 New traffic-free route will make active travel easier
Work is under way on the latest phase of our greenways scheme – a network of mostly traffic-free routes to improve active travel to key destinations in the borough.
The latest section of this project will cross Woosehill Meadows in Wokingham town as part of a route linking Cantley Park to the north with Arborfield Cross to the west.
It should mostly finish by early August, with further works including a new bridge over the Emm Brook at the northern end of Woosehill Meadows expected in the autumn.
The finished route will run from Heron Road to Bearwood Road via woodland at Fox Hill, then along Coombes Lane and Coles Lane with a new bridge at Coles Lane ford.
We plan to build eight greenways over the next decade or so and opened the first, running from Arborfield to Finchampstead through California County Park, in 2020.
It's part of our goal to get people out of their cars and travelling actively to reduce air pollution, help tackle the climate emergency and help everyone live more healthily.
 Roads to serve new housing will open soon
We're close to opening the final sections of our North Wokingham Distributor Road and Nine Mile Ride Extension projects, which will serve new housing at the borough's North Wokingham and Arborfield major developments respectively.
A section of the former at Ashridge Farm, between Bell Foundry Lane and Dalley Road, has been shut since it was built last year because of the volume of housebuilding traffic accessing a nearby site.
We're still in talks with the developers and hope to open this very soon, even if we have to use traffic management measures like a single lane closure at first.
Meanwhile, the southern half of Nine Mile Ride Extension between the Bohunt School entrance and the new Park Lane roundabout is mostly built but there are still some minor works to finish before it welcomes traffic.
We've had a lot of queries about these, so we know there's strong interest and we're doing everything we can to open them as soon as possible.
We hope to make further announcements before the next Infrastructure newsletter and these will appear in our Traffic and Travel and Residents' Round Up newsletters - which you can sign up to using the button below.
 Fighting for fairer housing numbers
We've stepped up our campaign to change how housing is planned nationally - and to reduce the number of new homes which the Government is forcing us to take.
Our new leader Clive Jones is meeting local MPs to drum up support and ensure that your voice is heard at Westminster. He is also calling for a meeting with Michael Gove MP, who is responsible for the planning system as housing minister.
Wokingham MP Sir John Redwood has raised the matter in Parliament since meeting Cllr Jones - who has also met James Sunderland, Theresa May and Matt Rodda, respectively MPs for Bracknell, Maidenhead and Reading East.
Under the current formula, set by the Government, we've got to plan for 781 new homes per year. Cllr Jones says this is unreasonably high and puts undue pressure on both our infrastructure and the environment.
Since 2001, the number of households in Wokingham borough has increased by more than 20 per cent from 58,000 to 71,000.
 Museum planning Shinfield 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 we award 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 could be built by 2026 and would be designed to high levels of sustainability and energy efficiency. It would meet international collection standards, preventing the items from detoriating as their existing storage is no longer suitable.
The centre would also 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 problems like climate change.
Once we receive a planning application, you'll have a chance to share your thoughts. The British Museum also has planning consent for an Archaelogical Research Centre at the science park and work on this is still progressing.
Image courtesy of the Natural History Museum's trustees.
 Community assets could be leased for longer
We might double the length of our community asset transfers from 30 to 60 years.
Community asset transfers are a process in which community groups, along with town and parish councils, can take over publicly-owned land or buildings to improve them and encourage continued use.
Current examples include East Park Farm Pavilion and Park in Charvil, Bummoor allotments in Finchampstead and Church Hill open space, Martineau Lane Park and play area and Tape Lane Allotments, all in Hurst.
Our decision-making executive will decide whether to adopt this new period when it meets tomorrow (30 June). It's being considered after people told us a longer lease would offer more security to justify investments, in turn benefiting residents.
A report to the executive by officers recommends the increase. If it goes ahead, town and parish councils would be alerted and invited to submit proposals for possible community asset transfers.
 Bird's eye view of new Cantley Park play area
If you haven't already visited our new play area at Cantley Park in Wokingham town, we hope this stunning new aerial video will tempt you to visit soon!
The £450,000 facility, which opened earlier this year, has all kinds of state-of-the-art interactive kit including a football wall, DJ booth and a dance arch that suggests moves through a built-in speaker.
It was designed in partnership with Jupiter Play & Leisure and features kit by Yalp Interactive. It's laid out in zones to allow children and teenagers of all ages and ability levels to play together.
While you're there be sure to check out the Cantley Park Café, which is now running to longer summer opening hours.
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