Bollards now being installed on Stroud Green - six months after funding approved

Plans for the bollards were proposed last year in a bid to protect the green from travellers, however permission was required from central Govern-ment as Stroud Green is registered common land.
West Berkshire Council was given the go-ahead at the beginning of July, one day after a group of 16 caravans had left the site, and racecourse developer David Wilson Homes agreed to bring forward around £20,000 in developer contributions to finance the installation.
The council said that delay in starting the work was owing to the identification and approval needed by the utility companies with regard to the number of telecoms and cable services running underneath New Road.
Greenham district and parish councillor, Julian Swift-Hook (Lib Dem) said that this was also why the work was taking longer than expected, because each bollard had to be installed by hand rather than mechanically.
The work is due to be completed this week.
“I’m very pleased that the work is finally getting under way and that Stroud Green will be protected from unwanted encampments this summer.
“[David Wilson Homes] agreed it was a really important issue for the community and they responded very quickly.”
He added that while the bollards are currently uneven in height, they will all be level when the project is complete.