 Help make community centre the best it can be
Residents living in and near Arborfield Green can help us ensure the area's new community centre becomes a thriving and vibrant hub for everyone.
The former Ministry of Defence training building off Nine Mile Ride Extension is set to be refurbished and redesigned as part of a plan for a district centre with shops, green space, a pub and more.
We'd like to know what you think this community centre, which will be located near Arborfield Green Leisure Centre and other local sports facilities, should offer - whether that's a social space, a base for services and charities or more.
A planning application for the whole district centre is expected by the end of next month and this will include the community centre, which you can still influence by responding to our short and simple survey.
We're also talking to other organisations that might benefit - like parish councils, schools and community groups - to get a clearer picture and make sure everybody's views are counted.
There won't be an Infrastructure News next month because of restrictions on how we communicate before the local elections on 4 May.
The usual four-weekly schedule will resume with the next edition on Wednesday, 17 May. We look forward to sharing more with you then.
 Funding approved for two new SEND schools
Two new schools for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are set to open in the borough after the Department for Education approved our funding application.
The schools, which would each have about 100 places and be based at Rooks Nest Farm in Finchampstead and Gray’s Farm in Wokingham Without parish, could be ready by September 2026. We’ll be inviting trusts to apply to establish them.
They’ll join Addington School in Woodley and Chiltern Way Academy in Wokingham, as well as Oak Tree School in Winnersh (due to open September 2023) in offering specially tailored education, support and facilities.
This will help us meet increasing demand for specialist services and offer them nearer pupils’ homes. It'll save money on out-of-borough placements and help children to enjoy extracurricular activities and make friends who live nearby.
We're also consulting on proposals to increase the number of SEND spaces in the borough - please take the time to share your views.
 First bricks laid in major regeneration milestone
Our flagship regeneration scheme at Gorse Ride in Finchampstead has reached a major milestone after the first bricks were laid for the first 16 new homes.
Borough Mayor Cllr Caroline Smith and Cllr Stephen Conway, executive member for housing, led the ceremony which was also attended by our representatives and those from our contractor Wates and the Gorse Ride steering group.
Wates started the first wave of enabling works, which includes levelling the ground, laying foundations and digging trenches for services, in October.
The Gorse Ride regeneration will provide 249 new homes, of which 74 per cent will be affordable to meet growing local demand. Four will have accessible features like wheelchair access and adapted showers.
The new homes have been designed to be energy efficient with high levels of insulation and low carbon innovations like air source heat pumps to help reduce emissions and make them more affordable to heat.
 Pupils' autumnal artwork brings colour to community
Artwork created by school children at Nine Mile Ride and Gorse Ride Schools has been unveiled at the Gorse Ride site.
As part of an initiative to bring the community together, we and Wates organised art sessions for the children to take part in. These included autumnal themed artwork of leaves and hedgehogs and self-portraits.
The artworks are mounted on boarded fences around the site and will stay up throughout this phase of the project, transforming the community into a place where people can be proud to live, work, grow and study
It will unfold over many years and we'll continue to keep residents and the wider community informed as it moves forward.
 New woodland will commemorate Covid losses
We’ve agreed to plant a commemorative woodland honouring those who lost their lives in the coronavirus pandemic at Rooks Nest Farm in Finchampstead, with work hopefully starting in September to finish in early 2024.
The 7.7-hectare plot at the site’s south-eastern corner would become an extension of California Country Park to the south. It would be planted with about 6,600 native trees, plus additional wildflower seeding.
A sculpture or other memorial would be installed with two benches and footpaths, and the site would be in easy reach of our traffic-free greenway from Arborfield Green to Finchampstead which runs along the southern edge.
The scheme would count towards our goals to help the borough achieve net-zero carbon status by 2030, meet international Tree Cities of the World standards and convert 170 hectares of land to new woodland, hedgerows and orchards.
It will offer a richer habitat for local wildlife, improve air quality by absorbing pollutants and reduce the flood risk by soaking up water. Find out more about our countryside sites, including our country parks and nature parks.
 More and better habitats under green spaces pilot
New woodland and wildflower meadows could be created, and existing woodlands improved, at Ashenbury Park in Woodley as part of a proposed pilot scheme to increase the borough's biodiversity.
If this scheme is successful, it could lead to further improvements to the borough's green spaces in future.
Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is the process of increasing natural habits and wildlife in an area, either by creating new ones or restoring existing ones. This ensures any development puts more back into the environment than it takes out.
The proposed pilot scheme at Ashenbury Park could see improvements to most of the site, except the children’s play area and the events field which would stay as they are, and would protect its biodiversity for 30 years.
Residents, visitors and other interested parties will be able to give their views as part of a consultation this summer before any work would start.
 Crossing improvement works under way
Works to install a crossing point on Rose Street in Wokingham town centre, near its junction with Broad Street, began on Monday (20 March).
The existing island is being removed, to be replaced with dropped kerb extensions on both sides of the road that will reducing the crossing distance.
Priority will be given to vehicles travelling from Broad Street along Rose Street, with vehicles travelling in the other direction waiting at a new give way line.
In the past, residents have raised concerns about the safety of pedestrians waiting on the island, as well as vehicles driving on the wrong side of the road.
The closure lasts until Friday 31 March, then Rose Street will close for resurfacing on Thursday, 6 April with diversions in place.
 New crossing will help keep community safe
We've secured the installation of a pedestrian crossing on Biggs Lane in Arborfield Green, part of the major new community on the old Arborfield Garrison site.
This crossing, just north of the roundabout at the junction with Princess Marina Drive, is a "toucan" style allowing pedestrians and cyclists to cross side by side.
Along with the nearby flashing signs warning of a 20mph speed limit, this will help to keep everyone safe, including pupils attending Farley Hill Primary School.
The crossing was installed by developer Crest Nicholson and is linked to the new homes it is building in this area.
It replaces a temporary crossing which was set up until a more permanent arrangement was reached, and was ensuring people's safety until then.
 Investing in pedal power for businesses and more
We've invested in two Urban Arrow e-cargo bikes and are loaning them free of charge to businesses and other organisations in the borough for two or four weeks.
The Urban Arrow models can carry 300 or 600 litres of cargo and have a range of up to 45 miles, with a top assisted speed of just over 15mph, so can replace small delivery vehicles in many cases.
They have a lockable storage box attached and can be charged from the mains in about three hours. They offer a more convenient way for couriers to travel, with less waiting in traffic, and help businesses stand out from the crowd.
They don't emit carbon dioxide or other air pollutants, making them far more environmentally friendly, while the electric motor gives assistance to ensure trips require less pedalling than a regular bike.
To find out more, contact our My Journey Wokingham sustainable travel team.
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