Rain gardens or woodchipped parking spaces? Faraday Road rain gardens scheme slammed as cost revealed

The so-called ‘rain gardens’ on Faraday Road have been dubbed “an absolute mess”.

Local resident John Gotelee suggested the tax payer should have their money back.

They have cost nearly £12k, funded by the local enterprise partnership in Thames Valley and Berkshire.

The rain gardens are “landscaped” former “not well used” parking spaces on the London Road Industrial estate.

They are filled with soil, covered with wood chip, and are frequently gouged by vehicle tyres as motorists and lorry drivers mount the side of the road.

Louise Sturgess (Lib Dem, Newbury Central), executive portfolio holder for economic development and regeneration at West Berkshire Council, said the above ground design “conforms with highways standards” and said the rain gardens will eventually be more aesthetically pleasing.

West Berkshire Council’s executive committee was grilled on how much the project had cost, which prompted a robust defence as the unremarkable surface hides a drainage system below ground.

Ms Sturgess said the above ground design “conforms with highways standards” and had been designed to improve the overall look of the estate to encourage investment.

“It’s a shame vehicles have driven over them,” she said. “We are looking at putting mitigations in place and planting will be done soon.

“From the sustainable drainage perspective, Ardent, who have put the designs together are an award-winning civil engineering consultancy.”