03/10/11….Could Thame’s cows be herded off the streets of Thame?

THAME’S plastic black and white cows, its pigs, ‘A’ boards and other structures, could soon be driven off the streets if Thame Town Council has its way.

The council’s Planning and Environment committee will tomorrow be asked to comment on a draft policy drawn up by town hall staff, to deal with ‘Unauthorised signs and structures on the Highway.’

The council states in its report to councillors that: “In recent years there has been a steady increase of unauthorised obstructions placed within the Highway, and the town council has received a number of complaints from the public regarding clutter on pavement.”

At a meeting of the council’s Planning committee last November, one councillor described the cows as “a bit of nightmare,” adding that they should “be sent to a field.”

At a previous meeting of the committee, councillors said that some boards were causing a hazard to prams and wheelchairs because they are either too large of placed where pavements are too narrow.

The plastic cows and pigs, notably present outside Newitt’s, the James Figg and The Thatch however, have attracted a lot of admirers and there is even a Save-The-Thame Cows campaign which was been launched on Facebook, and has over 500 members signed up. See http://www.causes.com/causes/546214-save-the-thame-cows?m=d1cf7fea

The council says that it will consult with local business “to achieve a workable compromise that not only suits their needs but those using the pedestrian highway.”

The town council will not, it seems, have any jurisdiction over structures placed on private land, away from the official Highway, places like the Upper High Street for instance where the ownership extends out under pavements where cellars are. The boundary can often be distinguished by a change in pavement surface between paving slabs and tarmac or some other different surface.

Tomorrow night’s meeting of the planning and environment committee begins at 6.30pm at the town hall.