This week’s  news

• Deadmans Lane will be closed to motor vehicles from June 2022 for 18 months. Once the restrictions are in force a six-month public consultation will begin and, once the 18-month period is ended, it will be decided whether to drop, amend or make the restriction permanent.There will be some reflective bollards in place that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to pass easily. You can find a map of the planned restriction here, and more information on this matter here.

We asked Theale ward member Alan Macro what he knew about the scheme. “When the council called for active travel schemes during the pandemic, I put forward the idea of closing of this narrow country lane to traffic,” he told us on 12 May. “The major part of the lane serves no housing, only accesses to Theale Green School playing fields. It is single track, with no passing places. It is heavily used by walkers but carries very little vehicular traffic.”

• West Berkshire Council has closed the footpath between Graham Court and Station road due to a fence panel in a dangerous position. Updates can be found on the Theale Community Facebook page.

• The Englefield Parish Magazine April to May 2022 issue is available for you to read here.

• Ditto here with the Padworth Village May 2022 Newsletter.

• Theale Green School is campaigning to raise £2,500 to build a well-being school garden with initial intentions for it to be used by students and staff, and now hopes to extend the use to the community. More information can be found here and pledges can be made here.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here. Your donations are greatly appreciated.

• Click here for details of the jubilee festivities which will be taking place in Mortimer.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman’s  most recent (5 May) e-newsletter can be read here.

• Click here for a report on Burghfield’s annual parish meeting on 12 May (many thanks to David Gregory of Burghfield Community FB Group and Cally Morris of Burghfield Parish Council for providing the main part of this.)

• For the latest news from theBenefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Burghfield’s costs

Last week, I wrote about the costs of the Village Hall in Burghfield and also about the estimated costs for the new café in the village which has caused so much dissent. I’m aware that there has been some comment on these costs which were prompted by posting last week’s column (see below) on various FB groups in the area.

As regards the Village Hall costs, the figures I quoted were provided by Burghfield Parish Council. If you want to see more detail on these, ask the council.

As regards the café cost, there seems to be a lot of debate about what exactly this would be. I suggested £50,000 last week, based on a conversation with a councillor. I’ve seen other figures including £40,000, £49,000, £80,000 and “anything from £1 to £100,000”. I think £50,000 might be a reasonable guess. And it is a guess. Why?

Firstly, because the planning permission hasn’t been granted yet. If it is, the Eastern Area Planning Committee (EAPC) may well impose conditions which could require that the building be cladded in antique oak or that a new access road be built or any number of other possibly expensive things. Whether the applicant (Burghfield PC) will see these as acceptable and how much they will cost – factors that are likely to be closely related – remains to be seen. I’m sure that BPC will make a suitable announcement on the cost implications of any decision and will announce this fact. You can be sure that I shall be chasing them for this information and will report the results in this column.

The second is that, although estimates for the work will have been received, costs of any building work are changing all the time. A firm spec can’t be provided until it’s known what’s to be built (see above). Perhaps it might be wise to wait until the EAPC has made its decision and BPC has come up with more precise figures – which, to repeat my earlier point, I shall be pressing them for, as I’m sure will concerned local residents – before arriving at at a judgment.

Two other points. First, even the highest café cost compares favourably with the original proposal of a £2m+ spend on a new community hub. For reasons I’ve tried to explain in previous posts (see below), the justifications for this have since evaporated and BPC has downwardly adjusted its budgeted costs accordingly. The café seems to be the only part of this project that now remains, the other ambitions the hub was intended to satisfy having been dealt with by other means. A café is what the community said it wanted and what BPC is providing. As it’s portable, it can also be sold off if it doesn’t work. As risks go, the proposed solution seems to test pretty low.

Also, I mentioned £50,000. Other figures exist. However, whatever the costs are, only part of them will be funded from BPC’s reserves. With the Village Hall, a good percentage of the funds came from grants, donations, and loans from the PWLB. I understand that the latter is not contemplated for the café and that BPC is confident it can realise a good chunk of the costs from the first two sources. I’m sure BPC would welcome suggestions from local residents as to any such funding avenues which it might have overlooked.

I don’t have anything to add to these observations at this stage, except to say that if you want to contact BPC (the applicant in this planning matter and a statutory consultee in all of them in the parish) then you can do so by emailing enquiries@burghfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk or calling 0118 983 1748. If you feel that there is some aspect of this issue that I’ve missed then please email me on brian@pennypost.org.uk.

Windmill Court

There has been a certain amount of controversy caused by Sovereign Housing’s recent decision to close this 35-place sheltered housing development, find alternative homes for the tenants and re-develop the site. The questions I have about this fall into the traditional three areas: what led to the decision to close this facility; how the re-location of the tenants has been handled; and what are the proposals for the future of the site.

I’ve had several conversations with people about this and have also asked Sovereign a number of questions a couple of days ago. As they haven’t yet had time to get back to me and as it seems fair to wait to hear what they have to say, I’ll hold this over until they’ve responded. I did receive an apologetic email from Sovereign on 12 May apologising for not having got back to me (which I was expecting as I had sprung the questions on them quite late: it was good of them to bother to reply, however) and so will aim to have more on this next week. In the meantime, if you or anyone you know has been affected by this announcement and has any comment to make, please contact me at brian@pennypost.org.uk.

Community notices

• Deadmans Lane will be closed to Motor Vehicles to encourage active travel within the community whilst works are carried out until June. There will be some reflective bollards in place that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to pass easily. You can find a map of the planned restriction here, and more information on this matter here. Once the restrictions are in force the 6 month public consultation will begin. We will then have a further 12 months to decide whether to drop, amend or make the restriction permanent.

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Sun 15 May Reading Lightweight Ride from Theale Village Hall.

• Regular events

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, you can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 10 May and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: formal business including the election of a Chair and Deputy; planning matters; a report from the skateboard ramp working group (four tenders have been received and one successful bidder has been chosen: the PC “will now enter contract negotiations with them, followed by a planning application and grant requests.”); a “positive” RoSPA inspection on the play equipment; insurance quotes; the sales of Strawberry Farm and of Padworth Sawmills; and the jubilee. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 9 May and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: formal business including the election of a Chair and Deputy; dog bins; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; Councillor Macro’s draft members’ bid application (for a grant towards 50% of the cost of the path between the churchyard and tarmac path, as part of the play-area build); and financial matters. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 14 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included; the annual parish meeting (26 April – click here to read the minutes of that); Windmill Court; the men’s shed; a councillor vacancy; review of policies; parish maintenance; committee and working-party reports; the neighbourhood development plan; the jubilee (see also this separate post); the next round of members’ bids; Ukranian refugees; financial matters; planning matters; and parish communications. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 7 April and you can read the minutes here.Items covered included: the Village Hall; a report from ward member Graham Bridgman; committee reports; the proposed café (see also separate section above); the May Fair; financial matters; and the annual parish meeting (7pm on 12 May). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 5 April and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 4 April and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newburyarea; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

This week’s  news

• Theale Parish Council has posted an update to the December 2020 planning permission for the development happening on the Englefield Estate. The text reads: ”

In December 2020, West Berkshire Council granted outline planning permission (planning reference 19/01172/OUTMAJ) for the construction of new homes. Over the coming weeks you may see a number of surveys taking place. This is not the start of the development, but it is part of the process of checking ground conditions, the precise location of services, etc as a precursor to the next stage in the planning process. We are currently in discussions to find the right development partner to deliver high quality new homes in keeping with the Design Code that accompanied the planning application.

“In due course, we expect the selected housebuilder to submit a further planning application to West Berkshire Council setting out the detailed design of the new homes and associated landscaping, etc. The process will be subject to a full public consultation, so there will be an opportunity for you to comment further. This will likely take place late 2022. We do not expect to see development starting until 2023.”

• The results of the election for a new Theale Parish Councillor have been posted here with Micky Church receiving the most votes. John Seto was the gracious runner-up.

• Holy Trinity Church has posted an updated list of necessities for the Foodbank which you can view here. Your donations are greatly appreciated.

• The next Padworth Village Jumble Sale is being held this Saturday 7 May, in aid of the Village Hall. After a sale on Saturday 5 March which raised £520 for UNICEF who donated where possible to the Ukrainian Emergency, and the sale on 26 March which raised a further £384 for St John the Baptist, any donations containing unwanted items are gratefully received and can be brought to the village hall between 10am and 11.30am. For more information, have a look here on the Village website.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro’s most recent (10 April) e-newsletter can be read here.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman’s  most recent (5 May) e-newsletter can be read here.

• Click here to read the April 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from theBenefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Costing the Village Hall

Two weeks ago (see here) I wrote something about the local debate surrounding the proposed café in Burghfield. In some documents I read, this issue had got conflated with the quite separate matter of the refurbishment of the Village Hall. It therefore seemed worth having a look at this including what it cost and where the money came from, which was the main reason for its being mentioned.

Over the last few years, various plans were considered for creating a community hub for Burghfield but, over time, these were amended and reduced in scale. This was partly because of the likely costs and partly because some of the needs that this was intended to address, such as a possible new home for the library, were solved by other means. The idea of a separate hub now seems to have been dropped: all that survives is the café proposal, which I looked at in some detail earlier. I also explained, last week, a bit about the process by which this will be decided by WBC when the time comes.

The decision to deal with the several problems with the Village Hall were to some extent forced by the pandemic. In March 2020 the government issued guidelines stipulating the conditions on which such buildings could eventually re-open when infection rates permitted. Burghfield was probably not the only community which was, as a result, forced to accept that its hall could not meet these conditions without serious work. The pandemic may well, therefore, have done them all a favour. After discussion, a number of improvements were identified. These included improved access and lobby space, increasing the energy efficiency, adding a toilet and increasing the security. These works started on 7 January 2021 and lasted for about 20 weeks. The hall re-opened on 1 September.

Where did the money come from? The reassuring news, for local residents, is that the Parish Council did not need to pay for it all from its piggy bank. The total cost was close to £261,000. Of this, £111,000 (42%) came from BPC’s reserves, £100,000 (38%) from the Public Works Loan Board (which enables councils to obtain low-interest and long-repayment loan funding) and the balance from grants. The loan repayments are about £6,000 a year. A statement from BPC has pointed out that “prudent budgeting, coupled with an increase in revenue from the hire of the village hall has resulted in no increase being applied to the precept for financial year 2022-23.”

Other buildings in the area have raised similar, indeed, larger sums. In the west of the district, Inkpen’s Pavilion was recently officially re-opened (click here for more and see the 14 April 2002 column) after a re-build which cost about £500,000 which was funded from a similar mix of sources; while on 9 May 2022 the Vale of White Horse Council approved a grant of £597,000 towards the estimated £635,000 cost of rebuilding the pavilion in Kingston Bagpuize.

The income from Burghfield’s new Village Hall has so far been £18,000 for seven months of trading: if this continues, that will equate to about £31,000pa. There are obviously overheads to come out of this in addition to the loan repayment but it seems that the building is at the very least breaking even and, moreover, is unlikely to require any significant capital expenditure for some time. Many other parishes could not say the same of their halls.

Why, some might ask, was the café not added as part of these improvements? I understand that this was considered. The hall would have needed to become larger for this to have happened. There were two directions in which this enlargement could go: out or up. Increasing the footprint was apparently not an option as it would have reduced the number of car parking spaces, which may well on its own have triggered a refusal from WBC. Adding a storey would have risked objections from neighbours and certainly increased the costs significantly (not least because of needing to remove and then re-fit all the solar panels) without any certainty that the building would as a result be more profitable. The café was thus regarded as a quite separate project and this is how it should be regarded.

As I mentioned in my previous article about this, the proposed construction also allows for it to be sold and removed if it doesn’t succeed. As for the funding (assuming this is approved and goes ahead) this is likely to be met from BPC’s reserves, grants and donation. The café project is expected to cost around £50,000 though I’ve seen other figures mentioned. This won’t be able to be confirmed until the planning approval is granted, if it is, as conditions may be imposed which will increase this.

It is of course possible that future events will prove that BPC has taken some wrong decisions on the matter. I hold no brief for the Council nor any other group in the area and am merely pointing what these decisions were, how much they cost and how they were paid for. Other parish and town councils, and local residents, may take comfort from these – the sums for restoring such buildings can be significant but they don’t all have to be paid for by the parish: or, in the case of a PLWB loan, don’t all have to be paid up-front and out of reserves.

If anyone needs any further information on either of these projects, contact Burghfield Parish Council and ask. (If you wish to be involved in any new plans it may develop from the inception, you could always put yourself forward to become a councillor.) Any such plans will also involve a number of meetings which will usually be open the public. And, of course, we’ll be doing our best to keep an eye on them here in Penny Post. Please get in touch (email brian@pennypost.org.uk) if you feel there’s anything you’d like to see us cover or look into.

Up in smoke

In September 2020, an application was lodged for “the development of an Energy Recovery Centre and adjacent Data Centre and associated infrastructure” to the north east of Burghfield (RG30 3XD), just to the north of the M4 . You can view the application details on West Berkshire’s website here. The application was called in by ward member Graham Bridgman (though the number of objections would have made it come to committee in any case) and the matter has been grinding its way through the planning system ever since. The intention is that the matter be decided at the meeting of the Eastern Area Planning Committee on 1 June 2022. See last week’s section for more on how this body (and its Western Area sibling) conducts its business.

Inevitably, such applications cause not only a good deal of local interest but also a torrent of reports and data. One of the many letters about this is from an organisation called Reading Against the Incinerator: I’ll leave it to you to guess where its sentiments in the matter lies. This cites 14 problems with the application as it stands. I won’t try to summarise these but you can find this, and other opinions, on the above-mentioned link. Clearly the waste we create has to be dealt with somehow: whether this is the best solution or the best location is a matter that EAPC will need to decide. You can comment on the matter right up to the determination date of 1 June but, given the technical nature of the application, you might want to make this sooner rather than later. Reading and digesting all the documents would be a mammoth task but you may want to glance at some of the consultation responses and letters of support or objection to help set the scene.

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council has announced that Deadmans Lane is going to have a No Motor Vehicles restriction to encourage active travel within the community whilst works are carried out until June. The council has also stated that signs alone will most likely not deter motorists therefore, there will be some reflective bollards in place that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to pass easily. You can find a map of the planned restriction here, and more information on this matter here.

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, please consider donating even one item a week so they can support those who are really struggling. You can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 12 April and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: a brief report on the annual parish meeting which preceded it (which included a presentation from Greenham Trust, from District Councillor Dominic Boeck and local groups); four planning applications; the jubilee; and report on the progress of finding companies to tender for the new skate ramp (four have come forward). To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 7 April and you can read the minutes here.Items covered included: the Village Hall; a report from ward member Graham Bridgman; committee reports; the proposed café (see also separate section above); the May Fair; financial matters; and the annual parish meeting (7pm on 12 May). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 5 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Village Hall (a discussion about the project plan for which has been going on for some time); planning matters; enforcement issues by WBC; the Community Day event (2 May); speeding; a sunken manhole; highway problems; the jubilee; defibrillators; tree preservation orders; the Restless Development charity event at Bradfield College (22 May); financial matters; and the reassuring news that “all four of the Spring into Blossom cherry trees are very much alive.” To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 4 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a councillor vacancy; planning matters; a request for a statement from WBC about its recommendation of an energy supplier which has since failed; parking at the Victory Hall; financial matters; the jubilee; speeding; the Community Room and School Hall; rodents; the Recreation Ground; and fencing at the school. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included the annual parish meeting (26 April); planning matters, including the lack of orange site notices (this is not the only parish where this has been mentioned recently); the greening campaign; village communications; the Burghfield to Mortimer cycleway; drainage and manholes; the NDP; the jubilee; the persistent complainants policy (which suggests that there is at least persistent complainer in the parish, whether with good reason tor not I’m not competent to judge); financial matters; District Councillor Bridgman’s report; mean’s sheds; and car parking. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here.  To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

This week’s news

• Theale Parish Council has posted a survey from West Berkshire Council about Digital Signposting in and around West Berkshire and is asking for your thoughts and experience with digital signposting by 11 May. See here for more.

• See last week’s column (below) for some thoughts about the proposed café in Burghfield. See also the two separate sections below for a closer look at how this and other matters are communicated about and decided.

• The Rotary Club of Pangbourne is hosting an art exhibition showcasing local talent between 6 and 8 May in Pangbourne Village Hall with the nominated charity being New Beginnings Reading. There are still opportunities for artists to book places. Art lovers make a note of the dates. It is a great opportunity to showcase local talent and to buy good quality artwork at reasonable prices. Please contact Clive Williams on 01491 671631 or clivewilliams@gmx.co.uk or visit the facebook page for more details.

• The theme for the Burghfield Scarecrow Trail this May Half Term is ‘Let’s Celebrate’. If you fancy making a scarecrow, pick up a form from Wellers Fruit Shop, the Post Office or email michelle@zboltons.co.uk by 30 April if you would like to take part. Entry is £10 and all money raised will support local Girl Guides. See more information here.

• Fancy a bluebell walk this Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May? In sponsorship of MS Society, Rushall Farm in Bradfield is hosting a Bluebell walk that will feature family fun in the barn, hot and cold food, homemade cakes and a free treasure hunt. For adults, it is £5 and for children, £3. For more information, click here or here for the Facebook post here.

• The next Padworth Village Jumble Sale is being held on Saturday 7 May, in aid of the Village Hall. After a sale on Saturday 5 March which raised £520 for UNICEF who donated where possible to the Ukrainian Emergency, and the Sale on 26 March which raised a further £384 for St John the Baptist, any donations containing unwanted items are gratefully received and can be brought to the village hall between 10am and 11.30am. For more information, have a look here on the Village website.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro most recent (10 April) e-newsletter can be read here.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman’s  most recent (7 April) e-newsletter can be read here.

• This week’s NWN reports on p24 that a recently retired local teacher in Mortimer, Mike Gomm, is hoping to set up a “men’s shed“, described as “a community grouper retired and working men to socialise, learn craft and DIY skills and teach what they know to others.” These seem like the breeding ground for the experts at a repair café, organisations which are becoming more and more common, and welcome. The article doesn’t say how you can contact him but the Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council seems to be involved so you can doubtless reach him through that.

• Click here to read the April 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from theBenefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Planning Committees (the East and the West)

As mentioned last week (see below), the next step on the journey for the application of proposed café in Burghfield is West Berkshire Council’s (WBC) Eastern Area Planning Committee (EAPC). This provides an opportunity to explain what this – and its twin sibling the Western Area Planning Committee(WAPC) – does.

The vast majority of planning applications are uncontentious and are decided by planning officers. Policy, process and precedent are the key factors they consider. Matters such as the commercial viability of the proposed new structure or general sentiments such as “the place won’t be the same” play no part in their decisions. Most applications pass completely under the public radar and the changes they approve may be un-noticed even by next-door neighbours.

A very small percentage, however, are for one reason or another contentious. These are decided by one of the two regional planning committees mentioned above (there is also a District Planning Committee (DPC), to which decisions of these two can be sent, either if another view is required, perhaps as insurance policy against an appeal, or if the application has district-wide implications).

There are three reasons why an application goes to committee:

• If the ward member (district councillor) decides to call it in. This they can do (a) if the officers are minded to accept it; (b) if the officers are minded to refuse it; or (c) in any event. An example of the third is the solar farm application in Enborne, where the ward members felt that the issues surrounding this fairly recent new of development should be explored in public. The Burghfield café application was also called in by the ward member in any case, as it was felt that the circumstances demanded scrutiny. (This is prudent where, as in this case, the parish council is the applicant, as it demonstrates that the matter is being properly looked at.)
• If an officer decides to call it in. This is far less common but can happen. The Pincents application in Tilehurst was called in to the DPC by officers after it had been refused by EAPC as they were worried about the possibility of an expensive appeal by the developers. (The DPC confirmed the EAPC’s view – see last week’s column below).
• If the application has received 10 or more objections and if the officers are minded to accept it. Note that objection to or support for the application must be sent to WBC in the way specified on the planning portal: a social-media post doesn’t cut it.

The composition of the EAPC and WAPC can be seen by looking at the respective links above. There are nine members, all from that part of the district. The composition is cross-party but in proportion to the seats held there. The Chair (Graham Pask for the EAPC) is from the ruling party and the Vice Chair (Alan Macro) from the major opposition party. (The Greens have no representation on the EAPC, though they do on WAPC, as all their members are in the west.) There are also substitutes from the various parties, called on if members are unavailable or (more rarely) compromised by having an interest in the application. Meetings take place every three weeks, on a Wednesday.

The agendas are published eight days before the meeting. The first order of business, on the Wednesday before the meeting, are site meetings for the application/s being considered. Both the Chairs I spoke to say that they prefer to go to these without any pre-knowledge and encourage their colleagues to do likewise. The attendees are briefed by officers and can ask questions. Members of the public may attend these but the Chair will restrict their contributions to pointing out matters of fact (such as what part of an existing property is likely to be overlooked by a new one) rather than engaging in debates about opinions. These are fact-finding exercises. They can be over quite quickly but in complex cases can last several hours.

The documents will be on the WBC and these will then be studied by the members. There can be hundreds of them, ranging from three-line letters of support or objection to 40-page technical reports from experts involving charts, tables, maps and the lord knows what else. None of these will be written in a racy, page-turning style. A long evening’s work can sometimes be required.

The meeting itself can also be a marathon. Currently these are hybrid, with the members and officers generally present in the Chamber but others dialling in from outside. (Opinions differ as to whether the pandemic-inspired remote-access working was a good or a bad thing. This is a separate argument.) Wherever and however it takes place, there’s a lot to fit in and the role of the Chair is very important. First, the officers will make their statement about the main issues and make their recommendations. There then follows an opportunity for up to six separate groups to speak for or against the application. Each will generally be given five minutes. If more than one person is speaking from the same interest group then the time will be divided between: two opponents, say, wishing to speak will thus get two and a half minutes each. The six groups are (not all may be relevant to the application and some may not choose to attend):

• Opponents
• Supporters
• The applicant
• The ward member/s
• The parish council
• Any closely neighbouring parish council/s

The committee members can ask questions of the speakers but only on matters which the speakers have raised: a new topic cannot be introduced. Then the officers are questioned by the members. After all this, there is a debate in which the members all get their chance to state their views, including recommending any conditions that be attached to the development if it’s approved. Finally, there is a vote, the Chair having the final say in the case of a dead-heat arising from abstentions. Soon afterwards the planning officers will (unless, as in Pincents Lane, they wish to call it in to the DPC), issue a Decision Notice. This can only be overturned by the Planning Inspector or the Secretary of State. Particularly complex decisions can take three hours or more, though others – where there is only one point to decide and fewer external participants – can be got through more quickly.

If you live near a proposed development which you feel will be unwelcome, or if you are the sponsor of a plan for half a dozen homes in which you’ve invested your life savings, then the decisions of the committee are, if not life-changing in the medical sense of the term, then certainly very important. The stakes being high, accusations are sometimes made about undue influence.

There may be cases of members receiving bribes to vote a particular way (and old trope) but I’m unaware of any around here. Moreover, this doesn’t form any part of any serious accusation I’ve heard about these committees’ decisions. Far more common is the charge that the voting follows party lines. There are cases where this happens but others where it doesn’t; and some, such as in the most recent Walkers Logistics application in Membury, where it did but in the opposite way to which many predicted. The main challenge for the committee members seems to a hard slog through the three Ps of policy, precedent and procedure on which the planning system rests.

The Burghfield café application will be considered by this process by EAPC, probably in the next couple of months. The decision will be taken by nine councillors, but taking into account the views of many others who will be attending the meeting in one of the above-mentioned capacities; and many more – perhaps hundreds  – who have expressed their opinion. Unless there is an appeal, that will be the final word on the matter (though there’s nothing to stop a separate application being lodged if this one is refused). In some cases, the committee’s decision may not prove to be right – whatever “right” is – but it will certainly have been carefully considered. In any case, that’s the system we have and, until someone comes up with a better one, the one we’re stuck with. Burghfield’s café will get no special treatment just because it’s been proposed by the parish council: indeed, as it’s going to committee, rather the reverse. Everyone will have a chance to have their say then. Anything said before then, if not made as a formal response, might prove to be a waste of time.

Spreading the word

Community notices

• Theale Parish Council has announced that Deadmans Lane is going to have a No Motor Vehicles restriction to encourage active travel within the community whilst works are carried out until June. The council has also stated that signs alone will most likely not deter motorists therefore, there will be some reflective bollards in place that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to pass easily. You can find a map of the planned restriction here, and more information on this matter here.

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, please consider donating even one item a week so they can support those who are really struggling. You can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 12 April and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: a brief report on the annual parish meeting which preceded it (which included a presentation from Greenham Trust, from District Councillor Dominic Boeck and local groups); four planning applications; the jubilee; and report on the progress of finding companies to tender for the new skate ramp (four have come forward). To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 7 April and you can read the minutes here.Items covered included: the Village Hall; a report from ward member Graham Bridgman; committee reports; the proposed café (see also separate section above); the May Fair; financial matters; and the annual parish meeting (7pm on 12 May). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 5 April and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Village Hall (a discussion about the project plan for which has been going on for some time); planning matters; enforcement issues by WBC; the Community Day event (2 May); speeding; a sunken manhole; highway problems; the jubilee; defibrillators; tree preservation orders; the Restless Development charity event at Bradfield College (22 May); financial matters; and the reassuring news that “all four of the Spring into Blossom cherry trees are very much alive.” To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included the annual parish meeting (26 April); planning matters, including the lack of orange site notices (this is not the only parish where this has been mentioned recently); the greening campaign; village communications; the Burghfield to Mortimer cycleway; drainage and manholes; the NDP; the jubilee; the persistent complainants policy (which suggests that there is at least persistent complainer in the parish, whether with good reason tr not I’m not competent to judge); financial matters; District Councillor Bridgman’s report; mean’s sheds; and car parking. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a councillor vacancy; planning matters; the waiting time for a quorum; fencing at the school; the Stocks Cottages roundabout; the jubilee; various community projects; financial matters; and speeding. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters (including the 2022-23 budget); planning matters; the jubilee; and a review of the risks and asset registers. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborougharea; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

This week’s news

• A final reminder that the Englefield Estate’ Easter Woodland Trail run until this Sunday 24 April which allows the public to explore around Mortimer West End and Mortimer and Burghfield Common. The 15 activity boards along the way are sure to keep you interactive with the environment. For more details, click here.

• According to the Newbury Weekly News, paediatric doses of the covid vaccine for five to 11-year-olds with no underlying health conditions are currently available at Theale Village Hall. A second does will be offered at least 12 weeks apart. These vaccines aren’t being given at schools or GP surgeries. You can  book on the NHS booking website or by calling 119.

• As mentioned last week, Theale Parish Council has announced that Deadmans Lane is going to have a No Motor Vehicles restriction to encourage active travel within the community whilst works are carried out until June. The council has also stated that signs alone will most likely not deter motorists therefore, there will be some reflective bollards in place that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to pass easily. You can find a map of the planned restriction here, and more information on this matter here.

• A notice from Theale Parish council as the poll for the election of one parish councillor will be held on Thursday 28 April. This will occur between 7am and 10pm. You can view the official notice here which will help understand the details of the nominees.

• Fancy a bluebell walk this weekend? For the next two weekends, in sponsorship of MS Society, Rushall Farm in Bradfield is hosting a Bluebell walk that will feature family fun in the barn, hot and cold food, homemade cakes and a free treasure hunt. For adults it is £5 and for children, £3. For more information, click here or here for the Facebook post here.

• Another bluebell walk in Sulham Woods is taking place this Sunday at 2.15pm. Tickets are £5 with all proceeds going towards Purley’s historic 18th Century Barn.  For more information, please see here.

• The next Padworth Village Jumble Sale is being held on Saturday 7 May, in aid of the Village Hall. After an incredible Sale on Saturday 5 March which raised £520 for UNICEF who donated where possible to the Ukrainian Emergency, and the Sale on 26 March which raised a further £384.37 for St John the Baptist, any donations containing unwanted items are gratefully received and can be brought to the village hall between 10am and 11.30am. For more information, have a look here on the Village website.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro has recently (10 April) published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here. Items covered include: local planning applications; the parish council by-election; the pedestrian crossing petition; and Theale Green School.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman has recently (7 April) published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• Click here to read the April 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from theBenefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Pincents Lane, bridge bidding and the Bazalgette Principle

Although slightly outside our area, this proposed 165-home development in Tilehurst has recently come to public attention and for reasons which may have district-wide significance.

The project was rejected by the Eastern Area Planning Committee. However, the officers requested that he be reviewed by the District Planning Committee. This was considered on 13 April, when the plans were rejected again. I’ve spoken to some of the committee members and also seen the article on p21 of this week’s NWN. This cited a range of traffic and access concerns, as well as the fact that it wasn’t in the local plan, as the main reasons for refusal. The officers were concerned that the developers might appeal and this request for a fresh look offered, perhaps, a double protection against an expensive risk: if the DPC approved the application then clearly no appeal would be required; if they refused them then at least it could be demonstrated that the matter had been given every possible consideration. I’m unclear why this site is particularly vulnerable to an appeal considering that the district has more than seven years of land supply and the manifest problems with the development, particularly its access.

As to why the access is so problematic, it’s because it would in effect pass through the car park of the retail area to the south which contains a supermarket, an Ikea and the HQ of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Services. This would be less of a problem were a foot-bridge to have built, as per the original permission. This was, however, allowed to be dropped under a Section 73 agreement (by which a developer can vary specific conditions or aspects of an agreement) about ten years ago. Somehow, this was allowed to get through. No developer wants to build something that’s going to cost money if they can avoid it. This left the area less one useful piece of infrastructure which, years later, has come back to haunt it. This is far from being the only case of a condition being set aside. The planning system is a bit like a game of bridge: your initial bid is not what you want to do but what you think you can get away with. Once planning approval is obtained, the serious work starts on whittling the details down to the thing you’re actually prepared to build.

One dissenting voice at the DPC was that of Tony Vickers who voted to approve the scheme. This was not because he felt it was perfect as it stood – he admitted that his views were “finely balanced” – but because the local MP, Alok Sharma, had already said that if the application was approved he would call it in for the Secretary of State to decide. The point here is that, regardless how the decision went, WBC would not have to bear any costs. As matters stand, a successful appeal by the developers against WBC could cost the council a six-figure sum. This could also be seen as a kind of bridge bidding. Other DPC members were keener to stress to the principles of the issue: “We’re proud to be a policy-led authority,” Graham Bridgman said, “and this is against policy.”

The NWN article also refers to members of the DPC criticising the traffic data and, by implication, the fact that additional growth needs to be assumed: the exceptionally busy days of today could become the norm in a decade’s time. This calls to mind a story of which I’m particularly fond (please indulge me if you’ve heard in before) which examples what I call the Bazalgette Principle. The engineer Joseph Bazalgette was in the 1850s tasked with the problem of building a sewer system for London, the effluent problem having reached repulsive proportions. He came back with his plans: he had assumed, he told the government, the largest sized pipes that the city currently needed. He had then doubled his dimensions, shrewdly realising that London was only going to get bigger. The system is still operational today. It doesn’t seem that the Bazalgette Principle was applied to the Section 73 agreement about the footbridge and nor, perhaps, to the traffic projections for the recent application. Perhaps photos of these wonderfully whiskered Victorian engineers should by law be placed in in every council office as a reminder of the need for future-proofing any decisions in so far as one can. West Berkshire Council is currently grappling with a 30-year vision for aspects of its local plan: Bazalgette’s vision has so far lasted for around 170 years.

Burghfield’s café

My attention has recently been drawn to the controversy surrounding Burghfield Parish Council’s (BPC) application for the erection of “a temporary pre-fabricated café on Burghfield Common between the sports pavilion and the playground”. You can see the application (22/00535/FUL) by clicking here. There have so far between about 80 letters of opposition and about 50 of support, indicating the reality, or the perception, of concern. I’m also aware of a leaflet which has been dropped through letterboxes in the town (headed “Save our Village Green”) which contains a number of allegations about the shortcomings of the project. Burghfield PC has several documents relating to the matter on its website but this is, unfortunately, going through a site migration as I write so any links may not work (I’ll add these in when available or supply them next week).

I knew next to nothing about this until Wednesday, although I’ve seen similar disputes elsewhere. So, I made a few calls to try to find out what the issues were.

The nine points in the leaflet – which are echoed by several of the objection letters I’ve seen – could perhaps have been divided into four groups. Some (such as concerning traffic and parking) are planning matters. Others (such as the cost and the viability) are commercial ones. There is also a suggestion that the proposal would increase anti-social behaviour, which I assume would be more likely if alcohol were served: if so, this would be a licensing matter. Finally, there are suggestions that the consultation was inadequate, which is really an engagement matter between BPC and its residents (and vice versa).

Only the first of these, the planning matters, will be of importance when the application is decided at the Eastern Area Planning Committee (EAPC) some time after the determination deadline of 29 April. (Ward Member Graham Bridgman told me he had called it in regardless of whether officers were minded to accept it though it would have gone to committee anyway because of the number of objections.) Anyone writing a letter or email of support or objection is free to mention any aspect of the matter that comes to mind: however, only ones which bear on planning policy or procedure will be considered by the officers or, in this case, the committee. They may impose conditions about opening hours or delivery times or a hundred other things but will not concern themselves with the commercial viability of the project nor how this is funded.

So: is the project viable? Burghfield PC’s view, as expressed to me, was that it has, over the last five years, been scaled down from a £2m+ community-hub plan to one that comprises merely a café. I’m not sure of the exact proposed costs but they would appear to be in the mid-five-figure area. Moreover, you’ll have noted the use of the term “temporary pre-fabricated” to describe the project. The plan as I understand it is to give the project two years, after which it could be (i) retained as is, (ii) expanded into a different and (perhaps) larger site or (iii) sold and shipped away. Option (iii) isn’t normally open to building projects: but if this one didn’t work out, the whole thing could be loaded onto the back of a trailer and, still with espresso machine in place, moved somewhere else. (BPC has suggested to me that the description of the structure as a “shipping container” in the leaflet is a tad brutal: “a modular unit” was the phrase I was offered, which could be cladded with wood or something else. EAPC may insist on this.)

The immediate aim, if approval is granted, is to find a local person or people (not a national chain) to run it, within whatever hours of operation (i) are permitted by the approval and (ii) suit them. The 7am to 7pm seven days a week hours are, I was told, designed to give the greatest flexibility to whoever takes it on. The question of any alcohol licence – and thus, possibly, concerns about anti-social behaviour – will be the subject of a separate application to a separate committee and so don’t seem very important at this stage.

As regards how it’s funded, there are three main options: (i) from BPC’s own reserves; (ii) from a low-interest loan from the PWLB; or (iii) from external grants or donations. Burghfield’s recent Village Hall re-furb raised about two-thirdsof its costs from the last two sources and there’s no reason to suppose this will be any different. There will of course also be rental income from whoever’s running it.

Turning to the consultation, it was suggested to me that the only public engagement was at an earlier stage when a larger project was being conceived. It would indeed appear that the only two formal consultations took place, in 2017 and 2019. It’s also true that the plans changed several times (being scaled down because of a number of factors including cost, the re-furb of the Village Hall and another solution being found for the library) but BPC points out that “a number of articles were also included within the quarterly parish newsletter to update parishioners of progress alongside regular posts on the parish council website.”

Here we enter a subjective area. These days, consultations need to be on- and off-line and publicised in a variety of places including the PC’s website, local news groups (printed or digital) and social media. Some people may have missed some of these, or the PC could have failed to make some of these sufficiently clear. It could also be that fewer people keep their eye on the BPC website than BPC likes to assume. “Consultation” could be taken to include general news sharing with invitations to comment, though some might see it only as a more formal process with a deadline for responses and clear actions thereafter. These are expensive and time-consuming to do. Perhaps BPC could have done more: perhaps the residents could have logged on to the BPC website more often. Perhaps some of the objections have nothing to do with this application but hark back to some unconnected unfinished local business. I don’t know the place or the case well enough to judge, though I know all these issues have cropped in various combinations cropped up elsewhere.

The 2019 consultation recorded that 74% of people wanted a café in a proposed community hub. It could be argued that this is no longer a community hub and thus that the question is void. However, I don’t see that any secret was made of the fact that a café was being planned and I understand that there have been over 30 meetings, all of them open to the public, at which the matter was discussed. Certainly, the plans were changed several times, which must in part have been due to public feedback. Finally, the level of consultation isn’t so far as I’m aware a planning consideration anyway.

For most planning issues of any size, there’ll be several sources of often conflicting information and opinions. The applicant, the parish council (the same in this case), the ward member/s, local media groups (such as Penny Post), social media platforms and local objectors will have their views. It’s rare that anyone has a monopoly of the truth so be sure to check the sources against each other and ask if you see gaps or inconsistencies. Most Burghfield residents will have seen the leaflet and you’ve read my thoughts, for what they’re worth. For Burghfield PC’s views, as mentioned above the website currently has the scaffolding up – until that’s remedied, email enquiries@burghfieldparishcouncil.gov.uk if you have any questions.

It also may be that applications which are initiated by a parish council – and which, if passed, involve expenditure – risk being particularly contentious. There may be the perceptions (which I don’t share) that PCs have a secret short-cut through the planning system or that the main aim is the personal enrichment or advantage of the councillors concerned. Public money obviously needs to be carefully watched but there don’t seem to be any extravagances in this case. If anyone feels differently, raise it with BPC.

The next step is the meeting of EAPC to make a decision. (I’d add in passing that I think it would be a good idea if all applications for which any local council were the applicant should be called into committee automatically, if only to demonstrate that these get the maximum level of scrutiny.) All parties will be able to have their say at that. Ideally this will be sooner rather than later as there are still be several hoops to jump through before the idea reaches fruition. Hopefully it will then be a success. If it isn’t and if, a few years from now, you see a “modular unit”, perhaps cladded, leaving Burghfield on the back of a lorry exuding a faint aroma of coffee and bacon sandwiches, then it’s been sold and is en route to its new home. The only way to find out whether it works or not is to try it…

Community notices

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, please consider donating even one item a week so they can support those who are really struggling. You can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page, and click “see more” to find Theale events such as Wellbeing Sessions and Play Bridge Sessions. Otherwise you can email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 9.45am to 12.15pm in the Victory Hall, Beenham.  All abilities are welcome. Any interested persons should contact Sunny Still on 9712255.

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm until 5pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see their calendar here for dates and here for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall, RG7 4HS, on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm.

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 12 April and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: a brief report on the annual parish meeting which preceded it (which included a presentation from Greenham Trust, from District Councillor Dominic Boeck and local groups); four planning applications; the jubilee; and report on the progress of finding companies to tender for the new skate ramp (four have come forward). To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 7 April and you can read the minutes here.Items covered included: the Village Hall; a report from ward member Graham Bridgman; committee reports; the proposed café (see also separate section above); the May Fair; financial matters; and the annual parish meeting (7pm on 12 May). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included the annual parish meeting (26 April); planning matters, including the lack of orange site notices (this is not the only parish where this has been mentioned recently); the greening campaign; village communications; the Burghfield to Mortimer cycleway; drainage and manholes; the NDP; the jubilee; the persistent complainants policy (which suggests that there is at least persistent complainer in the parish, whether with good reason tr not I’m not competent to judge); financial matters; District Councillor Bridgman’s report; mean’s sheds; and car parking. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a councillor vacancy; planning matters; the waiting time for a quorum; fencing at the school; the Stocks Cottages roundabout; the jubilee; various community projects; financial matters; and speeding. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters (including the 2022-23 budget); planning matters; the jubilee; and a review of the risks and asset registers. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 1 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Lambourn Valley; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton & Downlands; Wantage area; Marlborough area; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

This week’s news

• According to this week’s Newbury Weekly News, paediatric doses of the covid vaccine for five to 11-year-olds with no underlying health conditions are currently available at Theale Village Hall. A second does will be offered at least 12 weeks apart. These vaccines aren’t being given at schools or GP surgeries. Apparently you are meant to be able to book on the NHS booking website or by calling 119.

• Theale Parish Council has announced that Deadmans Lane is going to have a No Motor Vehicles restriction to encourage active travel within the community whilst works are carried out until June. The council has also stated that signs alone will most likely not deter motorists therefore, there will be some reflective bollards in place that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians to pass easily. You can find a map of the planned restriction here, and more information on this matter here.

• The Englefield Estate is hosting an Easter Woodland Trail that is running until 24 April which will allow the public to explore around Mortimer West End and Mortimer and Burghfield Common. The 15 activity boards along the way are sure to keep you interactive with the environment. For more details, click here.

•A final reminder that, if you fancy a great day with the family and all for a good cause, The Falcon Pub in the High Street is hosting a Family Fun Day on April 15 including an evening karaoke as well as children’s competitions. All proceeds are going towards Breast Cancer Research and The Air Ambulance. For more information click here to be redirected to their Facebook page.

• The next Padworth Village Jumble Sale is being held on Saturday 7 May, in aid of the Village Hall. After an incredible Sale on Saturday 5 March which raised £520 for UNICEF who donated where possible to the Ukrainian Emergency, and the Sale on 26 March which raised a further £384.37 for St John the Baptist, any donations containing unwanted items are gratefully received and can be brought to the village hall between 10am and 11.30am. For more information, have a look here on the Village website.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro has recently (10 April) published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here. Items covered include: local planning applications; the parish council by election; the pedestrian crossing petition; and Theale Green School.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman has recently (7 April) published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• He also refers to the problems of the new pavements in Beech Hill. The same thing happened in Hungerford for the same reason, so most of the comments in the Chasing Pavements section in the Hungerford Area Weekly News column for 7 April 2022 apply here.

• His report also covers a couple of issues in Burghfield: the Parish Council’s planning application for the pavilion and concerns about the Sovereign tenancy on Recreation Road.

• Click here to read the April 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from theBenefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Community notices

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, please consider donating even one item a week so they can support those who are really struggling. You can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 12 April and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: a brief report on the annual parish meeting which preceded it (which included a presentation from Greenham Trust, from District Councillor Dominic Boeck and local groups); four planning applications; the jubilee; and report on the progress of finding companies to tender for the new skate ramp (four have come forward). To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included the annual parish meeting (26 April); planning matters, including the lack of orange site notices (this is not the only parish where this has been mentioned recently); the greening campaign; village communications; the Burghfield to Mortimer cycleway; drainage and manholes; the NDP; the jubilee; the persistent complainants policy (which suggests that there is at least persistent complainer in the parish, whether with good reason tr not I’m not competent to judge); financial matters; District Councillor Bridgman’s report; mean’s sheds; and car parking. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a councillor vacancy; planning matters; the waiting time for a quorum; fencing at the school; the Stocks Cottages roundabout; the jubilee; various community projects; financial matters; and speeding. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters (including the 2022-23 budget); planning matters; the jubilee; and a review of the risks and asset registers. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 3 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 1 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

News from other areas

Penny Post area – please see the following separate sections: Hungerford area; Marlborough area; Newbury area; Thatcham area; Compton and Downlands; Theale area; Wantage area; Swindon area.

News and views from across the area and beyond: please see the most recent Weekly News with Brian column.

This week’s news

• Ever wondered what it was like teaching in the 70s? Former art teacher Raymond Gray who taught from the age of 21 at Theale Green school shares some insight into teaching and Theale Green’s History in the Reading Chronicle. Have a look here if you’re interested.

• Fancy a pub quiz next week? The Falcon Pub is hosting their first quiz on Tuesday 12 April where there will be teams of 4 and for only £1 a person, it is a great night out for a few friends or the family. For more information, have a look here.

• Speaking of which, if you fancy a great day with the family and all for a good cause, The Falcon Pub in the High Street is hosting a Family Fun Day on April 15 including an evening karaoke as well as children’s competitions. All proceeds are going towards Breast Cancer Research and The Air Ambulance. For more information click here to be redirected to their Facebook page.

• The next Padworth Village Jumble Sale is being held on Saturday 7 May, in aid of the Village Hall. After an incredible Sale on Saturday 5 March which raised £520 for UNICEF who donated where possible to the Ukrainian Emergency, and the Sale on 26 March which raised a further £384.37 for St John the Baptist, any donations containing unwanted items are gratefully received and can be brought to the village hall between 10am and 11.30am. For more information, have a look here on the Village website.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman has recently (7 April) published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here. One of the matters he looks at is covered below (Windmill Court).

• He also refers to the problems of the new pavements in Beech Hill. The same thing happened in Hungerford for the same reason, so most of the comments in the Chasing Pavements section in the Hungerford Area Weekly News column for 7 April 2022 apply here.

• His report also covers a couple of issues in Burghfield: the Parish Council’s planning application for the pavilion and concerns about the Sovereign tenancy on Recreation Road.

• Click here to read the April 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from theBenefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

Windmill Court

Burghfield and Mortimer ward member Graham Bridgman had this to say in his latest newsletter: “Having become aware of concerns raised about Sovereign Housing’s plans for redeveloping Windmill Court, I have been (and am continuing to be) in discussions with Sovereign, WBD and Windmill Court residents.  I know that residents who have contacted me were due to meet with Sovereign and I await the outcome of those meetings.  I also know that, as well as attending the next Parish Council meeting, Sovereign will be undertaking some community engagement, so I await developments (and the planning application).”

Not being familiar with this story, I asked him for a bit of background. It seems that Sovereign stood accused in some quarters of leaving the residents to solve matters themselves, claims that may not be entirely fair. Sovereign is now assuring everyone that it will be doing all it can to support and help the residents in relocating. I’m sure that the Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council – and Councillor Bridgman – will ensure that this is no mere PR exercise.

Community notices

• Healthwatch Berkshire invites you to have your say on Covid testing. This survey will show how many people are still relying on and using Covid testing equipment in daily life and whether or not it is as important as it has been in the past. You can find the survey here.

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, please consider donating even one item a week so they can support those who are really struggling. You can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included the annual parish meeting (26 April); planning matters, including the lack of orange site notices (this is not the only parish where this has been mentioned recently); the greening campaign; village communications; the Burghfield to Mortimer cycleway; drainage and manholes; the NDP; the jubilee; the persistent complainants policy (which suggests that there is at least persistent complainer in the parish, whether with good reason tr not I’m not competent to judge); financial matters; District Councillor Bridgman’s report; mean’s sheds; and car parking. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 8 March and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: plans for the jubilee; planning matters; speeding in the parish; the over-use of the A340; an inspection at the Manor House; and parking at the Rugby Club. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters (including the 2022-23 budget); planning matters; the jubilee; and a review of the risks and asset registers. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 3 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: committee reports; the report from ward member Graham Bridgman; the Community Hub; the May Fayre; and financial matters. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 1 March and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

This week’s news

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro is currently petitioning West Berkshire Council for a pedestrian crossing at the eastern end of Theale High Street. This aims to make crossing safer for all, but will be particularly beneficial to older people who need to access facilities such as the shop and pharmacy. If you would like to sign the petition you can do so here.

• Aldermaston Parish Council has been asked by Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group to help advertise its Digital Survey. The Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group represents all six Berkshire Local Authorities, working to delivery its digital strategy to help better connect Berkshire. They want as many residents as possible to complete the anonymous survey, which can be found here. You have until 8 April to have your say.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• Holy Trinity Church is seeking donations for the Foodbank that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 9am to 6pm. With another rise in people’s need for foodbank support, please consider donating even one item a week so they can support those who are really struggling. You can find out what has been requested each week by clicking here.

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• Healthwatch Berkshire invites you to have your say on Covid testing. This survey will show how many people are still relying on and using Covid testing equipment in daily life and whether or not it is as important as it has been in the past. You can find the survey here.

• Theale Parish Council is appealing for volunteers for the charity Read Easy which help adults who cannot read to a functional level. In West Berkshire alone there are estimated to be 5,000 people in this situation. For more information please contact Mark Ingvorsen on 07748 276959 or at swbpioneer@readeasy.org.uk.

• Click here to read March 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

Community notices

• Mortimer Village Partnership (MVP) hosts its Annual Affiliates Social meeting on Saturday 19 March between 5pm to 7pm at Mortimer Community Centre for locals to meet those who work on the village website, plus offer any feedback to MVP on how they can better represent the comings and goings within the village and surrounding areas.

• Please support Bag2School collections to raise funds for the PTAs of St John’s School, Mary’s School  and The Willink School. Home collections are occurring on Monday 21 March and school collection on 22 March. All items such as clothes, shoes, accessories, bedding, curtains, towels, cuddly toys can be donated.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 8 March and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: plans for the jubilee; planning matters; speeding in the parish; the over-use of the A340; an inspection at the Manor House; and parking at the Rugby Club. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters (including the 2022-23 budget); planning matters; the jubilee; and a review of the risks and asset registers. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 3 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: committee reports; the report from ward member Graham Bridgman; the Community Hub; the May Fayre; and financial matters. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 1 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; continued discussion about the “impasse” surrounding the management of the Village Hall; the so-called “Village Hall roof incident” involving asbestos removal; a report from the ward member; varying opinions on the quality of the mobile coverage in the parish; the auubal parish assembly (Friday 22 April); dog bins; highways; the jubilee; the emergency plan; litter picking; financial matters; and the youth shelter. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 February and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

This week’s news

• The Annual Spring Clean of Mortimer is this Saturday 19 March from 1pm till 4pm.  Volunteers are requested to sign in at the Fairground opposite the Horse & Groom pub. All current Covid guidelines will be followed during the event. Please bring your own hand sanitiser and gloves if required, however, litter-pickers and bags will be provided on the day. Please visit mortimervillage.org.uk for further information.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro is currently petitioning West Berkshire Council for a pedestrian crossing at the eastern end of Theale High Street. This aims to make crossing safer for all, but will be particularly beneficial to older people who need to access facilities such as the shop and pharmacy. If you would like to sign the petition you can do so here.

• Aldermaston Parish Council has been asked by Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group to help advertise their Digital Survey. The Berkshire Digital Infrastructure Group represents all six Berkshire Local Authorities, working to delivery its digital strategy to help better connect Berkshire. They want as many residents as possible to complete the anonymous survey, which can be found here. You have until 8 April to have your say.

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• As mentioned previously, due to complaints about rogue golf balls ending up in the neighbours’ backyards, new nets are to be fitted at Theale Golf Club‘s 10th hole. Supposedly to stand at 8 metres tall, the netting is proposed to be screened by new planting. See full story on Newbury Today.

• Theale will be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• Theale Parish Council is appealing for volunteers for the charity Read Easy who help adults who cannot read to a functional level. In West Berkshire alone there are estimated to be 5,000 people in this situation. For more information please contact Mark Ingvorsen on 07748 276959 or at swbpioneer@readeasy.org.uk.

• Click here to read March 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Arboreal rights

This week’s NWN reports on p14 of the tale of a pine tree in Mortimer which has become the centre of a local storm. Not Storm Eunice or any other recent one, which it survived: but a storm of protest by nearby residents who thought that it was ugly, lopsided, potentially dangerous and that infringed their human rights. The idea of a tree doing this was new to me although the an abuse of arboreal rights by people takes place on a daily basis in the Amazon rainforest. This tree, however, had powerful friends in the form of a Tree Preservation Order and WBC’s Tree Officer Jon Thomas. After a long period of emails to and fro, surveys and reports, the matter was recently elevated to the supreme court that is WBC’s Eastern Area Planning Committee which decided that the TPO, and the tree, should stay put.

I must declare a kind of interest in this. For about seven years we conducted delicate negotiations with our neighbours, with whom we got on very well, about some birch trees on their bank of the river. In summer these blocked out a lot of our light and, in autumn, deposited leaves all over the garden. One of them did look a bit dangerous where some pollarding years before had produced a possible weak spot about thirty feet (roughly half-way) up, which I mentioned. This fear was given extra force a year or so ago when part of the willow tree in the meadow about fifty yards away snapped off in a high wind at about midnight, causing a noise that pushed by heart rate into the low hundreds. The two birch trees have now  gone, the plan being to replace them with lower vegetation that will also provide more privacy. We hadn’t thought of using the human-rights argument, though. I’ll save that for next time.

This article in Newbury Today, reporting on an earlier stage in the conflict, refers to the risk of a tree falling and injuring someone. It offers the reassuring news that “the probability of being killed by a falling tree (or part of one) is extremely low – at one in 10 million per annum.” I’m a bit unclear what this means: do you need to walk under a tree 10 million times before you’re likely to get hit, or is one in every 10 million deaths related to falling trees? About 55 people a year are admitted to A&E as a result of full or partial arboreal failure. The article goes on to say that this compares to “2.9 million “leisure-related” admissions, including 260,000 related to footballs, 10,900 involving children’s swings and 2,200 involving wheelie bins, according to the National Tree Safety Group.” Given these statistics, I’d have thought that anyone working for the Tree Safety Group would hardly be rushed off their feet.

Other comparisons also exist. This website reveals that 16 people a day are killed in the USA due to texting while driving and about 450 people a year are killed by falling out of bed. Other hazards include icicles (100 people a year in Russia), dogs (34 people a year in the USA – I would have thought it would be a lot more) and, oddest of all, vending machines, responsible for 13 deaths a year (whether in the USA, somewhere else or worldwide the article doesn’t specify). Is there, however, a Bed or a Vending Machine Safety Group? If they exist, now would be the time for them to make their activities more widely known.

Community notices

• Mortimer Village Partnership (MVP) hosts its Annual Affiliates Social meeting on Saturday 19 March between 5pm to 7pm at Mortimer Community Centre for locals to meet those who work on the village website, plus offer any feedback to MVP on how they can better represent the comings and goings within the village and surrounding areas.

• Please support Bag2School collections to raise funds for the PTAs of St John’s School, Mary’s School  and The Willink School. Home collections are occurring on Monday 21 March and school collection on 22 March. All items such as clothes, shoes, accessories, bedding, curtains, towels, cuddly toys can be donated.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth and Aldermaston WI meets at Padworth Village Hall on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 14 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters; the Village Hall; planning matters; the annual parish meeting (7pm on 16 May); and a fallen tree leaning across power lines which the landowner “had not yet dealt with” (seems like an urgent matter to me). To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 8 March and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: plans for the jubilee; planning matters; speeding in the parish; the over-use of the A340; an inspection at the Manor House; and parking at the Rugby Club. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: financial matters (including the 2022-23 budget); planning matters; the jubilee; and a review of the risks and asset registers. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 1 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: planning matters; continued discussion about the “impasse” surrounding the management of the Village Hall; the so-called “Village Hall roof incident” involving asbestos removal; a report from the ward member; varying opinions on the quality of the mobile coverage in the parish; the auubal parish assembly (Friday 22 April); dog bins; highways; the jubilee; the emergency plan; litter picking; financial matters; and the youth shelter. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Mortimer to Burghfield Cycleway and Footpath; Speedwatch; the WBC Library Review; a complaint about SMPC’s maintenance of its historical records; planning matters (including the current lack of orange planning notices); the Greening campaign; the jubilee; reports from working parties and committees; the neighbourhood development plan; the annual parish meeting (Monday 25 April); a reply from Thames Water; fitness equipment; grant awards; planning and licensing matters; financial matters; crime statistics; and health and safety issues. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 3 February and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.  Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

This week’s news

• Theale district councillor Alan Macro has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• Burghfield and Mortimer district councillor Graham Bridgman has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here.

• Due to complaints about rogue golf balls ending up in the neighbours’ backyards, new nets are to be fitted at Theale Golf Club‘s 10th hole. Supposedly to stand at 8 metres tall, the netting is proposed to be screened by new planting. See full story on Newbury Today.

• A wonky pine tree is unsettling Mortimer residents on The Bevers as they fear it might fall down at any given moment. However a council tree officer has claimed that the risk of the 100-year-old pine tree falling is extremely low and the chance of anyone coming to harm is one in 10 million. The fate of the tree will be decided at the next planning meeting.

• Theale Parish Council has set out an appeal for volunteers for the charity Read Easy as they try to help adults who cannot read to a functional level. In West Berkshire alone there are estimated to be 5,000 people in this situation. For more information please contact Mark Ingvorsen on 07748 276959 or at swbpioneer@readeasy.org.uk.

• Quick reminder the Annual Spring Clean of Mortimer is on Saturday 19 March from 1pm till 4pm.  Volunteers are requested to sign in at the Fairground opposite the Horse & Groom pub. All current Covid guidelines will be followed during the event. Please bring your own hand sanitiser and gloves if required, however, litter-pickers and bags will be provided on the day. Please visit mortimervillage.org.uk for further information.

• The Burghfield May Fayre 2022 will be held on Sunday 8 May, as announced on the burghfieldresidents.org website. Applications for fayre stalls allocation can now be made via the website, with the Funfair, Dog Show, Arena Displays, Craft Stalls, Café, Food Stalls and The Bar all returning for this year’s event. Further details and updates will be released shortly.

• Theale will also be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• Click here to read March 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• For the latest news from the Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton which covers updates and events across Theale area please visit their website and click on Letters, Notices & Magazine.

• Latest news from Aldermaston Parish Council can also be found on their website aldermaston.co.uk and this month includes the celebration of a new florist and children’s nursery in the village.

Theale Green’s award

Theale Green School has picked up a prestigious national award at the Youth Sport Trust’s 2022 Conference for helping its students to improve their wellbeing and achievement through focusing on physical and mental health. The School was presented with the national children’s charity’s Outstanding Secondary Practice Award during the YST Annual Conference in Coventry earlier this month and accepted by Headteacher Joanna Halliday, Tony Blinco, Director of Sport and PE and Maxine Smiles Cooke, School Games Organiser..

A West Berkshire Council statement explains that “the award recognises a school which has harnessed the power of physical activity, PE and sport to transform the lives of young people and put wellbeing at its heart. Theale Green School pledged to join the Well Schools Movement over a year ago, which is a national community of professionals and stakeholders who believe that wellbeing should be at the heart of education. It has used its Well School framework to tackle existing societal issues through their Respectful Behaviours Manifesto and complemented the Well School ethos with investment in staff to drive the work forward.

“Over the last year, Theale Green has changed the way it kept young people active, using PE to re-engage students in the summer term and running a whole school community sports day to help achieve this. It also gave students a say in shaping an extra-curricular programme that would increase participation for disadvantaged students. In addition, a group of students have been receiving mentoring from athlete mentors to develop life skills and increase their confidence, self-belief and motivation.”

Congratulations from us to all those involved in this achievement. You can read WBC’s statement in full here.

Community notices

• Volunteers requested for St Mary’s Church, Burghfield’s Community Work Party on Saturday 12 March. Please see a Facebook post from St Mary’s Church which further explains the importance of the work party.

• Please support Bag2School collections to raise funds for the PTAs of St John’s School, Mary’s School  and The Willink School. Home collections are occurring on Monday 21 March and school collection on 22 March. All items such as clothes, shoes, accessories, bedding, curtains, towels, cuddly toys can be donated.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

• Thatcham historian Nick Young is giving an online talk, hosted by West Berkshire Museum, entitled Last Orders about the history of pubs in Thatcham including long gone hostelries such as the Bell, the Bull and the Shah. Book your tickets here for this convivial event at 7pm on Wednesday 16 March.

• Mortimer Village Partnership (MVP) host their Annual Affiliates Social meeting on Saturday 19 March between 5pm to 7pm at Mortimer Community Centre for locals to meet those who work on the village website, plus offer any feedback to MVP on how they can better represent the comings and goings within the village and surrounding areas.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth Village Hall hosts Padworth and Aldermaston WI on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 March and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: spoof email purporting to come from the Chairman; dog bins; the Clerk’s update; a report from District Councillor Alan Macro; planning matters; a motion about moving to bi-monthly meetings (not carried); and the distribution of the funds from the 2021 Christmas event. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 8 March and the minutes will be available here in due course. Items covered included: plans for the jubilee; planning matters; speeding in the parish; the over-use of the A340; an inspection at the Manor House; and parking at the Rugby Club. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Mortimer to Burghfield Cycleway and Footpath; Speedwatch; the WBC Library Review; a complaint about SMPC’s maintenance of its historical records; planning matters (including the current lack of orange planning notices); the Greening campaign; the jubilee; reports from working parties and committees; the neighbourhood development plan; the annual parish meeting (Monday 25 April); a reply from Thames Water; fitness equipment; grant awards; planning and licensing matters; financial matters; crime statistics; and health and safety issues. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here.To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 6 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 4 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.

This week’s news

• Theale Medical Centre recently released a notice of Dr Penny Brooke’s retirement announcement after a whopping 29 years at the Centre. We at Penny Post wish her a happy retirement and thanks for the hard work put in over the years.

• Burghfield and Mortimer ward member Graham Bridgman has recently published his latest e-newsletter, which you can read here. This includes, in the parish news section at the foot, an update on the Energy Recovery Centre in Burghfield and two sets of congratulations – to the Mortimer Lunch Club for b3eing a winner of a WBC Community Champions Award; and to Mortimer St Mary’s Junior School for achieving a “good” Ofsted rating.

• Padworth Jumble Sale will be returning to Padworth Village Hall this Saturday 5 March. Please see this month’s Padworth Newsletter (page 2) for more details. Bring a coat just in case the weather doesn’t hold out.

• There has been a considerable outpouring of support for Ukraine. Here is our summary of local and national appeals to support.

• Quick reminder the Annual Spring Clean of Mortimer is on Saturday 19 March from 1pm till 4pm.  Volunteers are requested to sign in at the Fairground opposite the Horse & Groom pub. All current Covid guidelines will be followed during the event. Please bring your own hand sanitiser and gloves if required, however litter-pickers and bags will be provided on the day. Please visit mortimervillage.org.uk for further information.

• Another cleaning work party will be held for any helpful volunteers to lend a hand in keeping our local area looking spick and span. St Mary’s Church, Burghfield have organised a Churchyard Community Work Party on Saturday 12 March, who will initially meet at the church from 10am. Please see a Facebook post from St Mary’s Church which further explains the importance of the work party.

• The Burghfield May Fayre 2022 will be held on Sunday 8 May, as announced on the burghfieldresidents.org website. Applications for fayre stalls allocation can now be made via the website, with the Funfair, Dog Show, Arena Displays, Craft Stalls, Café, Food Stalls and The Bar all returning for this year’s event. Further details and updates will be released shortly.

• Theale will also be hosting a Village Fete on Sunday 5 June between noon and 4.30pm on Theale Recreational Ground to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. With promises of traditional games, an arena display and funfair rides. Stall-holders who are interested should contact the Parish Council for further information.

• Click here to read March 2022 edition of Padworth Newsletter which, as ever, also has information from neighbouring parishes.

• The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton also published its February 2022 newsletter, which covers updates and events across Theale area.

• Another newsletter for February 2022, this time from Aldermaston Parish Council. This month’s edition includes; Cedar Lodge planning application, an update on Aldermaston’s skate ramp, the repair of the Lock-Up, plus many more updates from across Aldermaston and its neighbouring areas.

Community notices

• The Mrs Williams Pre-School at Burghfield Common is facing potential closure due to rising costs and low pupil numbers, caused largely by the pandemic. Donations can be made via their GoFundMe page.

• Bag2School collections will be taking place in March, which aims to raise funds for the PTAs of St John’s School, Mary’s School  and The Willink School. Home collections are occurring on Monday 21 March and school collection on 22 March. All items such as clothes, shoes, accessories, bedding, curtains, towels, cuddly toys can be donated.

• West Berkshire Library Service is appealing for local volunteers at Mortimer and Burghfield Common libraries. Please see this post on Facebook, call 01635 519533 or email volunteerinyourlibrary@westberks.gov.uk for further information.

• Mortimer Village Partnership (MVP) host their Annual Affiliates Social meeting on Saturday 19 March between 5pm to 7pm at Mortimer Community Centre for locals to meet those who work on the village website, plus offer any feedback to MVP on how they can better represent the comings and goings within the village and surrounding areas.

Local events and activities

For more information on events and activities across the Penny Post area, see the website calendar.

• Dates for the diary

• Regular events

• Theale Library hosts in-person events for people of all ages. To find out more information on future clubs and events click here to visit the West Berkshire Library Facebook page or email Theale Library at thealelibrary@westberks.gov.uk.

• Mortimer Library also host regular events, such as their Rhymetime group who meet every Tuesday (during school term time) at 2.30pm.

• Walking for Health meet every Tuesday at the community centre car park opposite the Horse & Groom, Mortimer. There are three walk lengths to chose from As mentioned on mortimervillage.org.uk,

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale is open for West Berks Food Bank donations on Sundays and Wednesdays from 10.30am to 6pm. Please see the church’s website for regularly updated lists of what is most needed at the food bank.

• Beenham Art Group every Tuesday from 10am to noon at Victory Hall, Beenham. More details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 16).

• Aldermaston Coffee Club meet at the cafe at Rosebourne, Aldermaston between 10am to 11.30am on the first and third Tuesday of each month. Further details in The Benefice of Aldermaston and Woolhampton Magazine (February edition, p 8)

• Aldermaston & Wasing Ladies Group meets on the second Thursday of each month from 2pm at Aldermaston Parish Hall, please see Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (p 3, February 2022 ) for further information.

• Padworth Village Hall hosts Padworth and Aldermaston WI on the third Tuesday of every month at 7.30pm. Further information on the group can be found in Padworth Parish Council Newsletter (No 155 February 2022 Edition p 3).

• Holy Trinity Church, Theale free choir group rehearses on Thursdays between 7pm to 8pm and then performs at Sunday services from 10.30am. All are welcome to join. Send enquiries to office@holytrinitytheale.org.uk.

News from your local council

Note: “the most recent meeting” refers to the most recent one for which minutes (in some cases draft) or some other summary is available. Other meetings may have taken place since. Some councils publish minutes more promptly than do others.

• The most recent meeting of Theale Parish Council took place on 7 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: a presentation by WBC’s new CEO, Nigel Lynn; a report by ward member Alan Macro; planning matters; TPC’s CCTV policy; and a grant application by the Berkshire MS Therapy Centre. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council took place on 10 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: the Mortimer to Burghfield Cycleway and Footpath; Speedwatch; the WBC Library Review; a complaint about SMPC’s maintenance of its historical records; planning matters (including the current lack of orange planning notices); the Greening campaign; the jubilee; reports from working parties and committees; the neighbourhood development plan; the annual parish meeting (Monday 25 April); a reply from Thames Water; fitness equipment; grant awards; planning and licensing matters; financial matters; crime statistics; and health and safety issues. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• See this page on Stratfield Mortimer PC’s website for more information on the refresh of its neighbourhood development plan.

• The most recent meeting of Aldermaston Parish Council took place on 8 February and you can read the minutes here. Items covered included: an update on the skate ramp; planning applications; traffic and speeding (including the news that the police have refused WBC’s request for a permanent speed camera on the A340 at Aldermaston Wharf); a stuck lorry; overgrown hedges; equine posters; a report from ward member Dominic Boeck; financial matters; a grant to the Parochial Church Council; the Wasing Estate; and the jubilee. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Padworth Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Englefield Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here.To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Beenham Parish Council took place on 10 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• Click here for details of Beenham’s Community Plan.

• The most recent meeting of Burghfield Parish Council took place on 6 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates and agendas for future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here.

• The most recent meeting of Bradfield Parish Council took place on 4 January and you can read the minutes here. To see the dates of future Parish Council meetings (including any committees), please click here. To see the agendas, please click here for 2021 and here for 2022.

• Theale area council contacts

Parishes: Theale Parish Council, Aldermaston Parish Council, Padworth Parish Council, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council, Englefield Parish Council, Beenham Parish Council, Bradfield Parish Council and Burghfield Parish Council.

West Berkshire Council: click here to visit the website.