March

CHOPPING seemed to be uppermost on WBC’s mind as it created a wasteland when it removed all the trees on land adjacent to the River Thames in preparation for a park and ride/bus lane bridge scheme which hadn’t got full planning permission yet.

Over on Wokingham’s flagship housing development at Phoenix Avenue, residents were cheesed off with the shambles of unfinished works and repeatedly broken promises for broadband installation.

In the face of overwhelming housing developments, Parish and Borough Councillors wrote to Government ministers (including the PM) making it clear that the developer practices of land-banking coupled with punitive action by DCLG’s Planning Inspectorate weren’t acceptable.

Closures continued with the shutting of Prezzo’s in Wokingham and Woodley being announced. Amidst the massive housing developments in Shinfield, Hyde End Road was closed to install new water mains.

And Emmbrook Road was closed (again) to prevent flooding under the railway bridge - which has gone on ever since its construction in the 1840s.

Theresa May’s visit to open the council’s Phoenix Avenue development did the trick to get Wokingham’s various housing companies to make it pleasant and safe to walk around.

But even this ray of sunshine couldn’t dispel the sense of impending doom as a well orchestrated filibuster at the Council Meeting delayed business by so much that the debate on WBC offering an apology to residents over the Elms Field debacle didn’t get a look in.