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 A new report proposes that the Local Plan Review is withdrawn and replaced.
It follows concerns from our new administration about the level of development in green spaces, and specifically in north-east Thatcham and Theale. Instead, the preference is for more of a spread across the district which focuses on new developments within existing town and village boundaries.
The move delivers on a commitment made in the Council Strategy, adopted in September, which commits to revising the Local Plan. You can read more about the background to this proposal and why we are making it on our website.
Councillors will vote on the proposal next week. The Extraordinary Council meeting will begin at 7pm on Tuesday 19 December. It is open to the public to attend in person at the Council's offices in Market Street, Newbury or to stream live or on demand on YouTube.
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Budget Consultation drop in sessions |
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 Our next Budget Consultation drop in session will be next Wednesday, 20 December at 5:30pm at Kennet Leisure Centre. The drop in session is an opportunity to find out more about the consultations and ask any questions you may have.
Councillor Lee Dillon, Leader of West Berkshire Council and Councillor Iain Cottingham, Executive Member for Finance, will be at the Leisure Centre to answer questions and talk through the consultations with you. You can find the consultations online.
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 Get ready for a sleigh-load of joy! This Christmas, we're spreading the cheer with FREE bus travel across West Berkshire on select Saturdays in December!
Save the dates:
- Saturday 16 December
- Saturday 23 December
Hop on and off all day, within West Berkshire for free PLUS if you request a return ticket ticket from the driver when boarding, your return journey is FREE too!
 Don’t forget that your bin collection dates will change over the Christmas period. General rubbish (black bin) will be collected a few days later than usual over the festive period but you can find your collection date here on our website. You’ll also receive a handy bin hanger on your bin over the next few weeks from our crew with the Christmas dates printed on it – handy to keep on the fridge as a reminder.
In addition, garden waste will not be collected from Monday 25 December until Monday 8 January. Garden waste collections will resume as planned on Tuesday 9 January. This two-week period will free up more drivers and operatives to ensure your rubbish, recycling and food waste service continues as scheduled throughout the busy Christmas period and into the New Year.
If you subscribe to the garden waste collection service, you can get your real Christmas tree collected. Please put it out with your garden waste bin for collection between Tuesday 9 January until Friday 2 February. Trees over 4 feet must be cut in half. Please remove all lights, decorations, and pots.
If you don't subscribe to the garden waste collection service, you can take your Christmas tree to one of our household waste recycling centres. Please make sure to book an appointment before you visit.
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Keep up to date on road closures in your area by using the map of roadworks, including those of utility companies, on our website to plan your journeys. Click the link below for more information.
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Our Libraries have topped the Summer Reading Challenge tables in the South East for the third year in a row! This year, 21% of children in West Berkshire took part, 10% above the South East average, and over 1000 new library members were welcomed.
It’s free to join and borrow books from West Berkshire Libraries for all people living, working, or studying in West Berkshire. There are also e-books and e-audiobooks available to borrow for free. All details, including current library opening hours, can be found here.
 We’d like to remind you that we’ll be starting major refurbishment works on Aldermaston Wharf Lifting Bridge, from 8 January to 15 March 2024, which means that the A340 will be closed while the work is being done.
The canal will be closed from 8 - 14 January 2024 to allow the removal of the bascule and then again, from 26 February - 15 March 2024 to allow the bascule to be reinstalled.
Alternative routes have been identified and will be clearly signposted to facilitate the movement of vehicles and pedestrians during the closure period. You can find more information on the closure online.
On December 9, Greenham's community joined forces to plant a diverse orchard at Pigeon’s Farm Road.
Spearheaded by Councillor Billy Drummond and supported by the Greener Greenham Group, apple, pear, quince, and cherry trees now stand as symbols of the community's dedication to biodiversity and carbon sequestration. Greenham Scouts, Parish Councillors, and Friends of the Earth provided great assistance on the day.
Orchard planting is identified in the Council’s Environment Strategy as an effective way to not only promise future yields, but also contribute vital pollen and nectar for local pollinators, enhancing the area's ecosystem.
Councillor Billy Drummond expressed excitement for the blossoms and fruits to come, thanking the resilient volunteers who weathered the elements. For more on Countryside Community Involvement, visit our website.
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Anyone can watch our Council and Committee meetings in person at our Market Street offices in Newbury and live on our YouTube channel to view the important decisions made by Councillors on issues such as planning, waste and schools.
Upcoming public meetings include:
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The public are invited to a webinar to ask questions of leading specialists about the latest research into treatment and management of depression.
Professors Michael Browning and Barney Dunn from the University of Oxford University of Essex respectively, will take questions in an online ‘ask the expert’ event on Tuesday 16 January from 7pm to 8pm.
Attendees can ask their questions in advance or during the event in the text box provided. Guests must sign up in advance here. Those unable to attend can provide their email address using the form to be sent a link to a recording of the event.
 There are over 200 children in care in West Berkshire, could you help just one this Christmas?
You can make a difference even if you can offer just one day a week or month. Find out more about fostering in West Berkshire here.
 Cantemus, a small chamber choir based in Newbury, will be giving a concert of old and new festive music in the Great Hall at Shaw House to get you into the Christmas spirit this Friday, 15 December.
The programme will include music that tells the Christmas story from advent to epiphany along with an opportunity for the audience to join in with some of the well-known pieces. There will also be some Christmas readings, including extracts from Thomas Hardy’s ‘Under The Greenwood Tree’ followed by traditional Christmas carols – the perfect way to prepare you for the Christmas festivities. The café will be open, serving mulled wine and mince pies, plus wine, local beer and cider.
Doors open at 7pm, with the performance starting at 7.30pm – 9pm. You can book online here with adults costing £12 and children £6.
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Festive photography in West Berkshire |
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 We thought you’d enjoy this lovely festive photo of Boris, the gorgeous Exmoor pony making friends with a snowman, taken by Equine Portrait Photographer, Rose Lewis.
It also seemed timely to cast our minds back to our great project in 2005 that brought a whole herd of Exmoor’s to Snelsmore Common, then onto Greenham Common. Allowing the establishment of ‘satellite’ herds of this rare native breed is an insurance in case disease ever decimated the parent population on Exmoor.
The Exmoor’s are super cute, but they also had a special job to do that was essential to maintaining the Common’s. When they arrived, they shared their space with a herd of Dexter cattle (yes, really!). The Dexter’s ate the softer foliage such as heather and the Exmoor’s complimented their work by keeping the woodier vegetation, such as birch and gorse, under control in a way in keeping with the natural cycle of the commons. They’re also very hardy, so don’t need winter feeding or artificial shelter.
As the number of commoners exercising their grazing rights at Greenham Common increased, some of the Exmoor’s have been adopted to keep their numbers manageable. Boris now lives happily with Councillor Janine Lewis, our Executive Portfolio Holder for Public Health, Culture, Leisure, Sport and Countryside.
And finally...
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