Traffic volume and speeding
(achievements in 2023)
During 2023 the ERA spent considerable time lobbying Wokingham Borough Council regarding various concerns about increased traffic through the village and speeding. We are pleased to say this work has been successful in a number of areas:
- Old Forest Road speed limit reduction – Through a Traffic Regulation Order we were able to achieve a reduction in the speed limit to 30mph (from 40mph). This is now fully in place.
- NWDR speeding – Our residents have consistently highlighted concerns with speeding on the new road. The ERA pushed WBC to carry out speed surveys on various sections of this road. These surveys highlighted problems at various points and we have persuaded WBC to install 30mph roundels at either end of the NWDR as it passes through Emmbrook. WBC have committed to monitor this with a follow-up survey in Spring 2024, and also committed to operate mobile “Speed Indicator Devices” (SIDs) at various locations on the road during the year.
- Increased traffic volume on Toutley Road (old section) – the surveys completed in 2023 showed that traffic during peak time had increased by approx. 400%. This is likely to be through a combination of traffic diverted from Matthewsgreen Road, and overall increase of traffic since the NWDR was fully opened. We are working with WBC to consider options of how to encourage traffic to access the NWDR via Reading Road rather than through Emmbrook.
Quiz Night (2023)
After a 3-year hiatus we returned to holding our annual quiz night in October 2023. It was very successful evening, with a packed hall where we raised £660 for local charities.
Our next quiz night is planned for 18th Oct 2024, in the Emmbrook Village Hall (6pm to 10pm).
ERA Quiz Night – Friday 13 Oct 2023 – SOLD OUT
Thank you to all those who have booked for the quiz. We are now full and looking forward to a great night.
City Fibre high-speed broadband installation
We are aware many of our residents have had issues concerning these works.
City Fibre are working on many streets in Emmbrook and the UK. They are supposed to have a notice board saying when they are doing the work and a permission to work reference number from Wokingham Council.
City Fibre are adamant that any damage will be put right. They also say they are committed to cleaning up at the end of the works to make sure the streets are back to normal. There should also a supervisor on site at all times while the work is ongoing to try to resolve any concerns. This person should be your first point of contact if you have any concerns.
If you have any issue with what they have done, we recommend putting in a complaint to City Fibre detailing what went wrong. We have been in contact with our Councillors who advise: “..We have some leverage if the City Fibre construction works blocked driveways or went over the time that they had booked to do the work in a particular location, but that is all.”
Councillor’s are writing to WBC planning enforcement to follow up on concerns we have raised. In the meantime they suggest residents log all the details to the planning enforcement office on this webpage – Report an alleged breach of planning control · Customer Self-Service (wokingham.gov.uk). If you don’t get an acknowledgement within 3 days and an update within 28 days, please let the ERA know and we will follow it up. Please provide us with details of your or any reports already made which have not been responded to within this time or in a satisfactory way (there should be a reference number).
ERA Quiz Night – Friday 13 Oct 2023
We are very pleased to announce that our popular quiz night is returning for 2023. Those of you who have participated in the past will know what a great time we have.
We will not be changing a winning formula:
£15 per ticket – includes fish and chips
Tickets are to be purchased in advance. We are limiting the numbers to 70 maximum and we had to turn people away previously so please get your requests in early! Teams of 6 to 8. If you aren’t part of a team please come anyway, let us know and we will fit you in with others on the night.
Please reserve your place by emailing Andy Goffin ([email protected]) with your details, including: team name & number of participants.
Payment of £15/person should be made by BACS transfer to: EMMBROOK RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION (Sort Code: 40-47-09 A/c no: 81584227). Please use Quiz – [your name] in the your reference section.
Venue: Emmbrook Village Hall, Emmbrook Road, Wokingham. RG41 1JN.
Doors open at 7pm, with the quiz starting at 7.30pm, and a planned finish time of around 10.30pm.
Please bring your own drinks, and as this is a fundraising evening please bring money on the night for raffle tickets.
Wokingham Society Open Meeting – 21 Jun 2023
7.45 PM FOR 8.00 PM ON WEDNESDAY 21 JUNE 2023
IN WOKINGHAM TOWN HALL
Wokingham United Charities: its history and its activities
An illustrated talk by Dennis Eyriey, trustee of the Charity.
The Charity’s origins can be dated back to 1451 when John Westende gifted eight cottages in Le Peche-street, now known as Peach Street, for poor and needy people in Wokingham. Over time other charities have been incorporated and Mr Eyriey will tell us about that history and what Wokingham United Charities does now.
FREE ENTRY LIGHT REFRESHMENTS AFTER THE MEETING
For more information contact: Peter Must, Wokingham Society Chairman
Telephone: 0118 9781671 email: [email protected]
Annual General Meeting – 17 May 2023
Our seventeenth Annual General Meeting will take place on Wednesday 17 May 2023 at Emmbrook Village Hall commencing at 8.00pm. We encourage all residents to attend to find out more about the difference the ERA is making in our local community, our plans for the year ahead and for a general chat over some wine and nibbles. For anyone considering joining the ERA, the AGM is a great opportunity to find out more about the organisation, the activities we are involved in and the impact we make locally.
Please see the agenda for more detail. For our members, you should by now have received a letter and and a form to complete if you wish to consider standing for election onto the committee to serve for the year 2023/24.
The Emm Brook Information Board
Many will be familiar with this information board next to bridge over the Emm Brook in Emmbrook Walk. It was originally erected in 2007 as a joint venture between Emmbrook Junior School, Friends of the Emm Brook, Emmbrook Residents Association, WBC and Cala Homes. Over the many years it has been in place the weather has taken its toll and it is in much need of repair.
We are very pleased to say that Friends of the Emm Brook, working in conjunction with Wokingham Men’s Shed, have agreed to carry out the repairs. A big thank you from ERA on behalf of Emmbrook residents and all others who appreciate this useful guide to the Emm Brook. The board has recently been removed and will be returned as soon as the work has been completed.
Emmbrook Place Community Centre
Since the opening of St Cecilia’s School in January 2023, ERA have been pushing WBC for a decision on when the connected community centre will open and who it will be operated by. The facilities have been completed but remain inaccessible to both residents and the new school. Overview of the facilities are as follows:
Keys Academy, who are responsible for St Cecilia’s School, have made proposals for operating the community centre; although it is understood that they are unlikely to have any interest in operating until the school is fully open in Sep 2023 at the earliest. WBC have also commenced discussions with Wokingham Town Council (WTC) who have expressed an interest in operating the centre.
WBC are yet to make a decision and there are currently no firm timescales. We continue to push WBC for a decision as soon as possible.
Traffic volume and speed surveys
Residents are likely to have noticed rubber strips appear on a number of roads in Emmbrook. Following pressure from ERA and local residents, WBC have agreed to carry out traffic surveys on a number of roads affected by the opening of the North Wokingham Distributor Road (NWDR). The survey commenced around 1 Mar 2023, will last for at least 7 days and will monitor traffic volume and speed.
The roads covered are:
– Toutley Road (NWDR section from Queen’s Road to bend by Monkey Mates)
– NWDR from junction with Old Forest Road to bend by Monkey Mates
– Toutley Road (original section from Dog & Duck junction to Queen’s Road junction)
– Matthewsgreen Road
– Queen’s Road
There have been a number of concerns regards speeding on some of these roads and also significant increases in traffic on Toutley Road, from and to the Dog & Duck junction. Once the survey has completed, and data processed by WBC, the ERA will be expecting full disclosure of the details so we can interrogate further. This will include a review of the need for additional speed-restriction measures and also a comparison of traffic volumes to those produced in 2014 prior to the new development in the area.
Town Hall War Memorial – Alfred Henry Grover
After submissions from the ERA, the name of Alfred Henry Grover, born in Emmbrook at Toutley Hall Bungalow in 1923, has been added to the Town Hall War Memorial. His heroism is described in the seventh booklet “So Much More Unfinished History of Emmbrook“, when he was killed in 1944 defending his co-driver during the allied advance at Hoogstraten. The ERA would welcome hearing from anyone who could add to the story. Copies of any of the books at £4 each may be obtained from the ERA.
Circle Trust – Emmbrook Nursery, Infant & Juniors
The Circle Trust, and both Emmbrook Infant School and Emmbrook Junior School, have recently announced – following consultation with stakeholders – that both schools have been awarded Academy Orders to convert to an academy and join the Circle Trust. It is expected that the schools will join the Trust during Summer 2023. This follows The Emmbrook School joining the Circle Trust in April 2021.
The Circle Trust have further announced a consultation on a proposal that Emmbrook Infant School establishes and thereafter runs its own school nursery. The consultation process runs until 6 Mar 2023 and further details can be found here. Residents may be aware that an Emmbrook nursery used to operate from the Emmbrook Village Hall but that ceased operation in 2018.
Greenways Network – Cantley to Woosehill route
Wokingham Town Council Amenities Committee met on 10 Jan 2023 to review the latest proposals for routing the Greenways Network through Joel Park area. This route has been subject to much consultation, and the latest proposal shifted the route back through Joel Park and Holt Copse, albeit closer to Holt Lane (Dec 2022, green route on the figure below), although a number of options have been considered by the Greenways team with details having been presented for this meeting.
Full details of the report to the meeting can be accessed here (https://www.wokingham-tc.gov.uk/…/amenities-agenda-jan…/)
Following a lengthy discussion, WTC unanimously rejected the Dec 2022 route through Joel Park / Holt Copse. This was principally related to the impact on the existing amenity and suitability of that route for the Greenway, although additional concerns were raised about the resultant need for the Greenway to continue down Reading Road to join up with Woosehill Meadows.
It is back to the drawing board for the Greenways Team, most likely to revisit the route down Jubilee Avenue, Clifton Road and Brook Close.
Toutley East development – reserved matters (Phase1)
This phase 1 reserved matters application covers the Infrastructure Works (appearance, landscaping, layout, and scale). Refer to our earlier news item and our planning page for further details on the Phase 1 Reserved Matters Application.
The consultation period closed on 2 Feb 2023. ERA’s response can be seen here.
We will continue to monitor how comments are addressed and future stages in this development.
Toutley Depot redevelopment
Planning for the redevelopment was approved in Feb 2020. The redevelopment includes: demolition of all existing structures at Toutley Depot to permit the phased construction of a replacement depot, including works buildings, storage, a new office
accommodation block, ancillary drainage, landscaping, security fencing, surface parking and associated works.
Further details can be seen on our planning page.
The planning decision notice requires to the development to have commenced by 13 Feb 2023, and we understand that WBC are due to commence works shortly.