Community groups and school pupils have helped to shape the scenarios which will help to determine the future of the Abbey Gardens and Abbey Meadow. During October and November community groups and school pupils have been asked to come up with ideas as to how the Abbey project could be developed to attract more visitors to the area. The ideas have formed the basis of three scenarios, which will now be developed by architects in the coming months: Once their viability has been assessed and initial designs produced, these concept scenarios will be released for public consultation early in the New Year, when Vale residents will be asked to indicate their preferred scenario, as well as identify and rank other facilities that they would like to see there. Abbey Gardens and Abbey Meadow, which are situated on the northern bank of the River Thames in Abingdon, currently include award-winning gardens, an outdoor swimming pool and splash pad, pitch and putt, crazy golf, outdoor tennis courts, a children’s play area, and public open spaces in which people can walk or relax by the water. The area is a very popular destination, particularly in the spring and summer months; however, the Vale of White Horse District Council is keen to invest in these facilities to further benefit residents and to see this prime riverside site appeal to an even wider demographic, so that it attracts visitors all year-round. A paper summarising the results of the consultation will be presented to the Vale Council’s cabinet in the summer, when a decision on the future of the Abbey project will be taken. To find out more about the project, please visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/TheAbbeyProject. Cllr Matthew Barber, said: “We’ve had a great response from Abingdon’s community groups and school pupils to this project, with a whole host of great ideas being put forward for consideration. We are really determined to turn Abingdon Gardens and Abbey Meadow into an area that attracts many more people throughout the year, so the more that Vale residents get behind this project the better.”