To be introduced by French Brothers (Chris French).

The Chairman informed the Panel that he had added this item to the agenda due to his recent visit to Venice as it had raised a question about whether the Royal Borough used the river to its full potential with regard to getting visitors in and out of the area.

Chris French (French Brothers) had been asked by the Chairman to look into this and give some feedback at the meeting. 

Chris French explained that for many years French Brothers had been running trips from the promenade on a daily basis at lunchtimes.    It was noted that the trips went from Runneymede and Maidenhead and lasted between 3.5 – 4 hours.  It was noted that the trips could be booked as single or return trips and lunch could be provided if requested.

Chris French went onto explain that French Brothers had seen a considerable growth in this sector and was considering extending the service to locals for transport to and from the Town Centre (not only on race days).  It was felt that by extending the service it would reduce the carbon footprint and help car parks cope with the number of visitors to the Royal Borough. 

Chris French informed Members that the river pre-dated Windsor Castle and was the very reason the castle had been sited in its current location.  It was noted that the river ran right through Windsor although some signs in the town, particularly by the castle, did not show the direction of the river.  It was questioned whether the Royal Borough was doing justice to the river highway.  Chris French went onto explain that French Brothers were trying to break the tradition of boat companies closing down during the cold weather.  Members were informed that whilst this had been very successful for private functions it had not been so successful for day trips.  Chris French explained that he felt this was due to people not being aware that the river existed.     

Chris French stated that it took approximately ten minutes to reach Windsor Racecourse from French Brothers.  It was noted that French Brothers also offered a trip via the Long Park which lasted approximately 1.5 hours. 

The Chairman stated that a Park & Ride or other alternatives would be required in the future to stop people from driving into Windsor.  The Chairman added that beach front shops and toilets would also require improvement in the future. 

It was noted that the Windsor and Eton Society felt the river to be underutilised and there was unfortunately not much located along the rivers edge for tourists to do. 

Councillor Clark suggested that as a consumer he would want to see it laid out in a clear way how long he would be on the boat trip and how it tied in with other attractions.   

It was suggested that whilst the Visitor Information Centre was felt to be a lovely old building it was quite restrictive and it might be of benefit to have someone based at an open counter by the coffee shop which was felt to be more visible. 

It was noted that there were no shops or cafes from the Windsor & Eton bridge up to the Boatman Pub and that the stretch would benefit from some high end establishments (restaurants, shops, cafes). 

The Chairman suggested that an officer from Property Services be invited to the next meeting to address this suggestion.  It was also suggested that as part of Phase 2/3 of the Wayfinding scheme was about to commence it was believed that finger signs could be added by the castle.  The Visitor Manager explained that their volunteers helped guide people to the river in the summer and at weekends – Chris French stated that he would be happy to contribute towards more help, possibly via a joint advertising mobile vehicle.  The Chairman suggested that the Visitor Manager, the Windsor & Eton Town Manager and three boat operators here tonight met with Councillor Claire Stretton and the Development & Property Manager (Mark Shephard) in early January at a separate meeting to discuss the suggestions made tonight in detail.