Anti-social behaviour hotspot in Thame transformed after council makeover

An anti-social behaviour hotspot has been transformed in Thame after an intervention from the district council.

South Oxfordshire District Council has improved Pearce Way and Howland Road, areas where the local authority has received reports of criminal damage and intimidation.

South Oxfordshire District Council and Thames Valley Police have been investigating the alleged criminal incidents.

An inspection carried out by council officials found:

-Broken fencing, enabling unauthorised access to/from the estate

-Poor visibility in an alleyway due to overgrown hedges

-Lots of litter across the estate

-A build-up of larger rubbish items left in communal areas

-A children’s play area that needed some refurbishment work to encourage more families to use it

In response local bodies have completed:

-A litter picking event which was led by Thames Valley Police and SOHA Housing

-Thame Town Council inspected the area and has pledged to improve the quality of the children’s play area

-Broken fencing has been fixed and new fencing and a gate will be built in its place, the district council reports

-Plans are in place to cut back overgrown foliage to allow clearer access on the alley way and from around the streetlight

Since the changes, the district council states that some residents have said they feel safer.

Councillor Kate Gregory said: “Thame is a great place to live and I was sad to see that an area of the town had been the victim of anti-social behaviour, which has such a detrimental effect on those who live there.

“We want to do all we can to make sure that residents have pride in where they live and that they feel safe. Making these changes and setting up plans to prevent any future anti-social behaviour is really important.”

Incidents of anti-social behaviour should be reported to Thames Valley Police via its non-emergency 101 number.

South Oxfordshire District Council Leader, Councillor David Rouane, added: “It’s good to see our partnership with Thames Valley Police, Thame Town Council and SOHA Housing making such a positive difference. We will now be looking at other areas of the district to see if there’s more we can do through the Environmental Visual Audits process and continue to work with our partners to make changes where needed.”