West Berkshire Council Environment News

West Berkshire Council sent this bulletin at 26-08-2021 12:30 PM BST

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West Berkshire Energy Switch – Sign up to see if you can save

West Berkshire residents are being invited to sign up for the autumn West Berkshire Collective Energy Switch and save on their energy bills.

The scheme runs in partnership with iChoosr. Big Community Switch offers a no obligation collective energy switching scheme which gives people the opportunity to group together and pay less for their energy.

Approximately 12,400 households in West-Berkshire have registered for the scheme since it started, saving in total £701,745 and additionally enabling them access to renewable energy. Switchers in the last auction saved 112 tonnes of CO₂ by switching to renewable energy.

Find out more here

Join us in celebrating the Great Big Green Week

This year's Great Big Green Week is running 18-26 September and there are many events taking place across the district to celebrate. Check out the website here and search for events taking place in West Berkshire. We will be sending out a special newsletter covering the local events in September so keep an eye out in your inbox.

We will also be launching new exciting projects during this week so keep an eye on our social media pages to find out more. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see the announcements.

If you would like to help run an event for the Great Big Green Week, get in touch with your local Parish Council or green group and we can help spread awareness of your event across West Berkshire.

Have your say on our Bus Survey

By the end of October 2021, we are expected to submit our Bus Services Improvement Plan (BSIP) to the Department for Transport. The BSIP will outline how we at the Council, alongside bus operators, can achieve the overarching goal of the National Bus Strategy, which is to increase bus patronage, both to restore it to its pre-pandemic level and thereafter boost it to raise the buses' share of the market. In order to achieve this, we have decided to put together a survey for residents asking for your views on the current local bus services in West Berkshire, and if you have any suggestions for possible improvements.

To take part, please read the consultation document first and then complete the online survey by midnight on Monday 30 August 2021. The more response we have to the survey, the better our Bus Services Improvement Plan will be for local residents, businesses and the economy.

School Streets pilot to start in Calcot

A Schools Streets pilot gets underway in Calcot in September to improve children’s journeys to and from school.

In order to reduce congestion, improve air quality and make it both easier and safer to walk to school, vehicles will be unable to drive near Calcot Infant and Junior school at either end of the school day. It’s a pilot scheme which, if successful, could be rolled out to other schools across West Berkshire.

Elsewhere in the country Schools Streets projects have shown that traffic outside schools has reduced on average by 68%, children cycling to school has increased by 51% and harmful vehicle pollution outside schools was down by almost three-quarters.

From Wednesday 2nd September, vehicles will be prohibited from driving down Curtis Road and Gatcombe Close, and Royal Avenue (Garston Avenue to 10m east of the Curtis Road junction). This will apply between 8.15am to 9.15am and 2.30m to 3.30pm on weekdays.

Safer Steps - update on our free children's road safety learning

We are pleased to announce that we have added another chapter to Safer Steps. Chapter 6 covers Active Travel and, like the other modules, contains interactive content and a downloadable summary at the end with extra activities to help children better remember the learning content.

Parents, get your children road safety ready to return to school by accessing our FREE online comics

Safer Steps - Key Stage 2 (Year 3 & 4)

Road Rangers - Key Stage 1 (Year 1 &2)

Username: Westberkshire

Password: Saf3rst3ps201920

The first “s” in the password is in capitals. The password is case sensitive

Recycled asphalt used for A4 road maintenance

During recent road maintenance on the A4, 2.88km of road was resurfaced using 'warm' asphalt comprised of 8% recycled asphalt from old road schemes. This material is manufactured at lower temperatures and also saves 2.4 kg per tonne of carbon compared to conventional asphalt.

We also trialled asphalt with 30% recycled materials for a smaller section of the road and will be using the results to influence what materials we use in the future to resurface our district roads.

Additional benefits of using recycled asphalt include quicker resurfacing time, which results in reduced disruption, noise, and decreased costs.

Newbury welcomes new car club operator to the town

We have joined forces with Enterprise Car Club to bring an exciting new transport service to Newbury.

Residents, visitors, and businesses in the town can now join Britain’s largest privately held car club with the arrival of Enterprise Car Club. New electric and hybrid vehicles are sited at six locations in Newbury and available from a low cost per hour – more on the car club benefits can be found online.

Membership of Enterprise Car Club gives users access to a growing network of more than 1,400 on-street low emission, hybrid and electric vehicles at Enterprise Car Club locations in 180 cities, towns and communities across the UK. Many Enterprise Car Club vehicles are located at transport hubs including cars parked within 500 metres of 180 railway stations.

If you have a Newbury postcode or membership of a previous car club, we currently have some limited time offers available:

Join for £1, plus get £10 FREE driving credit, using promotional code NEW110, saving new members with a Newbury postcode £59. This offer expires on 19 November 2022 but promotional T&Cs apply
Join for FREE, plus get £25 FREE driving credit, when joining from a previous Car Club provider and reside in West Berkshire, using promotion code NEW025 but promotional T&Cs apply
Discounts available for members of the Armed Forces, NHS and Emergency Services

Find out more here

Be safe around water this summer

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is urging the public to ‘respect the water’, after a surge in the number of accidental drownings during the recent heatwave. RoSPA's advice is to go swimming at properly-supervised sites, such as beaches, lidos or swimming pools.

In addition the RoSPA advises the public to follow local safety guidance and to exercise caution if drinking alcohol near water.

While temptation to jump into lakes, rivers and the sea is strong, water temperatures are considerably lower than in heated swimming pools. Many people aren’t prepared for the shock and blood rush that the cold causes and their arms and legs become useless and they can’t swim out of danger.

Swimming in and against a current is equally dangerous. Even shallow water, if it’s moving fast enough, it can knock people over and carry them away. Often rivers and lakes don’t have exits and there can be hazards such as obstructions in the water which you cannot see such as waterfalls or weirs.

The public are also reminded by RoSPA to ‘float to live’ if they find themselves getting into trouble in the water and to follow these steps: lean back and use your arms and legs to help you float, then get control of your breathing before calling for help or swimming to safety.

Find more water safety information here

Last chance: green grants for tradespeople training

Tradespeople can apply for free or subsidised training in home energy retrofitting and low carbon heat installation.

The training is designed to get tradespeople professionally trained to deliver the government’s current and future energy efficiency schemes.

Some schemes have already finished but you have until 30 September to complete available training.

Find out more here

Local bus service changes

From 31 August 2021 there will be some changes to your local bus services in West Berkshire. The timetables for routes operating in Newbury and surrounding areas will change, many of these changes will improve reliability for your journeys. Stagecoach, Reading Buses and Thames Travel are also changing timetables for some of their services in West Berkshire. You can contact operators directly for further information and our website will provide updates.

Update from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust:

Greenham Common bird walk

BBOWT spokesman Pete Hughes said:

Our Greenham Common bird walks are a fantastic way to safely discover this beautiful reserve and its wonderful wildlife, and getting close to nature is a great tonic for our mental health.

The Common’s fragile and threatened heathland provides a habitat for some of Britain’s rarest ground-nesting birds, including nightjar, woodlark and Dartford warbler, which is what makes it such an exciting place to visit – but those birds’ nests can be easily disturbed or damaged if we’re not careful. That’s why these guided walks, led by our chosen expert naturalists, are a great way to explore the reserve safely while also getting the most out of your visit. Photo of Goldfinch courtesy of Neil Aldridge.

BBOWT volunteer Graeme Stewart, who led the August walk, said:

On 11 August, we took a stroll around the common visiting various habitats. We managed to see a couple of stonechat - a resident on the common - a small flock of goldfinch with their young and a few linnets. We had good views of a hovering kestrel and red kite circulating around and a couple of swallows flying over. A small flock of starling were a observed on the Control Tower roof masts. A few butterflies were seen - meadow browns and gatekeeper amongst others, and there was the occasional damselfly and dragonfly seen, and of course many wild flowers. My assistant Ray Edwards was able to give a brief history of the common, particularly the American involvement during WWII and after.

As regards to the forthcoming walks in September and October we would hopefully see some of the returning migrants such as wheatear and yellow wagtail amongst others, and returning flocks of swallows and martins. These walks are usually held on the second Wednesday in the month and all are welcome.

Book onto the next walk here - 8 September

Wild Verges in West Berkshire

The West Berkshire Wild Verges Project is going strong. We currently have 18 volunteers out surveying, as well as some members of BBOWT staff. There's already been good uptake from Parish and West Berkshire Councillors for advice on how to manage verges better for wildlife.

Due to the later cutting of verges this year there are still wildflowers blooming in abundance: species such Marjoram, Wild Basil and Common Toadflax providing a very important late-summer nectar source that regular mowing would deplete or remove. With the poor weather earlier in the summer, butterflies, hoverflies, bumblebees and others are finally getting a chance to proliferate and having access to abundant, reliable food from these later-flowering plants is a real life saver!

If there are any nice verges that you know of in West Berkshire - either still in flower or that were impressive earlier in the year - please let us know by emailing the Project Officer, Simon Claybourn at simon_c@bbowt.org.uk

Greenham Common Seasonal Wardens Aug 2021

The warm then wet weather in recent months has facilitated an amazing display of wild flowers on Greenham Common this year which has been enjoyed by many. We’re also looking forward to the spectacular display of Autumn lady’s tresses orchids which should appear in the next few weeks.

The breeding season has now finished for most bird species although the nightjar which make their nests on the ground in amongst the heather, may still be feeding young through until early September. With clearer signage leading to better understanding of the need to protect ground nesting birds, most species have done well this year including the iconic little Dartford Warblers. So, thank you to all those who have kept to the paths in order to protect Greenham’s special wildlife.

Update from North Wessex Downs AONB:

New Colour Guide available for anybody thinking of building in the North Wessex Downs AONB

A new environmental colour assessment – or ‘Colour Guide’ – is now available to help anybody planning any development in the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Describing and analysing the natural colours in the different types of landscape within the North Wessex Downs, the Colour Guide highlights what it is that makes this area so special. It will help to create sympathetic development which, in turn, will contribute to conserving and enhancing, rather than detracting from, the beauty of the AONB. The guide can be used by landowners, property owners, developers, agents, architects and planners to help inform development proposals at an early stage.

North Wessex Downs AONB commissioned the Colour Guide, with the support of the area’s local authorities including West Berkshire Council, in response to a significant increase in the amount and scale of development within the area in recent years. The guide is available to download or view here.

Don't forget...

We are encouraging our Parish and Town Councils to get involved in the Greening Campaign to support climate action in your local area. You can get in touch with your Councillors to find out what work they are doing. Check out the Greening Campaign here.
As part of this newsletter, we would like to take the opportunity to include any local environmental news or upcoming events taking place across the district. If you are part of a local green group and would like something included in upcoming newsletters, please let us know by emailing environment@westberks.gov.uk and we'll get in touch.