To assist with its management of the River Garden, the Parish Council requests advance notice of any groups of individuals using the amenity, and particu;arly the landing stage, together especially where this is likely to occupy the landing stage for a prolonged period (longer than 15 minutes continuously). This applies whether or not the activity is for commercial purposes or otherwise for financial gain.

 A form to facilitate such notification may be accessed at the bottom of this page.

Upon advance application. Stratford St Mary Parish Council will  consider granting permission for activities at the River Garden undertaken for commercial purposes and will record and publish a list of all such activities approved.

The following conditions apply:: 

1. Organizers of such activtiies will inform the Parish Council of the details of proposed actiivities as far in advance as may be practicable. 

(The Parish Council will not seek to restrict proposed activities but there may be occasions when the council is aware of other intended activity at the garden that has been previously authorized and that might conflict to the extent that a restriction on attendee numbers might be required or, in extreme circumstances permission to hold the activity at that particular time might have to be refused.)

 
2. Organizers will follow and require activity participants to follow, the Parish Councils published conditions of use ( see The River Garden » Stratford St Mary Parish Council (onesuffolk.net).

The Parish Council expects that all organizations running pre-registered activities at the River Garden will agree that:

  • pre-registration neither affords exclusive access to the garden for the activity so registered , nor should preclude the use of the garden and/ or landing stage by others, for extended periods.
  • their activity will be undertaken in a manner that will inconvenience other users to the minimum extent practicable.
  • a statement that 'the course is run by agreement with the Stratford St Mary Parish Council' will be Iincluded, with all announcements/ promotions in respect of activities to be run from the Stratford St Mary River Garden,
  • they will endeavour, at all times, to instill in course attendees recognition that consideration is due to residents in the vicinity of the River Garden.

 

NOTE: The rise in recreational access to the River Stour has brought with it a commensurate rise in demand for parking spaces and the incidence of anti-social behaviour in the village, (e.g. pavements blocked by the unloading/ preparation of canoe/ kayak equipment, the use of powered compressors to prepare inflatable craft within feet of residential properties) to an extent that is potentially disruptive of normal life in a small village.

An application form for pre-registration of activities is available here:

A notice, listing pre-arranged activities, is published at the garden and here.