A mound of earth has been placed at the entrance to a well known dogging spot half way between High Wycombe and Maidenhead by the National Trust to try and tackle so called anti-social behaviour.
The Mound at Winter Hill Car Park
The car park at Winter Hill near Cookham has been a well known and well used site for dogging and partying according to Councillor Christine-Ann Jannetta of Cookham Parish Council.
This follow news earlier in the year that at a council meeting, local residents expressed concerns about the National Trust’s plans to clear trees at the beauty spot with Councillor Christine-Ann Jannetta being recorded as saying “Residents do not want the work to go ahead”.
However, the mound has been installed, which makes you wonder about the effectiveness of the council.
Rachel Forsyth, Lead Ranger for the National Trust at Maidenhead and Cookham Commons, said the measure was only due to last four weeks to see if a barrier could be placed there, and wanted to hear feedback and she stated “By testing this approach we can see if a permanent barrier would help the problem or simply displace it to nearby areas.”
However, the local Conservative Councillor Richard Kellaway criticised the mound saying “As a consequence cars will have to park on the road for people to see the view, pedestrians will have to walk in the road, creating a hazard which was not there before. The National Trust has over-reacted to a minor problem and will ruin the enjoyment of hundreds of people who visit Cookham to see its lovely countryside.”
Councillor Kellaway continued “It is, of course, the job of the police to keep an eye on any anti-social activity and they do. There are regular visits during the evening.”
No doubt, this heavy handed approach by the National Trust won’t stop people having fun, and of course there are plenty of other dogging spots in Berkshire for local doggers to visit.
