Wroxham Riverside Park

[Roy]

Just visited wroxham and the riverside park is look more overgrown than ever such a shame this has been left to decay like it has. 
 

it’s not a good first impression for holiday makers especially as wroxham is billed as capital of the broads !!! 

 

[BroadAmbition]

Its a disgrace.

The heady days of it being packed out with families and the model boat shows are long gone 

Griff

[Andrewcook]

The Council should do something about the Wroxham park as Wroxham is the Jewel of the Crown for Boaters and Tourism alike that needs to be  put right as soon as possible 

[ChrisB]

I guess it is about money. NNDC is a large area but with a population of just 105K the community charges have to be spread pretty thin. I suppose if it went to a show of hands the dreadful state of some of our roads and sea defence would come in ahead of a park.

[dom]

1 hour ago, ChrisB said:

I guess it is about money. NNDC is a large area but with a population of just 105K the community charges have to be spread pretty thin.

Unless anything has changed, I believe the park is leased from Roys by the Broads Authority and should be maintained by BA rangers.

It's my understanding that BA are currently claiming they're unable to fund its upkeep, as £300k supposedly needs spending on it - although, as usual with BA, the figures are highly questionable. £37k of the cost was on a "Discovery hub" which seems pointless when they have an office to use nearby and things like £25k for canoe launching facilities just seem ridiculous.

[ChrisB]

Thanks for that.

7 minutes ago, dom said:

Unless anything has changed, I believe the park is leased from Roys by the Broads Authority and should be maintained by BA rangers.

It's my understanding that BA are currently claiming they're unable to fund its upkeep, as £300k supposedly needs spending on it - although, as usual with BA, the figures are highly questionable. £37k of the cost was on a "Discovery hub" which seems pointless when they have an office to use nearby and things like £25k for canoe launching facilities just seem ridiculous.

Seems like a job for the Parish Council to get involved with then.

[Aboattime]

Couldnt agree more, its a dump and has been for a few years now.The only good thing about that stretch of the river is The Kings Head are at long last sorting out there river side garden.Capital of the Broads,National Park!!! Do me favour !

[dom]

10 minutes ago, ChrisB said:

Seems like a job for the Parish Council to get involved with then.

I think their resources are occupied trying to deal with the Riverside Rooms (old 3 Horseshoes).

There was supposed to be a meeting to discuss the latter, but BA were reluctant to attend - despite the fact it's them who have the most power to force improvement under the Town and Country Planning Act.

[Roy]

1 hour ago, dom said:

Unless anything has changed, I believe the park is leased from Roys by the Broads Authority and should be maintained by BA rangers.

It's my understanding that BA are currently claiming they're unable to fund its upkeep, as £300k supposedly needs spending on it - although, as usual with BA, the figures are highly questionable. £37k of the cost was on a "Discovery hub" which seems pointless when they have an office to use nearby and things like £25k for canoe launching facilities just seem ridiculous.

Them figures do seem questionable to me the park needs a really good tidy and raise the old gravel circle area and put down there signature grey gravel and install benches yes the quay heading needs replacing but there is no need to for a hub as they could use the tourist centre for what ever they have planned. 

Also there seems to be 3regular liveabords moored on St John’s moorings every time I go there and today two were very loud music playing and shouting which is not encouraging to want to sit there either! 
 

[MargeandParge]

Be careful or it will end up as houses in a local plan. Almost looks like a brown field site. Neglect doesn't change the value of a treasure or it shouldn't. 

I must cheer up a bit sorry. 

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[kpnut]

I find the St Johns moorings the most uninspiring place on the Broads, (not including GY yacht station which is just functional). I'm being polite!

The whole area is a mess and such a bad advert for the ambiance of the Norfolk Broads, on a boat or land-based. I invited some friends to the boat a couple of years ago and met them there; they were really unimpressed. I won't say on here what they actually said, but it certainly wasn't complimentary. 

Last time I was there, a couple came wandering down looking for somewhere to go for a walk with their dogs. The walk along the railway line towards Coltishall is nice, but its not a 'Norfolk Broads' walk, which is what they were after. They had walked along the viaduct moorings to find it a dead end. The only other place I could suggest was that field of thistles just at the other end of the boardwalk.

Is that the best that the town, the 'Capital of the Broads' can offer? The couple had driven from Cromer and decided to move on to Ludham Bridge for a better view and walk. Their impression of the town really wasn't great.

I heard the BA is getting quotes for a refurb, but then found out some more detail which I think only included work to be done to the quay where the Ra boat moors up, with such a high spec there'll be no money left for the rest! So I went for a look myself last time I was there, thinking the rest must now be completed, to find that the Ra quay is the very least of the issues, in fact probably the only half decent bit.

This is a moan with no solutions for fixing the problem, but it really is the pits!

[Roy]

Yes Kate I totally agree with you ! 
just walking around wroxham today the precinct hasn’t got any tubs with flowers in again this year and looks really run down too it’s certainly not a good impression for a introduction to the capital of the broads. 
 

the only work the authority has done is dismantle the wooden staging at the St John’s end of the dyke in the park and removed the bridge. When I was asked about the bridge I was told it was rotten when I asked in the tourist information Center last year it didn’t looked rotten to me the cynic in me thinks it’s away of closing that area of the park off. 
 

as mentioned it could be used for housing and I really hope not but let’s face it housing would look nicer than what’s there at the minute. 
sorry to moan but that area could be so nice ! 

[Broads01]

What a sad state of affairs. It doesn't seem many years ago since that park was a nice place to be. What's changed in the intervening years?

[grendel]

it strikes me that the Broads Authority must have entered into some sort of legal agreement when they took over maintenance and as such should be legally obliged to do the work, it does seemm that everything they do (or more particularly dont do) revolves around a lack of money to do so, and yet each year the boaters are expected to make up the shortfall by increased toll rises, yet still the work seems not to happen, time for a look at how the finances are being managed, as surely  a lot of this work would surely fall outside of the tolls budget and more into the national parks remit.

[Roy]

7 hours ago, Broads01 said:

What a sad state of affairs. It doesn't seem many years ago since that park was a nice place to be. What's changed in the intervening years?

I think the problem is that there’s been no regular maintenance what so ever over the last decade or longer. 
 

[MargeandParge]

This park is garden sized compared to The Broads Navigation so not a good example of things to come.

One of our fond memories was mooring up by the leccy many years ago being fascinated by  staff handling The Conosseur fleet on a changeover day. Then a lads week turning up coming through the bridge all in American white sailors uniform.  It was like a military operation their barbecue leaving the ground cleaner and tidier than when they arrived.  In the morning a body was asleep on top of their second boat precariously with his head over the side awaking and nearly falling in .  He said there were to many pairs of feet below decks for him to cope with. They where happy days.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[marshman]

Its always been a problem area for many years, with a number of things causing issues. Part of the trouble is that is tucked away in a part of Wroxham which is a bit off the beaten track and even if you did spend £300k on it, I really doubt many people would use it. Sad I know but most people want to go to Roys or or on the boats and don't want somewhere to picnic or just wander around. 

It does not help that it probably floods in winter, or at least gets very wet and that won't help maintenance and to  be honest, despite living relatively close, I don't think I have ever been there or felt the urge to go there!

[Gracie]

Like most of us I have fond memories of those moorings. I remember boats being moored right along there with families fishing, playing and picnicking. If it was free my dad would try and bag the very end mooring so you had a view up river, we would fish from the boat and play on the grass before we took a walk to the the town and the Kings Head for some food, staying the night on the mooring and then heading to Coltishall the next morning on that beautiful cruise to get there

Surely it's in the Broads best interest to maintain and keep those moorings and gardens in top condition. How many hundreds of holiday makers would do similar as we did as a family spending money in the town, pubs, cafes and shops etc. It would seem though the powers that be don't have the Broads best interests at heart

My goodness, the thought of housing on the riverside gardens feels me with dread

Grace x

[Gracie]

That's meant to read 'fills me with dread' 

Grace x

[Norfolkangler]

Totally agree Gracie, unfortunately it seems that us old codgers (I mean no disrespect as I am sure your younger than me) come from an era when people had respect for one another and pride in their area.  All that seems to have disappeared now with the BA and generations loosing sight of good old honest values.  If we can't keep an area, in what is after all considered the capital of the Broads looking good, what is the next.

I am in total agreement with you. please don't build housing on the sight. Having seen what the BA has given permission for over the last few years, they seem to have lost sight of Broadland for modern style housing and flats. Totally unsympathetic and out of character for the area.

[SwanR]

Just a note that this area is actually in Hoveton not Wroxham. Riverside Park, Pocket Park, Waterside Rooms, and Granary Staithe are regularly on the agenda for the Hoveton Community Council meetings. The agenda and minutes are usually published on their Facebook page and their website for anyone interested.

[kpnut]

I’ve been reading the document outlining the plan for the park, published in 2021. 

https://www.broads-authority.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/380314/Hoveton_Riverside_Park.pdf

 

Jean, where is Pocket Park? I can’t find it on Google maps. 

[Roy]

Thanks for posting that link Kate 

 

There are some questionable figures there I would say 10 thousand to restore the pond which is tiny I’ve recently restored a pond for a client and it was no where near that cost maybe I should put up my prices 🤣

[MargeandParge]

10 minutes ago, Roy said:

Thanks for posting that link Kate 

 

There are some questionable figures there I would say 10 thousand to restore the pond which is tiny I’ve recently restored a pond for a client and it was no where near that cost maybe I should put up my prices 🤣

Or get the BA off the hook and quote for the job.

Kindest Regards Marge and Parge 

[SwanR]

8 hours ago, kpnut said:

Jean, where is Pocket Park? I can’t find it on Google maps. 

I think that Riverside Park and Pocket Park are the two areas by the St John’s moorings and the next little bit where the trip boat moors. But I’ve no idea which is which and am happy to be corrected.