Bohemia Village Voice

Walled Garden group (Susan in centre)

Susan Thomson (right) of the Bohemia Walled Garden Association, reports on progress made towards acquiring responsibility for renovating this hidden gem in Summerfields Wood. Contact Susan at: bwga@dynamicaudio.co.uk  
We continue to have positive meetings with the head of the Estates Dept.  Amy Terry is always willing to listen to our ideas and to indicate a practical way forward. 
We recently had a meeting to discuss the survey that HBC had done of the walled garden. This included a condition report, a suggestion of what work should be done to make it safe and secure, and an estimate of what it might cost.  As you can imagine, there is a lot to think about when it comes to what should be done and how the work should be carried out. Of great importance is the Council’s willingness to consider our proposals and to allow us access to this site.  Without this we would not be able to approach charities and funding bodies.  We now have a formal letter that indicates the Council’s permission “subject to contract”. It will be our responsibility to implement the repairs. After that the BWGA can be granted an “agreement to use” the site.
We also need to consider the access route to the site. We have contacted the head of the Planning Dept and await the offer of an appointment.  It will be essential for our planning to know what the realistic choices are and what the constraints and requirements will be. The Friends of Summerfields Wood continue to support our efforts, as do many of the local people I meet when walking my dog around the walled garden and along the paths of the Prospect Mound and the glen.