Council’s Cattle Market Rejection ‘Absolute Traversty’

THAME’S leading Business representative has called the town council’s rejection of a plan for a relocated cattle market, “an absolute traversty.”
Mr Alun Rowe, Chair of Thame First (formerly the Chamber of Commerce), made his comments following the town council’s Planning Committee’s decision not to support the relocation of the cattle market and development of a new agricultural centre on the Thame Show ground. (See previous news item below)

“I cannot imagine who, a decision such as this will benefit,” said Mr Rowe.
“Thame will never have the chance again to create a community facility in the town centre and the agricultural community will suffer greatly because of a lack of proper facilities.
“The cattle market is the only possible location for a community facility in the heart of Thame and would give us back the centre Thame so desperately lacks now. With it we could provide a purpose built library, rather than evicting one of Thame?s most successful businesses; we could create community halls to give the local volunteer groups the opportunity of meeting in Thame rather than going elsewhere and most of all we could have created a hub around which to reinvigorate Thame’s sense of community which appears to dwindle with each passing day as we slowly become a commuter ghost town.
“In simple terms there is no room left in the town centre to build the much needed community facilities that will be required with the building of another 90+ houses on the Rycotewood site and the numerous small developments springing up on, what seems like a weekly basis in Thame and it?s surrounding villages. Thame forgets too easily that it is the hub for not just the 12,000 residents but also for villages such as Haddenham, Chinnor and Long Crendon.
“The agricultural community must feel incredibly let down too as Thame has always prided its self on being part of that community and yet the elected representatives of our town have dismissed the chance for that community to grow in a time when agriculture all over the UK is in decline.
“I am incredibly disappointed by this decision and believe the council have failed to recognise the opportunity for positive change in Thame.”

Contact Alun Rowe: chair@thamefirst.co.uk