 Natural History Museum plans science park move
The Natural History Museum has announced its plans to open a major research hub at Thames Valley Science Park, to the south of the M4 in Shinfield parish, in partnership with the University of Reading.
As long as the council awards planning permission, this Government-funded facility would house some 27 million specimens following the biggest move from the museum's collection in well over a century.
The building would be designed to high levels of sustainability and energy efficiency and meet international collection standards, preventing the items from detoriating as their existing storage conditions are no longer suitable.
These specimens, none of which are currently on display, range from microscopic organisms that can live in space and samples from the ocean floor to decades-old archive documents and the remains of large mammals like whales.
They include barnacles studied by Charles Darwin, who developed the theory of evolution, and the head of a megaloceros (pictured above, images courtesy of the museum's trustees), a type of deer that lived in the Ice Ages.
 Helping to build a more resilient future
The centre would have a digitisation facility, allowing the museum to speed up the process of sharing its data with scientists around the world and, it says, helping them find solutions to the problems facing our planet.
In recent years, its vast library of knowledge has helped to find wheat crops that are more resistant to climate change and investigate how Covid-19 could have crossed over from animals to people.
If the scheme gets the go-ahead, it could be built by 2026 with substantial investment from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as part of a drive to ensure the nation leads the way in research.
The museum will be required to seek your views before it submits a planning application and, if this comes forward, you'll get another chance to have your say as part of our consultation process.
 A thriving high-tech and creative community
The British Museum is still progressing its plans for an Archaeological Research Centre, a specialist unit housing thousands of ancient artefacts like sculptures and mosaics for viewing by appointment, at Thames Valley Science Park.
It has carried out some work on surrounding roads to improve access and we'll keep you updated on the next steps over the coming months.
The science park is also home to the Cine Valley project, a major international film and television production hub including Shinfield Studios (pictured above - photo credit), which is under construction with the groundwork almost complete.
Planning permission was granted last year for the scheme, which will have 18 sound stages and will count Disney among its clients when finished. It is already hosting regular workshops on careers in the creative industries for residents.
The park is owned and run by the University of Reading, which won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize last year for its work on climate change, and was created as part of our major development at Shinfield parish.
This is one of four new communities established under our Local Plan, which covers the period from 2010 to 2026 and outlines where new homes and supporting amenities should be built.
 New beauty spot welcomes residents and wildlife
There's a new nature park at the Parklands development, off Basingstoke Road in Three Mile Cross.
This 1.6-hectare green space has been well planted with trees and hedges alongside the existing hedgerow to the north and there are also footpaths with bridges plus two drainage ponds which form a wet grassland area.
The new vegetation needed time to grow before the park could open, but now it is a haven for a variety of species including bats, birds, stag beetles, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians.
It was provided by developers building new homes in the area, which was required as a condition of the planning permission for the housing, and we'll take over management of the site soon.
Work is also continuing to expand Langley Mead nature park, to the south of Shinfield village, from 18 hectares to 40 hectares. This will include a car park, footpaths, seating and information boards.
The other nature parks in Shinfield parish are The Ridge, May's Farm Meadows, Five Acre Field and Clares Green Field. All six form a substantial green corridor between Three Mile Cross, Spencers Wood and Shinfield village.
Across the borough more than a dozen nature parks have opened alongside new housing, covering more than 120 hectares - about the size of 170 football pitches.
 More sports facilities on the horizon
Contractors for Taylor Wimpey have started laying out an extra football pitch with a car park on land to the east of Ryeish Green Sports Hub, off Hyde End Lane.
As with the hub itself, which has an all-weather artificial pitch (pictured above) and two turf pitches plus much more inside and outside, the developer must provide this under a legal agreement secured alongside planning permission for housing.
It'll take a while for the land to settle before it can be used, but this great addition will hopefully prove popular. We're also pleased to let you know that drainage has been improved at the existing playing fields.
If you haven't visited the sports hub before, you can now take a virtual tour on its website before reading more about what's on offer.
Meanwhile, the University of Reading has sought detailed planning permission for sport pitches at High Copse Common, also off Hyde End Lane, under another agreement linked to housing development.
This scheme, which already has outline permission, could be used as either one cricket field or two football pitches. A separate application for a cricket pavilion is expected to follow if the first application is approved.
 Garden centre set to bloom after major overhaul
An extensive redevelopment of the Dobbies garden centre at Shinfield has been granted planning permission, subject to a legal agreement.
The owners wanted to demolish the existing buildings and merge them into one new building while improving parking, landscaping and access (full plan, including site map, on our planning portal).
Their plans, which they say they'll carry out in stages to avoid disrupting trade, include a new café area plus a children's soft play area and veterinary surgery.
There'll be a new staggered right turn onto the site to improve safety as well as a new cycle way along the front. Dobbies says the scheme will almost double the number of staff from 28 to 53.
Every member of the council's planning committee backed the idea when it met to decide it, while several residents wrote letters of support.
This summer, we're expecting a supermarket operator to apply for permission to open a branch at the district centre in Shinfield village.
We know you're keen to see this happen, so we're doing all we can to bring it forward quickly and we'll let you know as soon as we have more news.
 Green light nears for road improvements
Improvements to the junction of Church Lane and Basingstoke Road in Three Mile Cross will hopefully start this summer.
The work will be carried out under a legal agreement by housing developers, who will be changing the existing mini-roundabout to a signalised junction. We're now in talks with the developers to ensure this begins as soon as possible.
We're also planning traffic calming measures near this section of Basingstoke Road, with the exact details to be confirmed soon. We'll keep you posted on this too.
These are among the many schemes we're providing across the borough alongside the arrival of new homes, ensuring residents and businesses enjoy improved infrastructure - including bus services and walking and cycling routes.
We also promote these alternatives through our My Journey Wokingham team, which advises residents of all ages on travelling in a healthier, more sustainable way.
 School fayre - save the date
The Parent/Carer Staff Association at Alder Grove Church of England Primary School in Shinfield village will be hosting a summer fayre from 12pm until 5pm on Saturday 9 July, with more details to be announced nearer the time.
The school opened in September 2020 and was funded by contributions from housing developers as part of the Shinfield Meadows development.
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