Deed of Easement for gas infrastructure at MPF

This afternoon Reading Borough Council has published a Decision Book Report on a Deed of Easement for gas infrastructure at Mapledurham Playing Fields. This relates to the lease of land for The Heights primary school.

Looking north across The Heights' site on MPF (24/05/20)

The report states that "It is the decision of the Executive Director for Economic Growth & Neighbourhood Services in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Culture, Heritage & Recreation that having noted the Property Report and the Deed of Easement and the views of the members of the Mapledurham Trustee Sub Committee to enter into the Deed of Easement attached to this report as Appendix 2."

The report can be accessed here.

Liaison Officer hired for construction of The Heights at Mapledurham Playing Fields

Kier, the DfE's contractor building The Heights school at Mapledurham Playing Fields, has taken the unusual step of appointing a liaison officer to handle communications with residents and other stakeholders about the construction works.

I welcome the creation of this role which will be beneficial for our community. The works have been receiving considerable interest with daily correspondence and calls from some residents. Having a dedicated person handling communications should enable the works to progress more smoothly for all concerned.

Kier has appointed Ajit Jajh, who is known as AJ. His email is: theheightsliaison@outlook.com 

It is worth being aware that AJ’s role is limited to the construction works. He is not a spokesman for The Heights school. So if anyone has a question, request or complaint about the building of the school, deliveries, noise, etc, do get in contact with him. 

Reading BC's update on works at Mapledurham Playing Fields/Pavilion/The Heights

You can read Reading Borough Council's latest update about works at Mapledurham Playing Fields, including at the Pavilion and the construction of The Heights here.

The information sets out who to contact if you have a question about the construction of the school, including noise control.

It also covers the hours of work refurbishing the Pavilion, details about the noise monitoring and provides the monitoring results.

New Grant Funding to Support Reading's Small Businesses

If you have a small company, could you benefit from Government funding to help you through the covid-19 pandemic?

Here's a press release from Reading Borough Council with details:

SMALL businesses across Reading have a two-week window to apply for new grant funding to help support them through the Covid-19 crisis.

Local firms have until Sunday June 14th to apply for Reading Borough Council’s new Discretionary Grant Fund Scheme. They can check if they meet the eligibility criteria and complete an application form at www.reading.gov.uk/discretionarygrantfund

Reading expects to be given around £1.4 million by Government as part of a new national scheme created to support certain small businesses which previously fell outside the scope of the main business grant funds scheme.

The Council’s scheme closely follows central Government guidance in terms of criteria and which businesses are eligible. Due to the limited funds available, the Council fully expects demand for grants to significantly outweigh supply. Grant values will therefore only be finalised once the two week application window has shut,  at which point the Council can establish demand, carry out the relevant checks and ensure financial support reaches the maximum number of small local businesses in Reading.

A  two-tier payment approach has been designed by the Council based on the estimated rateable value (RV) of businesses. No grants will be awarded without an application being made and incomplete claims or claims received after June 14th will not be considered. At this stage it is anticipated payments to successful businesses will be made by BACS on week commencing 22nd June.

Free Online Comedy Project for over 70's

Please see below details I've just received from Age UK Berkshire of a new project being run in Reading. Do pass on to anyone who might be interested!

JOIN A THEATRE COMEDY PROJECT:
 
Free Online Comedy Project - Build your computer confidence & laugh and socialise with your peers!
Reading's StrikeUp Theatre are looking for people aged 70 and over who are feeling cut off from their neighbours, friends and family and would enjoy the opportunity to meet new people in a relaxed, playful environment.
 
We are working in association with AgeUK Berkshire and Reading Borough Council to bring you 6 free comedy theatre workshops, whilst delivering a crash course in video communications online.
 
WHEN
Thursdays, 11AM-12PM, 28th May - 2nd July
 
WHERE
Your Living Room - the course is run through a computer system which we can teach you how to use
 
WHAT
Over six sessions, you will learn the secrets of being funny onscreen, from physical clowning tricks to the secret of comic timing, taught by experienced theatre practitioners from StrikeUp Theatre. Plus, you will learn how to get the best out of video conferencing applications like FaceTime and Zoom. Over the six weeks, we will put together a unique comedy performance from an original script, written specifically to meet the challenges of an online video workshop. 
 
HOW TO JOIN
To sign up, get in contact with Rachel from StrikeUp Theatre:
EMAIL - rachel@strikeuptheatre.co.uk
PHONE - 07514712785

Reading's Recycling at Smallmead to Re-open

13 May 2020

Please see below the announcement that Smallmead will re-open on 18 May, with an on-line booking system being launched at 10 am on Friday 15 May.

PRESS RELEASE FROM re3

re3 recycling centres to re-open next week on restricted basis with a booking system in place

To gain access to sites, residents will have to book a time slot using a ‘Click & Tip’ service

The re3 recycling centres on Longshot Lane, Bracknell and Smallmead Island Road, Reading will reopen on 18th May, Monday with a booking system in place. The sites have been temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

An online booking system, ‘Click and Tip’ will open at 10AM, 15th May, Friday and residents of Bracknell Forest, Reading and Wokingham Boroughs will be able to book a time slot via the webform provided on the local councils and re3 websites. Bookings will be available for slots from 8am – 6pm, Monday to Sunday, and residents can book up to 7 days in advance. Due to the limited number of booking slots available, with the sites only operating at 50% of usual capacity, residents are urged to continue to safely store waste at home and only make a booking if the trip to the recycling centres is essential.

The health of residents and staff is always the highest priority, so everyone visiting the reopened sites must follow traffic signs, staff advice and adhere to the social distancing measures that have been put in place.

To ensure that social distancing guidelines are adhered, the following safety measures will be introduced on both sites:

• Limiting the number of vehicles allowed at the site at any one time.
• All visitors are required to keep the appropriate distance from each other, at least 2m apart.
• To minimise unnecessary contact with staff, residents should display their proof of address through closed windows and use contactless payments for transactions if possible.
• No assistance for unloading can be provided by site staff who will be available to direct the public and manage residents parking. 
• In line with Public Health England guidance, residents who are vulnerable, or who are showing symptoms which may indicate coronavirus, must not visit the recycling centres.

Things to remember when visiting the re3 sites at Longshot Lane, Bracknell and Smallmead, Reading:

• You must make a booking before you visit the site. If you do not having a booking you will be refused entry.
• Please bring proof of address that shows you are a resident of Bracknell Forest, Wokingham or Reading such as driving licence, a council tax bill or a utility bill and place it on your dashboard for staff to see.
• You must arrive at the time of your booked slot.
• You must come in the car for which you made your booking (identified by the number plate).
• Visitors who come without a booking, outside of their booked slot, without a proof of residency or in a different car from the booking will be turned away.
• We will accept all usual items, including chargeable waste, so plan your visit when loading your car as it will help minimise the amount of time on site. 
• There may be delays accessing the site and possibly queues of waiting vehicles, so please have all your documents available. 
• Please be patient and follow the instructions of staff onsite at all times. 

Cllr Mrs Dorothy Hayes MBE, Bracknell Forest Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Chairman of the re3 Joint Waste Disposal Board commented:

“The wellbeing of our residents and staff is our priority and we have been working hard to ensure that re-opening of recycling centres can be done in a responsible and safe manner during these unprecedented times. I am certain that the reopening of our recycling centres will be welcomed as we understand the difficulties people have faced managing their waste at this time, but residents need to realise that it is open at limited capacity and for pre-booked visitors only. We are expecting very high demand for appointments so we are asking residents to be patient and comply with new rules so we can safely deliver this crucial service.”

Cllr Tony Page, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Strategic Environment, Planning & Transport and Deputy Leader of the Council, said:

”I welcome the reopening of the recycling centres based on an online booking system and effective traffic control system, supported by other social distancing measures. These give us confidence that sites can operate safely, at the same time providing residents with the opportunity to dispose of and recycle their waste in a responsible manner. We thank residents for their patience during the period that the recycling centres have been closed and ask that they continue to be patient whilst the service is reintroduced. We anticipate that demand will be high, and with limited appointments available we ask everyone to only make a booking and travel to the centres if it is necessary.” 

Cllr Parry Batth, Wokingham Borough Council’s Executive Member for Environment and Leisure, added:

“I welcome this decision, but we should understand this is not a return to normal. Our recycling centres have always been in high demand with many residents praising the ease of use of our facilities. We want to continue to offer our services and as always ask everyone to follow staff advice. We need to ensure continuing access to refuse freighters and other councils vehicles, alongside opening-up the HWRCs. So, new measures are vital to ensure we protect our residents, our staff and to reduce unnecessary queuing near the sites.” 

More information can be found on the re3 website.

Bookings will go live on 10AM, Friday and residents can make a booking via the webform: Click&Tip service. 

Works to re-start at Mapledurham Pavilion

This afternoon Reading Borough Council (RBC) announced the welcome news that refurbishment of Mapledurham Pavilion will restart on Monday 4 May.

Mapledurham Pavilion's works to restart on 4 May 

Below is the information RBC has provided:

Re Mapledurham Pavilion works

The works to the pavilion started in early March by AYM Services Ltd, but were temporarily put on hold due to Covid-19 and the difficulty in meeting social distancing guidance.

Central Government have identified that where construction work is able to safely continue it should do so to aid future economic recovery. The Government have recently updated its Covid–19 construction safety guidance giving more specific advice on safe working practices. AYM have adjusted their working practices to reflect and meet this updated advice on social distancing rules.

AYM will re-start work on the pavilion on Monday 4th May with a reduced work force to build the small side extension and replace the existing roof and windows. Then the majority of work is inside, refurbishing the interior of the pavilion, for example installing new heating, electrics, changing facilities and toilets.

We have not taken this decision lightly. The pavilion is a community facility that we would like to reopen as soon as we are allowed for local people to use. We are aware of resident concerns about noise, disruption and social distancing caused by other nearby works and have put in place measures to address these concerns for the pavilion works. These include:

• A smaller workforce to meet revised Covid-19 construction safety guidance and will mean less activity on site at any one time
• We have asked that AYM work with the Council’s Environment Protection (EP) Team and apply for a S61 noise licence to limit or reduce any noisy work where possible to reflect that there are more people staying at home
• A noise monitor is to be installed near the pavilion to automatically record noise levels to help the EP Team monitor noise and target any site visits on the pavilion works
• All compressors and generators, where practicable, will be ‘sound reduced’ models fitted with acoustic covers to remain closed whenever they are in use
• All plant and machinery are to be fitted with effective silencers where available, will be sited away from houses where practicable, and will be shut down when not in use
• The AYM site manager will letter drop nearest neighbours to provide information as work progresses and will be available on site to listen to any queries about the pavilion works 

AYM construction working hours are Monday–Friday 8 am - 6 pm and, if needed, Saturday 9 am - 1 pm. They will be arriving on site between 7 am - 8 am to carry out safety checks but are aware that actual construction work is not to start before 8 am.

To help immediate neighbours to the pavilion know what is happening AYM will provide regular updates to them. The site manager of AYM is Michael Leith, AYM site manager and may be contacted by email on Michael.leith@aymservices.co,uk.

For all enquiries relating to the construction of the Heights Primary School, in the first instance please contact the Kier project manager on John.Hempton2@kier.co.uk. While the Department for Education are controlling the works to the Heights School, the Council’s Environment Protection team are also monitoring the school works and may be contacted at environmental.protection@reading.gov.uk For more general information about the Landscape works taking place at Mapledurham Playing Fields, please visit RBC's website page