 Cyclists and pedestrians welcome as new road opens
We've opened the southern half of Nine Mile Ride Extension, which has a footway and cycleway along both sides, to improve access for everyone through the Arborfield Garrison major development.
This runs between the A327 Eversley Road roundabout to the west and the junction with Park Lane to the east, forming a 2km route to help residents travel to local amenities and further afield.
Where possible, we hope as many journeys as possible will be made on foot, or by bicycle or bus. We have lots of other measures in the pipeline to make this safer and more convenient, both in this area and across the borough.
The project was funded and partly built by developers building new homes in the area, under legal agreements we reached when we awarded planning permission, so it isn’t coming from our finances.
Our contractor Balfour Beatty worked on the southern half while the northern half, which was completed and opened some time ago, was provided by the developers. We thank everyone who helped us bring this complex scheme to a successful finish.
 Energy efficient leisure centre nominated for award
We're delighted that our flagship Carnival Hub, has been named as a finalist for Development of the Year at the Thames Valley Property Awards, which take place later today (Wednesday, 16 November).
The multi-million pound hub, which is home to a leisure centre and library, opened in July. It represented our desire to provide one of the most energy efficient leisure centres in the UK and a vast improvement on the old site in Wellington Road.
Its features include solar panels, air source heat pumps on the roof and significantly improved insulation. These saw a huge 87 per cent reduction of carbon emissions per square metre in use by:
- Improving the thermal performance
- Managing external glazing to balance user activity with solar gains and heat loss
- Reducing the area of external fabric and the building volume
 Gorse Ride roads lead to bloom
Our Gorse Ride affordable housing regeneration is underway in Finchampstead, and attention has started to turn to naming the four new roads and five apartment blocks which will be built as part of the scheme.
Local schools were challenged to submit ideas for themes in a road naming competition. A community panel shortlisted the ideas down to three and residents of Gorse Ride were invited to vote for their favourite.
The theme ‘Flowers’ proved the most popular choice, receiving 57 per cent of the vote. Proposed by Class 6CB at Gorse Ride Junior School, this included ideas such as buttercup, sunflower, iris and foxglove.
The class received a surprise visit from Wokingham Borough Mayor Cllr Caroline Smith and representatives from Wates Residential, appointed contractor for the regeneration, who announced they had won the competition.
 Locations confirmed for new vehicle chargers
We’ve just announced the sites for dozens of new electric vehicle charging points which should encourage higher ownership when they are installed with Government funding - hopefully by next summer.
Twelve sites are residential streets, all five minutes’ walk from areas of high demand:
- William Heelas Way, Wokingham town, RG40 1RE
- Pigott Road, Wokingham town, RG41 1PY
- St Paul’s Gate, Wokingham town, RG41 2YP
- Station Road, Twyford, RG10 9NE
- Pitford Road, Woodley, RG5 4QF
- Bramshill Close, Arborfield, RG2 9PT
- Braybrooke Road, Wargrave, RG10 8DY
- Roycroft Lane, Finchampstead, RG40 4HW
- Chatsworth Avenue, Winnersh, RG51 5EW
- Westminster Way, Earley, RG6 4BZ
- Maiden Place community centre, Earley, RG6 3HE
- Wheble Drive, Woodley, RG5 3DU
The rest will go in our Denmark Street, Rose Street and Cockpit Path car parks, all in Wokingham town, Polehampton Close (West) in Twyford, Station Road in Earley and Crockhamwell Road and Headley Road in Woodley.
This will see an increase in charge points across our borough from just 30 in 2019 - and from the 175 or so that we currently have.
 Station path could put green ambitions on track
A new traffic-free walking and cycling route could be built between Twyford and Charvil if our bid for funding is successful.
We’re seeking a multi-million pound contribution towards the scheme from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund as part of our pledge to tackle air pollution and the climate emergency by making active travel easier.
This would go towards a 1.4km off-road route between Twyford railway station and Charvil via Charvil Country Park. Work would have to finish by March 2026 to meet funding requirements but the aim would be to finish sooner.
The route could form part of a proposed link between Twyford and the borough’s western boundary at Palmer Park via Charvil and Woodley, including a proposed section from Woodley to Reading which we’re considering revised designs for.
We’re looking to improve links across the borough as part of our draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, a long-term vision that we’ll be publishing soon.
 Shaping libraries' futures and looking back with pride
We're seeking your views on our libraries service as we look at how they serve residents across the borough in the future.
Libraries are an integral part of our communities, so it's vital that we understand how they can best meet your needs. We've launched a survey which is open on our Engage Wokingham Borough page until Monday, 5 December.
We'd like to know what you think our priorities should be, and whether there are any specific areas you would like to see changed or improved.
Meanwhile, we've held lots of fun events to mark the 35th anniversary of the opening of Lower Earley Library next Wednesday (23 November), with more to come.
There's a charity quiz and raffle at 6.30pm next Tuesday and a birthday party and charity coffee morning from 10.30am next Thursday. Visit this page for more.
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