OPINION: Letters to the editor of the Newbury Weekly News
Excited by start of new trial in town centre
I am excited to start the trial pedestrianisation extension to Newbury town centre on May 19.
It’s a great opportunity to help our high street, and trial something different.
Pedestrianising the town centre for longer will help:
Boost the local economy – more attractive spaces encourage visitors to stay longer, increasing footfall for businesses.
Enhance the environment – a cleaner, quieter town centre with more outdoor dining and event opportunities.
Improve safety – fewer vehicle interactions make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Encourage active travel – a more walkable, bike-friendly town centre supports healthier, greener transport choices.
It’s really important to highlight that this is a trial, with a six-month consultation, this gives the opportunity to test the benefits, listen to residents and businesses lived experiences, and shape the future of our town centre together.
The pre-trial consultation wasn’t a referendum, but will help to give decision makers a baseline to see how residents and businesses’ perceptions change during the trial.
The trial of extending pedestrianisation was a manifesto pledge of the new administration, and also in line with the Newbury Masterplan setting the future direction for Newbury town centre which had extensive consultation and was approved by the previous Conservative administration.
I hear and understand people’s concerns – I commute across Newbury regularly for both council and work commitments – but I really do believe that this gives our community, and Newbury, an opportunity to try something different, and listen to people’s experiences over a longer period of time.
Please do look out for how to take part in the consultation when the trial goes live.
Stuart Gourley
Executive portfolio holder for environment and highways
Liberal Democrat councillor for Newbury Clay Hill ward
West Berkshire Council
Housing being built at expense of wildlife
Travelling around the West Berkshire area and beyond over time, I have seen more housing being planned and built with little regard to the British wildlife situated in that area or any areas being developed with nature before human in mind. This saddens me.
Areas built, without due consideration to British wildlife, means a degregation of our biodiversity and an overall delapidation of our areas where we live.
We must provide new homes at affordable at the cost to the developer, not wildlife.
Fiona Gurr
Old College Road, Newbury
Lapwings are now on the endangered list
Ironic that David Wilson Homes have named their new development Lapwing Green a bird now on the Red List for endangered species with one reason given as loss of habitat.
Tony Fenton
Speen
Fixing potholes would encourage cycling
Further to my letter kindly published last week, I have now been told that the £1.6m included in the current WBC budget is indeed ring-fenced money from central government for ‘active travel measures’.
Perhaps WBC might check whether the cash might be spent on fixing potholes to encourage more cycling?
It is also good to learn that the potholes in Bucklebury Alley, also mentioned last week, should have been fixed yesterday (Wednesday, May 7).
Thankfully the recent lack of rain has left just sufficient markings to enable the correct ones to be identified!
Julian Waghorn
Bucklebury Alley
Cycle paths are used at commuting times
As a cycle commuter, I suggest Mr Waghorn (Newbury Weekly News, May 1) sets his alarm a little earlier as between 05.30 and 08.30 there are a lot of people using the cycle paths in both directions between Newbury and Thatcham.
Similarly between 15.30 and 18.00.
Many of us opt to use the Lower Way paths rather than the A4 between Thatcham and Benham Hill despite having to avoid getting tangled in overhanging branches and overgrown hedges.
At least this means we can avoid the multiple vehicles parked in the marked lanes and the ‘Cycle Lane Ends’ and ‘Rejoin Main Carriageway’ signs.
It takes determination to cycle between the two towns, and I say that as someone who has been cycling for over 50 years.
If it were more joined up, more people would feel safe to do it so many more local journeys could be made by bike, thus reducing congestion, and yes, potholes.
As it is, when the segregated path finishes at Faraday Road, the expectation is that cyclists cross at the Newport Road crossing then use the underpass to get into town – not always an option as it floods badly and doesn’t feel safe for many of us.
Fortunately at 05.50, the low volume of traffic means I can use the Robin Hood roundabout.
Kath Hodgson
Thatcham
Are relocations of our bus station a record?
Does Newbury’s peripathetic bus station hold the national record for operating from the most sites (four) in 50+ years?
Old Memories last week omitted its sojourn on the Cattle Market site between the Kennet Centre and Wharf Mk II.
Judy Chidlow
Thatcham
The Sports Hub debacle still needs explaining
Firstly congratulations to the interim CEO on his promotion to full-time CEO of West Berks Council.
However, I don’t think he will have an easy time, certainly in the short term, because the elephant in the room has not gone away.
I refer to the Scrutiny Commission’s report into the debacle that was the Monks Lane Sports Hub and the subsequent waste of money.
The report was damning in every way, but importantly stated that either the council officers misled the courts or the executive councillors misled the public.
The report went on to say the council should refer itself to the ombudsman, such was the seriousness of the allegations.
Despite what were in my opinion efforts to block, bury or cover up the findings of the report, it hasn’t gone away.
A lot of money was to be spent on the Sports Hub, and its purpose was changed without consultation and then abandoned by the Lib Dems.
A member of the public lost a lot of his own money funding a judicial review and now finds that there is possibly evidence the council misled the courts.
Will he seek redress through the criminal courts I wonder?
Unfortunately, the buck always stops at the top, and I think someone will get thrown under the bus.
The only question is who? Members of the old executive? Or the council officers who without changing the plans facilitated the change of purpose from a replacement for Faraday Road to just a resurfaced playing pitch costing over £3m?
Either way, it will not look good since if the council doesn’t refer itself to the ombudsman, then I think that there is every chance someone else will.
John Gotelee
London Road, Newbury
Sports Hub report must be published by council
As people may be aware, the report on the so-called Sports Hub is as yet unpublished.
I quote from correspondence from Joseph Holmes dated March 11, 2025: “I also wish to refute the notion that the monitoring officer cannot be the arbiter of what goes into the public domain.”
I don’t think Mr Holmes was selected as CEO of WBC for his use of plain English.
There is a huge swathe of documents that are in the public domain and as much as certain people and (I guess) former councillors wish, the toothpaste cannot be put back in the tube.
When put together this material raises an awful lot of questions about the veracity of certain case officer reports on both Faraday Plaza and the old Faraday Road football stadium, as well as adherence to government-set planning regulations.
It is time the report was published; if names are to be redacted so be it, their actions should not be redacted.
It is the public that pay for the council and the public are entitled to have an account of the council officers’ and indeed councillors’ behaviour.
The Lib Dems inherited this mess; they should not become participators in covering things up. In the words of the Duke of Wellington: “Publish and be damned.”
Ian Hall
Ashampstead
We need volunteers to help at control tower
Greenham Control Tower is a charity and is overseen and managed by a team of volunteers and are proud that we have free entry to the tower and its exhibitions.
We want to maintain our high standards of having a team of volunteers act as guides to ‘meet and greet’ our visitors and support the background work that is required to give them a great experience. To do that we are in need of more volunteers.
We are looking for more members of the community to act as tower guides, support to the IT group in keeping our audio and visual experience running, people with DIY skills to help maintain the building, help with exhibitions, and, as always, assist in the café.
We are a thriving and growing asset in the community with over 50,000 visitors coming through the centre annually. Please help us to maintain our high standards and offer the team some support.
Further details and an application form for registration can be found at www.greenhamtower.org.uk/about/volunteer
Jeremy Willis
Ambassador, Greenham Control Tower
Who is dumping bread in Wash Common?
A number of residents at Wash Common are shocked by the huge quantity of bread, including artisan loaves and hot cross buns, which has been dumped in the woods between the recreation field and Blossom’s Field. Why?
The products are fresh and smell delicious but are no longer fit for human consumption once the disease-carrying rats and pesky pigeons have gnawed, defecated etc on them.
Surely, it would be easier to offer it to those who could appreciate it? Bread freezes so well.
Those helping others like Fair Close and the soup kitchen could have made wonderfully nutritious bread and butter pudding with it, especially with the hundreds of unwrapped hot cross buns.
Whoever is putting it there is not considering the hazards of doing so.
Not only is it attracting vermin but the dried fruit (which are varieties of grapes) are dangerously toxic to dogs.
A few dogs have been seen carrying full length baguettes/French sticks around and some owners have removed hot cross buns from the mouths of their dogs. One person said he had a very expensive vet’s bill but managed to save his dog. Please think.
Maybe you are thinking that you are feeding the local wildlife but this is not the type of food they need, especially at this time of year when birds are feeding their young.
Very recently a superbly healthy fox was found comatose and died.
Perhaps he was poisoned by hot cross buns. Foxes left to be wild animals do an amazing job in clearing up dead wildlife and eating slugs. They do not need domesticating.
Instead of this fox, it could have been somebody’s pet dog. Be acutely aware. Feed the hungry humans. No dumping of bread. If you know who is responsible please let Newbury Town Council know.
Name and address supplied
