Section I: Barrow as a place to visit
I.1 / Do you agree with any of the following suggestions?
Strongly agree / Agree / Don’t know / Disagree / Strongly disagree / N =
We want to attract more tourists to Barrow / 94 / 438 / 269 / 213 / 44 / 1058
We want better information for tourists / 76 / 396 / 251 / 153 / 30 / 906
We want “This is Barrow upon Soar” leaflets, noticeboards, etc. throughout the village / 97 / 394 / 252 / 195 / 41 / 979
The village website is a great source of information about Barrow / 71 / 356 / 520 / 27 / 10 / 984
We want more heritage maps and guides for walkers and visitors / 117 / 548 / 229 / 90 / 16 / 1000
We should have a Tourist Information Office in the village / 49 / 186 / 294 / 399 / 62 / 990
We want an A-Z street guide on display and as a leaflet / 111 / 550 / 181 / 141 / 21 / 1004
We want guides to wildlife in and around Barrow (birds, trees, flowers etc.) / 144 / 538 / 206 / 99 / 18 / 1005
We want the Soar Valley made into a proper country park / 171 / 390 / 284 / 129 / 21 / 995
We want car parking for visitors by the canal/river / 182 / 512 / 153 / 144 / 37 / 1028
We want to conserve buildings / 339 / 534 / 102 / 16 / 3 / 994
We want to protect the green spaces in and around the village / 659 / 395 / 30 / 2 / 0 / 1086
I.2 / Any other suggestions for making Barrow a better place to visit? N=231
1 Cleaner streets / 23 1.9%
2 Clear and sign our footpaths / 4 .3%
3 Make more of a feature of the river, seats, picnic areas / 10 .8%
4 Have more information boards for visitors / 5 .4%
5 Provide a landing stage for small boats and canoes / - -%
6 Have signposts to our attractions, river, canal, fossil trail,
millennium sundial / 1 .1%
7 Have wildlife and heritage information booklets and trails / 4 .3%
8 Clean up Proctor’s Park / 77 6.5%
9 Reduce traffic through village centre / 5 .4%
10 No more houses / 15 1.3%
11 More toilets open longer / 3 .3%
12 Somewhere for a cup of tea and a snack / 40 3.4%
13 More good quality restaurants / 8 .7%
14 All shops open 6 days a week / 1 .1%
15 Improve paths near to the river / 8 .7%
16 Have a small musem / 2 .2%
17 Farmers market / 1 .1%
18 Paint shop fronts to have a common, corporate image/ agreed
colours and styles / 5 .4%
19 Clean up dog mess / 6 .5%
20 National marketing of Barrow as a tourist area / 1 .1%
27 Disguise Gypsum building/paint green? / 1 .1%
30 Parish Council notice boards to list overnight accommodation / 3 .3%
50 Other / 69 5.8%
These include:
• Affordable hotel accommodation
• Ban dumping of ashes in river
• Better parking near the Navigation
• Expand the potential of Proctor’s to a full leisure park
• How to make the facilities viable when tourism is seasonal?
• Improve the infrastructure to cope with growth
• keep green areas house-free
• Keep the ‘green belt’
• Keep the website up-to-date
• Make Sileby Rd more attractive
• More cycle routes
• Notice board describing facilities
• Quorn does it right, Barrow looks tatty
• Stop removing paving stones and replacing them with concrete
• Too much traffic already, more tourists would make it worse
• Turn the garden of rest at Holy trinity into a place where people want to go and sit
• Wider range of shops to attract visitors

Comments from O.1/O.2

I.2 A Soar Valley park is much needed, it is a shame that our local SSSI is being increasingly encroached on by recreational pressures
I.2 Funeral services run on the river Soar it is continual and we believe unhealthy to us and the environment.
We believe it would deter tourists and visitors to the village if made aware of.
I.2 jitties, footpaths needs better way marking.
I.2 Land opposite the Riverside Pub could be made into a public carpark for walks along toward Pillings lock.
I.2 Millennium Park needs paved access and dropped kerbs
I.2 Need more family friendly cafes restaurant
I.2 British waterways clean up river side.
I.2 improve river footpath towards Pillings lock when marina built
I.2 Make more of the water which makes Barrow so special, Protect countryside aspect Improve Sileby Road
I.2 Riverside towpath from Bridge Street towards Pillings Lock should be improved, made useable with safety. Seats on Millennium Park
I.2 tea/coffee shop for visitors and residents
I.2 There is a good mix of pubs, restaurants and food outlets doing well.
I.2 use our wonderful river, make it more attractive
I.2 Wonderful millenium park, draw in more helpers if possible
I.2 I live alongside the river, it`s wonderful. Do not let travellers in ANYWHERE
I.2 It would be nice to have one or more quality restaurants / bars
I.2 It would be nice to see more restaurants in Barrow, not Takeaways.
I.2 Public footpaths badly overgrown, pathway between Barrow and Sileby as an amenity for visiting walkers doesn`t look very inviting.
I.2 put seats on Millennium Park. Lack of litter bins on Wilson Estate lots of rubbish on grass verges.
I.2 The Millennium Dial on Fishpool Way is really good
I.2 Worried about the irresponsible use of hired boats and pedalos on the river.
I.3 / Is anyone in your household interested in helping to produce guides and heritage leaflets (eg by helping with: wildlife surveys: archaeology; old buildings; oral history; and the like)? (N = 979)
Yes / 60 / No / 919
If “yes”, please fill in the contact pages at the end so we can send you information
I.4 / If “yes”, what interests you? N=47
1 Local history / 15 1.3%
2 Flora / - -%
3 Wildlife / 20 1.7%
4 Architecture/buildings / 13 1.1%
5 Local customs / - -%
6 Local events / 1 .1%
7 Oral history / 3 .3%
8 Archaeology / 10 .8%
50 Other / 9 .8%
These include:
• Aircraft crashes and other historic occurrences
• Canals and rivers
• Geneology
• Photography

Comments from O.1/O.2 - nil