 Gathering support for a fairer deal on housing
We’re keeping up pressure on the Government to reduce the number of new homes that the borough is being forced to take - and to reform national planning rules to put more power in local hands.
The council leader Cllr Clive Jones, chief executive Susan Parsonage and other council representatives recently met the former prime minister and MP for Maidenhead Theresa May to seek her support for our call for a planning system that works for local communities.
Cllr Jones has also written to Greg Clark MP, who is responsible for the system as the Government’s new housing minister, urging him to honour his predecessor Michael Gove’s commitment to visit the borough and discuss this urgent issue in person.
Mr Gove promised to visit when he met Cllr Jones at this year's Local Government Association annual conference in Harrogate, but has since been replaced.
 More time to comment on walking and cycling routes
We've extended the consultation on our Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan until Sunday, 4 September, so there's still time to share your thoughts on our suggestions to improve the borough's active travel links.
It's been running since 11 July and we've had thousands of responses since then, after publicising it widely across all our platforms. However, we still want to make absolutely sure that everybody's had the chance to have their say before the summer holidays end.
The plan is a "high level" one so these are just ideas for now - we won't go ahead with anything until we've consulted you in more depth. Nonetheless, we need this plan in place to help us get Government funding in years to come and your comments will help us make sure we're on the right track.
Please take a look at our proposals, which may be viewed by area:
- Shinfield
- Easthampstead Road, Wokingham
- Finchampstead Road, Wokingham
- London Road, Wokingham
- Spencers Wood
- Lower Earley Way
- Wargrave
- Barkham Road, Wokingham to Arborfield
- A4 Bath Road, Earley to Twyford/Wargrave
- Observer Way, Arborfield
- Woodley
- Oxford Road, Wokingham
- Wokingham to Bracknell Greenway
- Reading Road, Reading borough boundary (Earley) to Wokingham
- Twyford
- Nightingale Road, Woodley
- Church Road/Woodlands Avenue, Earley/Woodley
- Winnersh
- Draft borough-wide walking network
- Draft borough-wide cycling network
 Harvest solar energy to support allotments
We recently launched an innovative project to provide an allotment with sustainable power and further reduce our reliance on more harmful energy sources.
The site is located off Ifould Crescent on the Montague Park estate in Wokingham town. Two solar panels have been installed to harvest energy from the sun and transfer it to high-density batteries for storage. These supply four electrical points and two USB sockets inside and outside a tool shed, providing power 24 hours a day.
The system uses no energy from outside sources and supports the allotment in many ways, such as powering a communal rechargeable lawnmower and other power tools, allowing residents to power a communal kettle for social gatherings and recharge their mobile phones.
As well as solar energy, the allotments will soon have compostable toilets which discharge waste into the ground where it safely decomposes without using power, a water connection or chemicals.
 First of its kind micro-library comes to Shinfield
The School Green Centre in Shinfield has a new addition following the arrival of a micro-library.
The self-service facility is open seven days a week and has about 2,000 books for adults and children to enjoy. At the micro library, you can borrow and return books, but you will still need to visit one of our larger libraries for the full range of services.
It is the first time we’ve opened anything like this, though we also have larger libraries in Finchampstead, Lower Earley, Spencers Wood, Twyford, Wargrave, Winnersh, Wokingham and Woodley, along with our pop-up library in Arborfield.
The library is adjoined to the Robyn’s Nest Café and is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays. You can borrow a book and take it home with you, or enjoy reading it at the centre.
 Improving leisure facilities
Our decision-making executive has approved proposals to deliver our Leisure Strategy for 2021-25.
Improvements at The Forest School
The proposal includes using Section 106 funding, or money paid by housing developers for new or improved amenities, to upgrade sports facilities at The Forest School in Winnersh.
This would bring in improvements to the swimming pool floor, a refurbishment of the gym with the installation of air conditioning, enhancement of gym equipment and equipment for sports pitches.
The gym upgrade is expected to cost £133,000 and the swimming pool improvements are expected to cost £74,000. £1,000 has been allocated for new equipment for the sports pitches.
New artificial pitch proposed
A new artificial 3G pitch for the borough is also proposed, subject to planning permission, Football Foundation funding and public consultation.
This would address a shortfall in provision and cater for demand from affiliated football clubs and the local community, as identified by the Football Foundation.
Laurel Park in Earley had been considered as a site, but a technical appraisal has since taken place to include this option and five others.
These are all in Earley and include Maiden Erlegh School, Chalfont Park, Lower Earley Events Field, the field next to Sindlesham Mill and Meredith Way.
The technical appraisal identified Maiden Erlegh School as the most suitable location but no decision will be made until a full public consultation is held in September.
The cost of the 3G pitch with associated works is around £800,000. We'd contribute £300,000 and the Football Foundation would contribute £500,000.
 Wokingham Library set to open at Carnival Hub
Following on from the opening of the new Wokingham Leisure Centre in July, we're excited to announce the new Wokingham Library will be opening at the Carnival Hub on Monday 19 September at 1.30pm.
The new library, which is moving from its current home on Denmark Street, is set to become a focal point for the local community. There will be all the current favourite spaces such as browsing areas for books and resources, access to computers and a fantastic children’s area with lots of fun seating and space to relax.
There will be space for exhibitions and displays as well as larger meetings rooms which can be combined into one big space for events. There'll also be areas for those wishing to study or carry out research in the library, including group study spaces and a bank of individual study booths to give people more privacy if desired.
There'll also be lots of soft seating and breakout areas with tables and chairs for those looking to relax while they read, along with a new area specially designed for teens to enjoy.
In order to move everything across to the Carnival Hub, the existing Denmark Street library will close on Saturday 3 September at 4pm, before opening again at the Hub on 19 September.
During the fortnight that Wokingham Library is closed, members will be able to use other libraries across the borough, as well as access the library digital services as usual, which includes thousands of online newspapers, magazines e-books and audiobooks you can download for free.
Find out more about the libraries' digital services. Overdue charges will also be suspended at Wokingham Library during the closure for the move.
 Primary school to expand capacity
The Keys Academy Trust, which runs Alder Grove Primary School in Shinfield, is pleased to announce that it is expanding from one to two classes in Year 3 for September 2023.
The Church of England school, which opened in 2020 to serve new homes in the area, is inviting prospective parents to attend a series of open events in November and December or early next year.
Its Parent/Carer Staff Association is also thanking everyone who helped to make its recent summer fayre an enormous success, raising more than £4,000 to support pupils through developing the outdoor play and learning areas.
The event was well attended with activities including face painting, a bouncy castle, track ride, raffle, coconut shy, cup pong, hook a duck, beat the goalie and much more as well as stalls selling food and other goodies.
The school was funded by legal agreements with developers as part of their planning permission to build new housing in the parish.
 Museum building almost ready for handover
The British Museum's plans to open a new Archaeological Research Centre at the Thames Valley Science Park in Shinfield are about to take an important step forward.
The single-storey hub, designed by architect John McAslan + Partners, is set to be handed over to the museum this month and the shelving to hold items from its collection will be installed almost immediately afterwards.
The first artefacts will be moved over from London early next year, before the museum's existing storage facility at Blythe House closes. They will include a range of ancient sculptures, mosaics, groups of related items and historic casts.
The local community, including school pupils and heritage organisations, will be able to visit the centre by appointment and it will also be accessible to students and academics. We'll let you know when an opening date is confirmed.
A major centre for culture and academia
The Natural History Museum also hopes to open a new archiving and digitisation centre at the science park, which is owned by the University of Reading.
It would move more than 27 million specimens, about one-third of its collection, and open a specialist hub that would allow it to share its data with scientists around the world - in turn helping a range of projects to tackle world hunger, climate change and other threats to the planet.
This would hopefully open in 2026, subject to planning permission.
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