 Shopping in your area is a Lidl bit easier
A long-awaited Lidl supermarket has opened on Beke Avenue in Shinfield - and just in time for Christmas!
The ribbon was cut last Thursday (5 Dec) by pupils from Shinfield Infant and Nursery School alongside Jimmy Peter, a banksman from the Tinnelly Construction team who oversaw the build.
Jimmy has become a much-loved local figure for keeping the footpath through the site clear and greeting everyone with a smile and a chat as they pass. Residents recently raised money to buy him and his colleagues a festive hamper.
The new store is open from 8am until 10pm (Monday to Saturday) and 10am until 4pm on Sunday. It has a 1,305 sq m sales floor with features including a bakery, baby-changing amenities and electric vehicle charging points.
As well as providing a community amenity, it's set to create up to 40 new jobs.
The store was planned for the site as part of our Shinfield Parish major development, which in turn is part of our Local Plan to meet the borough's future housing, employment and other needs.
A new supermarket takes shape: before and after
  Image credit: Brett Johnson at Reading Drones
We've received a planning application from Bellway for 191 homes on land north of Arborfield Road in Shinfield, including 67 affordable homes and open green space. For more or to comment, visit our planning portal.
 Image © ITV
Primetime telly filmed at Shinfield? You Bet!
We're delighted that the reboot of ITV's 80s and 90s favourite You Bet!, this time hosted by Stephen Mulhern and Holly Willoughby, was filmed at Shinfield Studios.
The show, which premiered last Saturday, 7 December, sees members of the public tackle a series of outrageous challenges for the chance of a cash prize.
Last week's debut included a man performing stunts in a digger, a woman racing to climb the side of the studios' multi-storey car park and a couple identifying cacti using only their tongues - rather them than us...
Meanwhile, the studio audience and a celebrity panel must predict if each contestant is up to the task, and can win points if they guess correctly. If you'd like to be in the audience at future filming, register your interest at The Applause Store.
Shinfield Studios is based at Thames Valley Science Park, which was masterplanned in partnership with the University of Reading as an employment site to accompany new housing in the area.
We gave full planning permission in autumn 2021 and it was fully built this summer. It's now one of the UK's largest new film and TV studios.
 Want some festive film fun? Treat yours-Elf!
Four Christmas classics are being shown at Shinfield's new community cinema, which Shinfield Studios was required to provide under planning conditions:
The cinema, run by Shinfield Parish Council, launched at the start of November and has already welcomed several hundred visitors to date.
It's based at the School Green community centre, which opened in 2021 and was also secured through developer obligations linked to new housing.
 Sports pavilion build hits final goal
The new sports pavilion and field at High Copse, off Hyde End Lane near Shinfield, have been built and are awaiting handover to Shinfield Parish Council.
The first football matches will happen next year as the pitches need 12 months to settle, while the cricket wicket should be ready in 18 months.
Most of the landscape planting and seeding has been done, and contractors will be maintaining the site to ensure the pitches and wicket bed in as expected.
It's hoped that the pavilion building will officially open at some point next spring.
These facilities have been built by the University of Reading as part of their obligations to serve new housing in the area.
We gave full planning permission last November, following consultation with residents and measures to offset the impact of traffic.
 A pump track similar to the one proposed for Shinfield (Image: BDS Surveyors)
Recreation ground overhaul to offer more sports
We've received plans to improve the recreation ground at Millworth Lane in Shinfield.
The proposal by Shinfield Parish Council includes new sports facilities, a climbing wall, fitness zone, exercise track and a "pump track" for cyclists.
It includes two courts suitable for either basketball or netball and a new artificial pitch for five-a-side football and more.
There would also be an extra tennis court for general use and a court for padel tennis, a fast-growing variation played on a walled court.
These features would be mostly located at the edges of the site, allowing a large grass area to be kept for general recreation.
All of this would be supported by contributions that developers are required to make as part of their planning permission for new homes in the area.
 New green spaces help children explore the outdoors
Pupils at two Shinfield schools can get back to nature after being provided with outdoor classrooms by the University of Reading.
Shinfield St Mary’s Junior School now has access to a meadow with a pond and bridge, new planting and a learning circle with wooden benches.
The bridge can be used for pond-dipping, in which children survey wildlife using a net, while other habitats on the site include bee mounds, a bug hotel, bird boxes and hedgehog homes.
Most of the meadow, which is next to the school in Chestnut Crescent, is open to the public at all times.
A small woodland copse has also been provided for pupils at Shinfield Infant and Nursery School, offering a calming environment for smaller groups of children.
Both sites were designed with the children's input and opened on Thursday 7 November, which is the national Outdoor Classroom Day. The university will continue to maintain them in the long term.
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