 Click the image to watch a video of the new supermarket coming together. Video by DWK Drones
VIDEO: Opening date confirmed for supermarket
A new Sainsbury's supermarket serving Arborfield Green and the surrounding area is set to open at 9am on Thursday, 21 August.
It's been under construction since last year and is part of a wider proposal for a district centre with shops, housing, green space and more.
The 16,000 sq ft store will be off Nine Mile Ride Extension, near Bohunt School and Arborfield Green Leisure Centre, and will be easily accessible by foot or bicycle.
The site is also served by the leopard 3 bus to Reading and Wokingham town, which launched an expanded timetable with our support in May.
Once it's completed, this "neighbourhood hub" store will also have a click-and-collect service, allow it to offer Argos, Habitat and Tu Clothing products.
As well as offering fresh food, fruit and veg, food-to-go, cupboard favourites and frozen food, there'll be bread and pastries baked daily in-store.
Building work going well as new jobs to be created
We gave planning permission for the new Sainsbury's in spring 2024, about six months after we gave permission for the district centre.
The outside of the building and car park are now largely completed, with work now taking place on the fixtures and fittings inside.
The new store is set to employ dozens of local people in full-time and part-time jobs.
A first round of recruitment has taken place, but more roles are yet to be filled and will be advertised online in due course.
 More progress on additional shops and housing
Work on the main district centre, with 18 shops, 206 new houses and flats and a pedestrianised high street and square, should start in the next few weeks.
The site has now been sold to Taylor Wimpey by the Ministry of Defence, which owned it as part of the former Arborfield Garrison.
Construction will take places in phases, starting at the western end and moving east, with the first high street units to be completed next year at the earliest.
Anyone interested in taking up a retail unit can contact Crest Nicholson, who helped facilitate the sale of the land.
Part of the site is reserved for pub use, and an operator has expressed an interest although nothing has been finalised at this stage.
The district centre plan also includes green space with play areas and allotments, a community centre and space for a day nursery and pre-school, and we're looking at ways to repurpose the historic military stables for community use. We'll share more updates on these when we can.
 Click to enlarge this diagram showing where fencing has been put up around sports pitches
Temporary closures for sports ground overhaul
Work to improve the sports facilities off Princess Marina Drive is progressing well, with a renovation of the four tennis courts set to finish in August.
Crest Nicholson, which is carrying out the work as part of the planning obligations linked to new housing, has now fenced off existing pitches on the site.
This will allow archaeological investigations to be carried out, followed by the installation of new drainage and replanting.
The fencing will stay up for about 14 months, although the footpaths outside the pitches will be kept open except when they're being worked on.
Crest are also exploring ways of keeping the main path across the rugby pitches open whenever this is possible.
We know this closure will cause some inconvenience, but the sports facilities in this area will be hugely improved in the long term.
 What's coming, and when (subject to change)
The site will be reopened in stages as various areas are completed and handed over to us, so that we can make arrangements for their long-term upkeep.
Archaeological work is expected to finish this September, while follow-up works on the pitches should finish in August 2026.
This will provide the community with new seven football pitches (four small and three large) and a cricket wicket.
Demolition of the old pavilion will start next month, while work on an improved replacement should also start in September and finish next August.
Two new children's play areas and a multi-use games area should be finished by May next year, followed a month later by 35 allotments.
The developer will contribute towards the long-term upkeep of these facilities.
 Click the image above to enlarge or view the original document via link in the article below
Sports facilities at Finchwood awaiting decision
Plans for an outdoor sports hub at Finchwood Park, the new community at Hogwood Farm to the south of Arborfield Green, are now under consideration.
This would include a grass sports pitch and another with artificial grass, plus a sports pavilion, allotments, informal kick-about area and a BMX track and playground.
Cala Homes intends to build the hub on land off Park Lane, and you can view the masterplan (PDF document) here.
This scheme has outline planning permission as part of a wider application for new housing, with the finer details to be decided through this newer application.
Cala has also submitted an application for 48 new homes on land immediately north of the proposed sports hub, which is being assessed in parallel.
We're hoping to decide these applications as soon as we can.
Visit our website to see a full summary of what's been completed at the former Arborfield Garrison major development, and what's still to come.
 New sixth form expansion starting soon
Work to build a new sixth form building and facilities at Bohunt Wokingham School, in Arborfield Green, begins this summer.
Students and staff have helped shape the design and facilities as well as the name for the new sixth form, which will be Bohunt Wokingham Sixth or BW6.
We’re contributing up to £5.25million towards the project and this will be completed in partnership with Bohunt Education Trust, which is joint funding the expansion.
The new sixth form will have 300 places for pupils in the rural south of Wokingham borough, which is currently lacking a sixth form.
The project also includes expanding the existing school to allow for another 150 school places in years seven to 11, as well as providing additional support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
Bohunt opened in 2016 and was funded by developers to serve new homes in the area under agreements linked to their planning permission.
 Shops, flats and more get the go-ahead
We've now agreed a detailed planning application for a neighbourhood centre at Finchwood Park.
This will provide two ground-floor shop units to serve new residents and will have 18 one- and two-bedroom apartments, all affordable, on the floors above.
It'll be built on land off Nine Mile Ride Extension and will also have a landscaped square with scope for outdoor seating and hosting events.
Cala Homes, which has permission for up to 1,500 homes and related amenities in this area, hopes to start construction later this year.
Good progress for green spaces
A new nature park at West Court, landscaped with earth moved from the new Sainsbury's site, could open in the autumn.
Crest Nicholson says the park, which will be linked to the neighbouring Finchwood nature park, is almost complete and ready for inspection.
If we're happy with the work, we'll adopt it and take on its long-term upkeep.
Crest are also finishing work on 36 new allotment plots at Nightingale Fields, which should be complete by the autumn.
Each plot will have its own shed and Arborfield & Newland Parish Council will take over the upkeep.
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