 New supermarket packed for first day's trading
A talented young artist was guest of honour at the opening of the new Sainsbury's store in Arborfield Green.
Cali, 10, who is in Year 5 at Farley Hill Primary School, cut the ceremonial ribbon just before 9am on Thursday, 21 August.
She came first in a competition to design a shopping bag for the branch, which is the retailer's 30th to open in 2025.
Her artwork, featuring a colourful array of smiling fruit and veg, was printed on reusable bags and given free to shoppers (more pictures on Facebook).
The store was secured through the planning permissions for new homes at the former Arborfield Garrison site.
The store has good walking and cycling access and is also well served by the Leopard 3 bus route which calls at Wokingham town and Reading.
 Creating jobs and looking after the environment
The building has heat recovery systems, rainwater harvesting and rooftop solar panels, in line with our sustainability requirements for new development.
Its solar panels generate 40 per cent of its energy needs, reducing reliance on the grid, and its fridges and freezers have doors to make them more efficient.
There are 75 staff, including 60 new recruits who mostly live in the area - and 45 of whom signed up after a drop-in event that we helped to organise.
The store, off Nine Mile Ride Extension, offers a wide range of household essentials alongside an in-store bakery selling fresh bread and pastries.
It also has a click-and-collect service, allowing it to offer Argos, Habitat and Tu Clothing products.
We gave planning permission for the new store early last year.
 Looking ahead to meet a growing community's needs
The new store is part of a wider proposal for a district centre serving the new housing at Arborfield Green, which the developers are required to provide.
Taylor Wimpey has now started work on the project, which will have 18 shops, 206 new houses and flats and a pedestrianised high street and square.
The new village centre will include a new park to the north of the high street, a play area, a community centre and space for a day nursery and pre-school.
A pub is also proposed and a potential tenant has expressed an interest, though nothing is finalised at this stage.
The first shop units should be completed next year and anyone interested in leasing one should contact Crest Nicholson.
We've also given permission for a smaller neighbourhood centre with two shops and 18 flats further to the south off Nine Mile Ride Extension.
We previously worked to provide a Lidl store at Shinfield, which opened last year, through planning-related legal agreements.
 Community allotments now open for growers
The first new allotment site has opened in Arborfield Green - and you can now join the waiting list if you want to get growing!
Located on Quiller Avenue, it was built by developer Crest Nicholson as part of its legal obligations linked to new housing in the area.
It has 36 plots of varying sizes with on-site parking, composting bays, a traditional orchard, solar-powered tools, a picnic area and even a composting toilet.
The site has been adopted by Arborfield and Newland Parish Council and anyone who's interested should email them or call 07496 819 553.
It’s one of several allotments we’ve helped provide through new development.
For more information about allotments near you, please contact the town or parish council who manage them.
 Junction improvements in line for national awards
Our transformation of California Crossroads in Finchampstead has been praised by industry experts for improving its surroundings and making the area safer.
The scheme was recently named Best Community Project in this year's Landor LINKS Active Travel Directory and Yearbook.
It is also shortlisted for two annual Highways Awards (Active Travel Scheme of the Year, and Line Marking and Street Design) and in the Placemaking Project category of this year's British Construction & Infrastructure (BCI) Awards.
The junction was resurfaced with clearly marked and raised "table" crossings on all four approaches, plus a colourful leaf pattern on the carriageway.
This highly visible design, reflecting the area's woodland surroundings, encourages drivers to slow down as they approach.
Adjoining public spaces were improved to give pedestrians and cyclists equal priority with motorists, while drainage was improved to address long-standing issues.
 Involving local people at every stage
This project was identified as part of the infrastructure package alongside new housing at the former Arborfield Garrison, and the developers were required to fund it.
The local community had extensive input on the initial vision and were consulted several times to help shape the final design.
It was shaped by the Department for Transport's guidelines, which say a design that "does not rely on conventional standards can achieve high levels of safety".
Works at the junction of Nine Mile Ride and Finchampstead Road ran from February to September 2024, with residents and businesses regularly updated.
They included improvements to the wider area including improved pedestrian access at Avery Corner, the shops and approach to Nine Mile Ride Primary School.
A study has since shown that pedestrians can cross the road in less time and drivers give way more often, especially on the central crossing.
 Serving up new sports facilities for all
As part of the ongoing improvement of the sports facilities at Arborfield Green, the tennis courts have been refurbished and are set to be adopted by us.
Archaeological surveys of the site off Princess Marina Drive have finished, with work on the new sports pitches set to begin soon.
These should be completed in August next year, as should the new pavilion, while play and games areas and allotment should finish earlier next summer.
The fields will remain fenced off until then, and we know this is inconvenient but hope you appreciate the site will be greatly improved in the long run.
We also recently gave permission for an outdoor sports hub off Park Lane, as part of Cala Homes' Finchwood Park development.
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