 Newbury Rugby Club has been identified as the preferred site for a new sports facility in the town.
Under the proposals, the new facility will include a high-quality artificial grass pitch, stadium, floodlights, changing room and a function room. The facility will be available for community use for rugby, football and other sports and activities.
The new facility will help deliver the Council’s Playing Pitch Strategy, and will provide a Step 6 facility – which means teams will have the facilities needed to play in higher leagues. It will also serve as a replacement for the Faraday Road Sports Ground, which closed ahead of the regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate.
The Council’s Executive will meet to consider a recommendation that formal discussions with Newbury Rugby Club begin, with the aim of opening the sports facility in March 2022. You can find out more about the plans here.
To receive updates on our plans for the new sports ground, including an upcoming consultation, subscribe to our new bulletin here by selecting "Newbury Sports Ground" in the "Leisure" category.
 We welcome your views on our plans to continue making West Berkshire a great place to live, work and visit over the coming years. We are also keen to ensure that any plans for development are sustainable and protect our heritage.
Thank you for any comments already submitted. There is still time to provide your views on the plans open for consultation listed below:
Local Plan Review 2020 - 2037 (Emerging Draft)
This plan aims for West Berkshire to be a welcoming place for business, provide residents with sufficient housing, and facilitate well-designed and sustainable development. The draft proposal extends the existing Local Plan from 2026 to 2037 to accommodate new housing needs as well as adopt environmentally-friendly development measures.
See short video from Councillor Hilary Cole, Executive Member for Planning and Housing, on the importance of sharing your views.
Read more and take part in the consultation. Deadline: Friday, 5 February 2021.
Do you have any questions on the Local Plan Review emerging draft?
Councillor Hilary Cole will record answers to your questions by video for 24/7 viewing. Submit your questions by email to planningpolicy@westberks.gov.uk or by telephone 01635 519111 by Sunday, 17 January. Councillor Cole's video with answers to your questions will be posted by Monday, 25 January on our YouTube and Facebook channels.
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Proposed Submission Minerals and Waste Local Plan
This plan sets out our proposed policies for the management of minerals and waste development across the district, including the allocation of sites for mineral extraction. Deadline: Monday, 15 February 2021.
Read the plan and take part in the consultation
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We are conducting a study on how the town centre can evolve in the future for businesses, residents and other stakeholders, and we are seeking your views.
Deadline extended to: Sunday, 31 January 2021. Thanks to everyone who has already taken part.
Read more and take part in the survey
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 Our improved housing allocation website has been launched today to help those on the housing register access much needed affordable housing through a user-friendly system.
Residents in the district, such as the armed forces personnel and key workers, who have a housing need to access much needed affordable housing will now be able to re-apply through an easy-to-understand A-D banding system.
With the new system going live today, those on the housing register will need to re-register their application by 1 March 2021 to keep the same priority date and be able to bid on properties.
The website has lots of helpful information about the Housing Register and our new Housing Allocations Policy plus a guide on how to use the system is available on the website too.
Here’s how to re-register:
- Go to https://www.homechoicewestberks.org.uk (remember to re-apply before 1 March 2021 to keep your current priority date).
- Set up a new account as your current log in details won’t work on the new system.
If your current housing application is assessed as non-qualifying it’s unlikely you’ll be eligible to join the new Housing Register for West Berkshire. To find out if you’re eligible, you’ll need to re-apply.
If help is needed to re-apply, please call the team on: 01635 519530 or send an email to: housingallocations@westberks.gov.uk.
The team is dealing with a high volume of calls and emails at the moment, but will get back to you as soon as they can.
Early support with emotional health difficulties is vital to prevent issues escalating and to reduce the impact they have on many aspects of a young person’s life. The current lockdown is creating additional challenges for some young people and many services are continuing to offer support remotely
Emotional Health Triage is West Berkshire’s free service open to children and young people who need support with emotional health difficulties, and is open for referrals. The service can help with issues including low mood, anxiety, self-harm, anger, coping with bullying, friendships and eating or image problems. It is the gateway to many different early support options and recommendations are made for the most suitable form of support for each case.
Referrals are usually made by family members, schools or GPs. Young people are also able to self-refer for support. See more information and contact details.
You can also find updates and information on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmotionalHealthAcademy
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Additionally, Kooth, a free online counselling and emotional well-being support service, is available to 11-18 year olds in West Berkshire. Young people can access this service anonymously by signing onto the Kooth website. Kooth provides counselling, moderated forums, self-help resources and peer led support. See www.kooth.com for further information and to sign up.
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The West Berkshire Directory also provides details of local services who can support West Berkshire residents of all ages, including services for counselling, bereavement, SEND, Young Carers and many more. See: https://directory.westberks.gov.uk/
If your concerns are serious, urgent or complex in nature, please contact the Children, Young People and Families Health Hub on 0300 365 1234.
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