scheme looks very impressive and would certainly help make Wycombe a sporting destination. It would also assist in the economic development of the area both by the direct creation of jobs associated with the stadium and sports facilities and by the building of starter units for small businesses.

However attractive the plans may look, the scheme has to be financially viable and, of course, pass the stringent tests for building in the green belt.

When this information is available we will be nearer to being able to make a decision of whether the project should proceed.

Further information on the plans can be seen at www.wycombesportingvillage.com.

Cllr Tony Green (right) unveiling the new art work at Kingshill Grange with Peter Sturla (left) and Peter Randall-Page (centre)

This afternoon, Tony Green joined Andrew Sturla, the Managing Director of Taylor Winpey West London and Peter Randall-Page, the artist, to cut the ribbon round the new artwork that has been installed at Kinghill Grange. They were joined by children from Highworth School and the Royal Grammar School, both schools having been involved in the art project.

The sculpture entitled “Grove” is a carved granite rock surrounded by a circle of bleached Hornbeam trees. Peter Randall-Page is a world renowned artist who has undertaken numerous high profile commissions and is exhibited widely. His work is held in public and private collections throughout the world including Japan, South Korea, Australia, USA, Eire, Germany and the Netherlands

Kingshill Grange is the new housing estate built by Taylor Wimpey West London on the site of the former Wellesbourne Campus of Bucks New University.

"Grove" by Peter Randall-Page

Holywell Mead Open Air Swimming Pool

The pool was officially re-opened today, so this afternoon I took my youngest daughter for a swim. With all the publicity around the pool’s re-opening I expected a crowd. To my surprise, the maximum number of swimmers, excluding my daughter, was two.

Where were all the hundreds of people who had signed the petition when the pool was closed? All the people who protested that they would have used the pool if they had known that it existed?

I know the weather wasn’t at its best but it was fairly good for the time of year. Certainly my daughter enjoyed swimming in an almost empty heated pool.

I am sure that with their immense experience in running open air swimming pools, Fusion Lifestyles will ensure that the revamp of the pool will be a success in the long run, but one has to wonder if all the promises of people who said they would use the pool during the campaign to have it re-opened were empty ones!

At the District Council Election held last Thursday, Tony Green gained the highest number of votes in the Terriers and Amersham Hill ward. Along with fellow Conservatives, Roger Colomb and Arif Hussain, all three  Conservative candidates were elected.

The Labour candidates came fourth, fifth and sixth with the Liberal Democrats in bottom place with seventh, eighth and ninth.

This is the second election running that Tony has topped the poll since first being elected for this area in 1999.

District Council election results - Terriers and Amersham Hill 2011

At the budget meeting in 2009, Tony Green, then Cabinet Member for Younger and Older People, announced that Holywell Mead Open Air Pool was to be mothballed do to a lack of resources to maintain and improve it.

He emphasised that the closure was temparary while the Council looked for a partner who would be able to invest in the facility and run it at no cost to the Council.

That deal has now been done, and the Council have formed a partnership with Fusion Lifestyle Ltd who will take over the pool on a 50 year lease, invest in new facilities such as a fitness centre and an extended cafe and take over responsibility for maintaing the centre. Fusion are a not for profit company that have a good track record in improving and running open air swimming pools. They currently run a number of facilities around the county includng the one at Brockwell Park in Lambeth. See their website at http://www.fusion-lifestyle.com/.

A local support group for the pool did put forward a proposal to run the pool but their business plan lacked the financial depth or access to funds that would have enabled the pools to be safely run. It is hoped that they will now support Fusion as a volunteer group.

The announcement that the pools are to re-open was well received by all Councillors and is another example of the Conservative Council keeping its promises.

Tony Green presents award to Agata Sobocinska

At a dinner at Lane End Conference Centre on the 1st December, Councillor Tony Green presented the prize for best business idea in Bucks New University’s My Great Business Idea competition.

The prize was won by Agata Sobocinska whose idea was a device for runners that selected music of the right speed to boost their performance.

This category of the competition was sponsored by Wycombe District Council. Councillor Green is the Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for Economic Development.

Tony is continuing his long association with Highworth Combined and Nursery School by become a governor of the school.

Both his daughters were at the school from nursery through to year 6 and Tony and his wife, Debbie, have both played an active role in supporting the school for the past 11 years. Both have been members of the Parent Teacher Association, Debbie being the chairman for a couple of years before becoming a parent governor for 5 years up until last June. Tony was on the PTA more recently, spending 2 years as its treasurer.

Tony’s appointment as a governor is for the next 4 years.