News

The South Wokingham Community Forum public meeting on Wednesday January 30 at the Bradbury Centre on Rose Street, Wokingham from 6pm, will be a chance for residents to hear the latest news concerning plans for major housing and infrastructure development and to get involved in discussions on how the developments will take place.

The meeting will include key issues such as: the order that various aspects of the development (such as the roads, community and leisure facilities, schools, homes etc) will be built (known as the ‘phasing’ of the development); planned improvements of bridges and crossings in the area; the nature reserve and other green space to be opened up and; information about schools, community facilities.

Heavy snow is forecast for Wokingham by the Met Office. A yellow severe weather warning has been issued for London and South East England from 3am until midnight on Friday.

Snow will spread to all parts by early afternoon, with some of the snow heavy, especially to the south and west of London, leading to disruption to transport. Strong winds will make it feel bitterly cold. Maximum Temperature 2 °C.

Wokingham is to mark a former RAF headquarters with a commemorative stone to be unveiled outside The Lodge at Shinfield Park on Wednesday January 16 the former site of the headquarters of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Flying Training Command.

The RAF Flying Training Command was responsible for organising the training of all aircrew during and after World War Two, ensuring sufficient crews were available for the war and later conflicts. During World War Two, airfields for training were positioned locally at Woodley, Henley (Culham), White Waltham, Smiths Lawn and Theale. There were countless others around the UK and many were trained in the USA and around the (then) Empire. The Lodge is a listed building and was the headquarters between 1940 and 1968.

Following the unveiling of the commemorative stone, one of borough’s 60 commemorative Diamond Jubilee oak trees will have its plaque unveiled. This tree has been planted immediately behind The Lodge.

John Redwood MP for Wokingham put the finishing touches to a unique piece of interactive art, which is now being auctioned by Wokingham Borough Council in aid of charity.

Visitors to the council’s Shute End offices and borough staff had added their own doodles, scribbles and designs to the canvas as part of a community project highlighting that art is for everybody.

Businesses, organisations and residents can now bid for the painting in a silent auction. The closing date for bids is January 31, 2013.

All proceeds from the auction will go to the Wokingham Borough Mayor’s chosen charity The Link Visiting Scheme whose volunteers visit elderly residents locally to offer friendship and support. The other charity to benefit will be the Starfish Greathearts Foundation, which helps children in South Africa orphaned by HIV and AIDS.

The finished painting, which took several weeks to complete, was unveiled during Wokingham Borough Council’s annual carol concert at Shute End.

The painting is now on display in The Mall Gallery at Shute End. Silent auction bidding forms can be found next to it. Alternatively you can email the mayor’s secretary Victoria Rallis at: [email protected]

Wokingham Borough Council has expanded payment methods to the council, following the introduction (on December 24) of new payment initiatives.

For council tax, business rates and rents, the simplest method of payment is Direct Debit and people can now sign up over the phone without the need to fill in any documentation. Not only is this more convenient for the public, but it also allows the first direct debit payment to be collected up to two months earlier than if the traditional paper application form was used.

For regular instalment payments such as council tax, housing rents, corporate sundry debtors and benefit overpayments, the council has introduced key fobs and barcodes. This means payments can be made in any Post Office or Payzone payment point in the country. There are 28 Payzone’s in and around the Wokingham Borough where residents will be able to make payments by cash or debit card at no additional cost to them. Details of the locations are listed on the council’s website at: www.wokingham.gov.uk/counciltax/ctax/payment.

For people able to use self-service options, the council provides payments via its website (which can be accessed at all the borough’s libraries free of charge), an automated telephone payment line, a self-service kiosk in the Shute End offices, or information kiosks in Woodley Library, Lower Earley Library and the Shute End civic offices.

Residents who need a little more support should contact Wokingham Direct – the council’s customer service centre – where staff now have the facility to take payments for most services over the telephone.

Annual Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) statistics have shown that nationally, visits to libraries have fallen by 3.4 per cent during 2011/12. However visits to Wokingham Borough libraries have increased by nearly two per cent during the same period with 7,000 extra visits, an increase for the second year in a row.

Ofsted reports that Wokingham Borough schools are above the national average.

Annual data released by the inspection body shows that 73 per cent of children in the borough attend schools rated good or outstanding by inspectors, compared to 68 per cent nationally.

71 per cent of all education providers in Wokingham Borough are rated good or outstanding by inspectors, compared to 70 per cent nationally.

The statistics were published this month as part of the Annual Chief Inspector’s report, and summarises the findings of recent Ofsted inspection of schools, early years and childcare, services for children and families, adult learning and skills, and colleges.

Wokingham Active Kids holiday activity sessions will be running at St Crispin’s Leisure Centre in Wokingham and Loddon Valley Leisure Centre in Lower Earley on January 2, 3 and 4, 2013 and available for children aged five to 12 years old.

Parents have the option of booking from 9.30am to 3.30pm (£14.20 a day / £38.34 for 3 days) or 8am to 6pm (£22.10 a day / £59.67 for 3 days). There is a 10 per cent discount for siblings.

The sessions will also run during February half term (February 18 to 22), if you book all three days in January and all five days during half term by December 14, 2012, you will receive 15% discount on the total cost.

Places are limited and must be booked in advance by calling (0118) 974 6264 / 3728 or emailing: [email protected]

The latest edition of Wokingham Borough News has been delivered, now the council are inviting people to tell us what they think about it.

A survey on page 19 of the current edition invites readers to complete and return it by FREEPOST, to the council’s Shute End offices. An online version of the survey is also available on the council’s consultation website page.

The closing date for feedback to be received by post or completed online is Friday December 21, 2012.

The aim of the survey is find out what readers like about the publication, suggestions for changes, and their views on content, style and layout.

The publication is free to residents and is published three times a year. It is also available online at www.wokingham.gov.uk/wbc-news.

If you have not received the latest edition, please email your name and address to: [email protected]

A high court judge has dismissed a challenge against Wokingham Borough Council for making a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) to protect trees on land at Manor Farm at Lower Sandhurst Road in Finchampstead.

The judgment was heard at the High Court in Bristol, on November 22, in response to a challenge made by landowner Slavey Slavchev of EU Plants Ltd, following a decision by the council’s planning committee on July 25 to make TPO 1414/2012 permanent.

The order was originally served by the council on February 3 to protect an area of trees on agricultural land at Manor Farm, following tree work activity and a proposal to construct an access track on the site.

The High Court challenge from EU Plants Ltd was based on the following issues:

The grounds on which the TPO was made
A proposed access track on the site (and its impact on adjacent trees)
‘Expediency’ in the making of the TPO
Alleged bias against the landowner

The issue of alleged bias against Mr Slavchev referred to Cllr Simon Weeks, chair of the planning committee at Wokingham Borough Council, which confirmed the TPO when the officers’ report was received at the planning meeting on July 25. This public meeting was where the decision was made by the committee to confirm and make the TPO permanent.

The case was presented before The Right Honourable Mr Justice Beatson on November 8 at a one-day hearing in the High Court of Justice in Bristol. Representations were made by counsel acting on behalf of both EU Plants Ltd and Wokingham Borough Council.

The judgement on the case was made by Mr Justice Beatson on November 22. He dismissed on all grounds the claimant’s application for the TPO to be overturned. In his summing up of the case Mr Justice Beaton also rejected the claimant’s allegation of bias by Cllr Weeks against the landowner.