Path improvements on Reading Road in Shiplake

Commencing September 15th there will be path improvement works on the Reading Road path opposite the College, from the speed camera  to the junction with Memorial Avenue. The existing grass path will be upgraded to a rural-location-appropriate, compacted gravel footpath,  like those you find in National Trust properties.  It will significantly improve the walking, cycling and pushchair experience between Shiplake/Shiplake Cross and Lower Shiplake.

This project fulfils a long held objective of better linking the villages.  It is funded by Shiplake Parish Council (using funds from the Community Infrastructure Levy that house builders pay for building in the parish) and built with Oxfordshire County Council planning support and suppliers.  Please do say hello to the team as they work on Reading Road for the next few weeks. NB: They may need to restrict access until the works are completed.

Shiplake PC thanks former OCC councillor David Bartholomew, who championed this opportunity and Stephen Doble of Shiplake Farm for his support.

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 14/09/2025 10:02 am

Thanks everyone for your thoughts on the footpath, especially those who came over to me at the Quiz night on Friday at the Memorial Hall. There were loads of very positive comments on the footpath. Again it has had heavy usage this week and weekend.  

On this thread Russell Seager has also asked about the BadgersWalk playground and investment there. It isn't a matter of either or, we plan to do both. And yes, Badgers Walk is high on the list to sort and should have been in progress by now, however all the contractors asked to quote have been faced with the same problem.....access to get in diggers/ heavy machinery to lay a surface and remove materials.  As Joanne said we are now actively looking at alternative ways of upgrading the playground including piece by piece and investigating alternative surfaces. It is very much in our plan to provide a quality, safe playground at BadgersWalk.  And please rest assured we regularly inspect the playgrounds and report on them at each Parish Council meeting. And RoSPA do safety checks regularly and we always act on the information. While the playground has seen better days it is assesed safe. We continuously make improvements there in response to changes or reports. Recently there was vandalism (someone had kicked in slats on the fort) and we have approved short term repairs. 

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 05/10/2025 5:31 pm

Russell, 

The PC has been discussing what we can do to improve Badgers Walk playground, but due to the limited access we are having to limit ourselves to initially fix the damaged climbing frame, as this can be done quickly, and is in progress. We welcome any input and ideas that residents would like to share.  Contractors have been approached to discuss the access problems and solutions, but please be assurred that the playground is one of our priorities for upgrading.

Posted by: Joanne Stone | 04/10/2025 1:43 pm

Thank you for engaging on the forum, Chris.

While the new path is certainly a welcome addition, it does seem somewhat of an extravagance given that the Lower Shiplake Playground is literally rotting away. Are there any plans to address its poor state of repair and improve safety for local children?

Posted by: Russell Seager | 04/10/2025 8:47 am

The new footpath is very welcome and we'll appreciate using it all year round, making it much easier to walk in all weather. Many thanks Chris and the team involved.

Posted by: Kate Sandars | 03/10/2025 9:38 am

Dear Shiplake Residents - You may be interested in the email I sent to the owner/editor of the HenleyHerald online newspaper following their online article. 

Dear Michaela,
Thank you for our phone conversation earlier. As we discussed I would like to express my concerns with your article, which in my opinion, put an unnecessarily negative perspective on a positive enhancement to our village’s infrastructure and connectivity. I do appreciate you need to make a story and negative stories attract reader attention. I had hoped the material I provided to you in good faith would fully answer your concerns and change the negative angle your questions to me suggested you’d take. Your article contrasts with that written by the Henley Standard, whom we had invited to an opening event to celebrate this occasion. I do apologise for not extending the same invitation to the Henley Herald.

Why am I concerned?

• Your headline suggests that a split vote in the Parish Council somehow undermines the validity of due democratic process. It does not. Due process was followed, and a democratic decision was made which we have abided by.
  
  
• You imply the funding of the footpath was wasteful.  The monies used for the half-kilometre footpath came from Community Infrastructure Levy monies, which are windfalls from new buildings in the parish, which must be used on infrastructure and within 5 years, or returned to SODC. Shiplake is committed to using these funds to improve our infrastructure, as we have done for Memorial Hall playground and Lower Shiplake bus shelters so far. This footpath fulfils a long-held objective of better connecting the villages. We are required to use OCC contractors for such infrastructure projects,  and OCC provided the costing. We carefully considered the funds and the benefits it is intended to provide. For your information we still have significant CIL monies for other infrastructure projects which is a reflection just much building has taken place in our villages over the past few years and the importance of continued infrastructure improvement. We don’t make things better in the parish by hording monies or returning it to SODC.
• You describe the new footpath as ‘a path to nowhere’. I believe that will not be well received by the residents of Lower Shiplake and Shiplake/Shiplake Cross villages. The footpath connects our beautiful and facility-rich villages and our talented residents,  and it allows pedestrian access more conveniently and safely than ever before. It encourages a more sustainable and healthy way of accessing these facilities than by car.
• You have chosen a negative angle on the improved pedestrian connectivity despite the information I provided to you which shows how the footpath connects with existing infrastructure for instance for Lower Shiplake residents and the Shiplake Primary school. You imply connection ends at the Orchard Close footpath. This is inaccurate. The new footpath connects with existing pavements along the remainder of Reading Road (to the Plough pub)  and via Plough Lane all the way to the Primary school. And via the existing footpath to Orchard Close there’s now pedestrian access to Memorial Hall, the playing fields and tennis and bowls clubs.  
• You did not mention the positive reception the footpath has had from Shiplake residents, despite being given direct quotes. You do not name those who, apart from your yourself, was negative about the footpath and who you claimed initiated your article. You say you do not have to.
   And, for your information, Shiplake College and The Plough pub have warmly welcomed the building of this path which should reduce the reliance on cars for their users.

 Separately, as I mentioned, I believe you should disclose on your website who owns the Henley Herald, perhaps in an About us section. You informed me today in our call that it is you who own it alone. Transparency about this would help subscribers, advertisers and those you report on understand who is accountable and responsible.  You said you don’t need to and that most residents of Henley know it is you. As I mentioned, you may be interested to learn that some of your sponsors that I contacted today to find out who owns the Henley Herald mistakenly attributed ownership to the Henley Standard.

 I do look forward to better future connections between SPC and the Henley Herald,  and in your reporting of our future infrastructure improvement projects.

Chris Penrose

Chair, Shiplake Parish Council 

+44 (0) 7 55 3367 137

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 02/10/2025 12:14 pm

You may notice the new footpath is in the local news today. Henley Standard were invited to mark the opening of the new footpath. Their article mentions the reasons why as a PC we commissioned this footpath and the benefits it brings to our villages. The contractor mentioned to us how many residents had stopped to speak to him and his team during construction and how warmly it has been welcomed. 

A rather more negative article has been written by the Henley Herald. They claim it is a 'path to nowhere',  which sounds rather insulting to our villages and misunderstands the geography of the roads and footpaths of Shiplake parish, despite been given the information of how the path now connects the villages. It has chosen a negative spin on the due democratic process used to make choices and on our use of CIL monies (which must be used on infrastructure and within 5 years of receipt, or otherwise must be returned to SODC).

The best way to respond to this journalistic negativity is to make good use of the footpath and leave the car at home!

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 02/10/2025 9:12 am

The contactor has completed the surface work on the path alongside the Reading Road in Shiplake.  He's also cleared the pavement's encroaching household verge to the junction with the public footpath leading to Orchard Close. This should make it safer to continue journies alongside the A4155, especially for those with pushchairs. 

Please note: The contractor's advice for using the new footpath is to wait walking the path until we have had some rain, as this will ensure the footpath has best chance to bed in. The next rain is due in Shiplake on Sunday 28th, so not long to wait.  

The footpath surface is self-binding, it contains grit and a naturally occurring material, quarried from a deposit of sponge gravel. It has a natural reddish/brown colouring which will mellow as the pathway weathers. We understand that rain will help this self-binding process to get started and then after this, with more usage the surface will continue to compact and bind.

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 26/09/2025 9:34 am

Jack Hatcher emailed: 'Excellent -- kudos! Is there any prospect of doing something similar on Memorial Avenue to the school to make it safe for walking / cycling to school from Lower Shiplake?'

Answer
1. Longer term: ShiplakePC has discussed this opportunity with the OxfordshireCountyCouncil Highways team only last month. They are investigating this option and we will pursue them.

2. Short term: you can access the school along the new Reading Road footpath and either:
a. via a public footpath that leads to Orchard Close and from there to the school. Adds 4 minutes versus direct route on Memorial Avenue (according to Google Maps) 
b. via the existing path on the Reading Road and then via Plough Lane. Adds 3 minutes

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 23/09/2025 10:58 am

Just a quick update on the path. The developer has completed the initial base.
Later this week they'll retun to begin laying the top surface layer.

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 22/09/2025 4:55 pm

Thank you to everyone who has emailed or put a comment into the Forum so far.
As many have mentioned this path improvment should make it easier to access each settlement's facilities. 
Those in Lower Shiplake may now find it provides a better walking option to access the Memorial Hall and the larger parish playground, Shiplake Tennis and the Bowls clubs and the Nursery/School, The Plough, St Peter&Paul's Church, and Shiplake College.
Those in ShiplakeCross/ Shiplake will hopefully find it provides easier access to the railway Station and the Baskerville, the Butchers and Post Office and  Badgers Walk playground. 

Posted by: Chris Penrose | 17/09/2025 7:56 pm

What a great idea and resource - thank you for this ... it will definitely improve the ability to get to/from The Plough without having to wear wellies!

Posted by: Rhiannon Davies | 17/09/2025 6:56 pm

Great news, thanks for making this happen.

Posted by: Barry Dyer | 14/09/2025 10:36 am