Berkshire News

A quirky shopping arcade in Reading town centre will be getting a fresh new look for the first time in years.

The conversion of a grand office building in Bracknell into more than 30 flats has been rejected, years after previous plans were approved.

Confusion has been raised over a new retirement home in Shinfield that has been built but left vacant for more than two years.

A plan for dozens of new homes next to a Tesco Superstore in Bracknell is due to be decided.

A bus lane fine has been cancelled, with an apology issued after a couple received two penalties for a single rule breach in Reading.

A huge document outlining the state of West Berkshire’s public rights of way has been published.

West Berkshire has been confirmed as one of the least deprived areas in the country.

A ‘Diwalloween’ fusion event to mark two autumn festivals has been celebrated in Reading.

The council has refused to comment after parking chaos outside a country park, as people almost missed a funeral due to traffic delays.

Millions of pounds could be spent by the council on acquiring homes for families in Bracknell.

A plan for West Berkshire to merge with councils in Oxfordshire -reuniting towns that used to be in the Royal County – is set to be put forward.

The Government may have to give West Berkshire Council more cash to stop it going bankrupt.

A showdown is set over a change that has been made at a supermarket used by thousands of people in Bracknell.

A driver has described ‘pure carnage’ and traffic chaos outside a half-term Halloween event at a country park.

A landlord has celebrated the defeat of a plan that would have seen a pub that he used to run in Reading converted into a chain bakery.

A councillor has called for a direct bus service between Woodley and Twyford, the commuter village that has trains running to and from London.

Councillors have clashed over a Conservative proposal to introduce one hour free parking at car parks in Wokingham.

An American chain burger restaurant in Reading has been closed and sealed off to clear the way for a fashion store.

Ofsted has given West Berkshire Council children’s services a ‘Good’ rating – marking a decade of effort to pull the ship around.

A date has been set to debate the future of West Berkshire in a larger, combined authority.

A taxi driver has said that the business is ‘struggling to survive’ in Bracknell.

The advertising of ‘unhealthy’ food will be clamped down upon in Reading going forward.

A referendum on the possibility of Theale joining a Greater Reading council has been announced.

An entertainment company has applied to host events at a skyscraper in Reading town centre.

Poor roadworks at a junction in Wokingham have been slammed by a neighbour and branded ‘dysfunctional’.

Fury has erupted at developer David Wilson Homes’ application to back out of a commitment to building a new primary school at Donnington Heights.

Detailed plans to build nearly 40 homes in a village in Berkshire have been submitted.

Neighbours complain about ‘extreme noise’ coming from Reading Festival this year, particularly on the last day.

Bracknell council has paid nearly £8,000 to parents and other people who have complained about the services it provides.

Footpaths and routes have been closed for the construction of a major new road in Wokingham.

A neighbour has made complaints about drinking, drug use and anti-social behaviour coming from tents in Reading, while accusing the council of ‘inaction’.

The impact of homelessness in Wokingham Borough has been discussed as the number of households in emergency accommodation has been revealed.

A master gymnast, writer and animal physiotherapist has become the deputy leader of Bracknell Town Council.

A Korean barbecue restaurant in Reading town centre has launched a bid to sell alcohol and host music events.

The company behind the large housing development at Donnington Heights in Newbury is trying to back out of a commitment to build a primary school there.

The longest serving MP for Reading has launched his annual competition to highlight independent business success stories in the town.

A change in how a Greggs drive-thru operates along a busy road in Reading has been rejected.

The building that used to contain a bowling alley, cinema and a pizza restaurant in Bracknell is now completely closed.

A neighbour has complained that she and others are forced to run across the road following the ‘deterioration’ of their bus service into and out of Reading town centre.

Residents in Theale are being polled about whether they should stay in West Berkshire or head to Reading instead.

Hermitage Parish Council is still struggling, after a 14 day notice period has ended, during which no request for an election was put in.

The social media beasting of West Berkshire Council over the bin collection changes and pedestrianising Newbury Town Centre is in full swing.

A clampdown on ‘junk food’ advertisements is set to take place in Reading in an effort to promote healthier living.

All the complaints that a government ombudsman investigated in Bracknell have been upheld in favour of the person who raised the issue.

A key route that provides access to the football stadium, a retail park and more in Reading will be closed for nearly two months for water works.

Changes have been made to huge development of hundreds of flats at Broad Street Mall that is moving ahead.

A councillor in Bracknell must apologise after divulging a man’s medical information during a ‘chaotic’ debate about immigration.

The leader of the Liberal Democrats has spoken out about Operation Raise the Colours and a viral photo of MPs waving Union flags at his party’s conference.

A dispute over the presence of a bus at a reopened village pub and other issues raised by a neighbour have been resolved following a meeting.

Progress is being made on the construction of more than 60 homes that will be built in Crowthorne.

Lib Dems say Thames Water is ‘a sinking ship’ during party leader Sir Ed Davey’s latest rafting stunt at a country park in Berkshire.

A petition to pause bin collection changes in West Berkshire was firmly booted out of council last night.

A call has been made for a pub that has been turned into a chef training facility in Reading to be reopened to the public.

A grocery in Reading town centre has been forced to close after the discovery of cockroaches and evidence of a mice infestation.

A road in Caversham will stay closed for months due to a sinkhole that was caused by a burst water pipe.

A debate is lingering over whether councils in Berkshire and Oxfordshire should join forces with Swindon in major changes to local government.

A partnership between three councils in Berkshire focused on protecting the public, tackling anti-social behaviour and managing licences for bars and venues is being extended.

A chain cafe at a busy retail park in Reading has closed down around a year after opening.

Thames Water has been fined for causing traffic chaos at Hambridge Road in Newbury at the weekend.

Promotion for new riverside apartments in Reading has been allowed to take place at an existing development site.

A traditional country pub just outside Wokingham could be getting a new look.

A public consultation into the proposed 20 mile per hour speed limit in most of Thatcham launches on Thursday (October 16).

An Irish-themed bar in Reading town centre is back after a bold makeover, promising to serve up good times, great food, and ‘the best seat in town’ for live sport.

A debate has raged over a tree boundary for a development of nearly 300 homes at a woodland site on the outskirts of Bracknell.

The council has defended its bin changes again – this time after one of the district’s MPs had a pop about it by publishing her ‘Bin Bodge Dossier’.

A petition to pause the bin collection changes is being lodged at West Berkshire Council this week.

The financial pressure on Wokingham Borough Council is mounting due to the escalating costs of providing education for children with special needs.

Newbury is bracing itself for years of road closures and traffic changes as preparations begin to build more than a thousand homes at Sandleford.

West Berkshire’s council leader is throwing himself to the wolves next week as he hosts a live online question and answer session with residents.

A project to replace offices with a huge warehouse for research and development or industrial use in Bracknell is moving ahead.

A clash over extra bedrooms being added to homes at a woodland site near Bracknell has finally been resolved.

The MPs in Reading have welcomed news of a £9.

The biggest telecoms company in Britain is set to replace phone boxes with new ‘street hubs’ throughout Reading.

Attempts at ‘improving’ the Newbury town centre pedestrianisation scheme get put to West Berkshire Council next week (Thursday).

A new bakery and deli is set to be opened by an already successful business in a busy area of East Reading.

An appeal has been lodged against West Berkshire Council blocking the development of 167 flats in Newbury – because of parking issues.

More than 150 job seekers attended Newbury MP Lee Dillon’s September Job Fair for local employment opportunities and skills development across West Berkshire.

A West Berkshire primary school is celebrating after being ranked in The Telegraph’s top 10 primary schools in the country.

Plans for four new homes on one of the few remaining patches of green space in Tilehurst have been approved.

A plan to convert a pub into a Greggs bakery in Reading has been rejected due to the loss of a community facility.

Berkshire and Oxfordshire could be unified under a new elected mayor in the coming years.

The John Lewis Partnership has been given permission to build more than 150 flats in Reading, enabling its entry into the housing market.

A councillor who has got national attention for appearing on TV has clarified his membership of Reform UK in an ongoing clash with the Liberal Democrats.

The government’s health and safety agency has issued new guidelines after the dramatic Station Hill fire in Reading that saw a worker rescued by a crane operator.

The new look for a Thai eatery that took over from a BBQ restaurant in Reading has been approved.

The government planning inspector will now decide if a century old pine tree in Tilehurst should get chopped down.

Berkshire councils have joined forces to assess and attempt to meet the housing needs of people across the county.

West Berkshire Council is being consulted on a planning application which has been submitted to build a controversial solar farm on more than 2,000 acres (809 hectares) of countryside in Wiltshire.

Residential roads in Reading are set to get restrictions to stop drivers from parking near junctions and potentially cause a hazard.

A long-serving councillor remains committed to his duties to represent residents as he prepares to move to Chichester.

Reading council has refunded drivers a total of £68,000 for wrongfully issuing driving fines.

West Berkshire is a dog warden short, and is trying to recruit a new one.

A controversial plan at a woodland site near Bracknell that has been ‘deforested’ according to a neighbour is set to be decided.

Eighteen objections have been lodged with West Berkshire Council over plans to put four houses on a former play area in Tilehurst.

Plans for more parking at West Berkshire Community Hospital have been put forward.

A plan to get 49 homes built near a church and sports clubs in a rural area of Berkshire has been rejected by a government-appointed planning inspector.

A consultation is taking place on the expansion of Heathrow Airport, just 20 miles from Bracknell.

The MP for Wokingham has secured a new role as a Liberal Democrat party whip in Parliament.

Figures released by trading standards and fraud investigators in West Berkshire, Bracknell Forest and Wokingham reveal that residents have been ripped off by more than a third of a million pounds.

Bracknell Labour is ‘saddened and disappointed’ that two of its sitting councillors have quit the party.

A decision is due on a plan for John Lewis to build more than 150 apartments in Reading town centre as the company enters the housing market.

The MP for Bracknell has spoken about a patriotic vision for national renewal at the Labour Party conference.

The government is considering plans to weaken a law protecting England’s national parks.

Child poverty in West Berkshire is on the increase – despite the district coming out in recent statistics as one of the wealthiest areas of the country.

There are, according to West Berkshire’s public health officials, no invasive mosquitos on the M4 corridor.

Plans for a new Community Hub in Thatcham are taking shape, with work now underway to explore what the space could look like and how it will serve the town’s growing population.

Reading council is set to join forces with Oxford to punish parking rule breaches as its current enforcement contractor wants to pull out.

Children’s services in Reading have officially been brought back under the control of the council.

A plan has been submitted to give a fresh new look to a shopping arcade in Reading town centre.

A prominent councillor has admitted that he is a member of Reform UK during a heated debate about permanently flying the Union flag.

Bracknell Forest Council has responded to a call for it to scrap its net-zero climate change policies to save costs.

Two Bracknell councillors have quit Labour, accusing the party of abandoning its principles and beliefs.

The main court in Reading is set for upgrades and improvements in the near future.

A new escape room is coming to Reading town centre as preparation works have been given the go-ahead.

An official portrait of King Charles III has finally been installed at the council meeting chamber in Reading.

The number of children being born in West Berkshire is falling.

A clash between residents and the company that built their homes at a site on the outskirts of Bracknell is set for a resolution.

A road will remain closed for weeks while work is conducted on the gas network in a village between Reading and Wokingham.

A possible delay to a path to residency for Honger Kongers who have fled to the UK has been slammed.

A plan that would see more than 200 homes built on the outskirts of Bracknell has faced organised opposition from neighbours.

The organisers of a winter light trail coming to Reading town centre soon are gearing up for the event to take place.

Two bungalows in Ascot are set to be demolished and replaced with new houses.

Tribute has been paid to a “smart, formidable” founding member of the Bracknell Labour Party.

A council which has a hotel that is being used to house asylum seekers has been pressed to condemn racist rhetoric.

A gym and restaurant are set to be added to a large office building in Bracknell.

A digital advertising screen is set to be installed on the side of a former pub in a busy area of Reading.

A push to permanently fly the flag of Great Britain in Sandhurst has been rejected.

Progress is being made on a years-long project for an American burger chain to open its first drive-thru restaurant in the area.

West Berkshire is one of the least deprived areas in England according to official figures.

Plans to replace Faraday Road’s grass pitch with an all weather one get lodged this week – and the council has decided to borrow £1.

A new pharmacy is needed in Calcot, after the area was deemed to be one of the more deprived areas of the district resulting in an inequality gap in life expectancy.

West Berkshire Council has U turned on plans to close adult care resource centres to save money.

Planning permission has been granted for the major extension and redevelopment of New Aquitaine House in Theale, paving the way for a major logistics company to establish a new headquarters at the site.

A landlady has defended her pub over complaints from a neighbour about smashed glass, noise disturbance and damage to his car.

A neighbour has called for a crackdown on obstructive pavement parking off one of the busiest roads in Reading.

Children in West Berkshire are getting fatter.

The future of the partnership that is delivering more than 200 homes in Bracknell has been agreed upon.

Bracknell councillors are calling for community cohesion following the ‘raise the flags’ activism that took place over the summer.

Rubbish has been left festering, attracting pests at a block of flats in Reading for weeks after a failed bin collection.

Bracknell Forest Council is reviewing its budget situation as it faces a multi-million pound budget shortfall in the coming years.

The demolition of the huge office complex that used to be the offices of Berkshire County Council is progressing.

A call has been made to introduce more 20mph speed limits after fatal and serious injuries on the roads in Reading.

A project to convert a benefits office near Reading town centre has been given the go-ahead.

The Israel/Palestine conflict makes it on to West Berkshire Council’s executive committee agenda tomorrow (Thursday) with an allegation that its pension fund supports the Israeli military.

The population of West Berkshire is older than the South East average.

A government minister has driven a nail into the coffin for a project to build nearly 150 homes in a commuter village south of Reading.

A village shop in Berkshire is back open after being closed for months on end.

Pro-Palestine activists have grilled Bracknell council over its pensions fund being used to ‘support genocide’.

Plans are moving forward to replace a garage with a new home in a village between Bracknell and Ascot.

A disabled man has said “enough is enough” over the poor behaviour of his neighbours in council housing in Reading.

A years-long campaign for safety measures at a ‘dangerous junction’ in Caversham used by thousands each day is facing more delays.

Liberal Democrat MPs who represent tens of thousands of people across Berkshire were seen waving Great British flags in a viral photo.

The visit of the President of the USA Donald Trump, was met with protests in Windsor, Berkshire, last week.

A huge project for more than 340 homes has been given the go-ahead south of Wokingham.

A huge office building is set to be converted into a science laboratory in Bracknell as works have been given the go-ahead.

Fears for the safety of schoolchildren, and a history of flooding and sewage problems have the village of Great Shefford flexing its muscles to prevent a development of 16 new homes.

An upcoming Mediterranean restaurant in Bracknell has been blocked from opening at later hours.

The report on a feasibility study and outline business case regarding putting a 3G pitch to replace the grass pitch at Faraday Road is out.

Neighbours and a housebuilding company are clashing over irregularities and parking at their homes on the outskirts of Bracknell.

Nearly 150 children are in care in the Wokingham area because they are unable to live with their own family for more than 24 hours.

Robopets are being trialled in West Berkshire to help people in care feel less lonely.

A council tenant is in an ongoing clash for improvements to his living conditions.

A decision has been made to clear the way for the major redevelopment of Broad Street Mall where more than 640 apartments will be built.

Two houses that developers have wanted to demolish for years are now finally set to be replaced with new homes for families in Sandhurst.

A new curry restaurant has celebrated a successful opening in Reading.

The huge Unite the Kingdom rally in London led by Tommy Robinson has received mixed reactions from people in the area.

It is all change on the black bin collection front from next Monday (September 22) in West Berkshire.

A homeowner in Caversham has won their fight with the council to keep on using an outbuilding as a beauty treatment room.

Children committing violent crime in West Berkshire has increased by a third.

Newbury’s Waitrose is getting a refit.

A councillor in Woodley has quit the Labour Party over claims it is failing to condemn ‘genocide’ and ‘mass killing of children’ in Gaza.

A fresh plan for a new self-built home on a long vacant site in the university area of Reading has been given the go-ahead.

Concerns have been raised about dangerous parking and heavy traffic in the hopes of making school journeys safer for pupils in Crowthorne.

The first joint festival of inclusivity, featuring sports for people of all ages and abilities, has been celebrated in Reading.

A decision has been made on the expansion of the drive-thru at the McDonald’s restaurant in Bracknell.

Plans for another large solar farm near Grazeley are looming.

People in Reading generally support a new team being given the power to crack down on littering and fly-tipping as they begin work this week.

Thames Valley’s police boss has hit back at Green Party leader Zack Polanski after he said some people in poverty may have no option but to shoplift.

A councillor has spoken with frustration over a debate about free speech in Bracknell that occurred on the day that American activist Charlie Kirk was killed.

A huge golf club near Ascot could be creating an American gold rush-themed adventure course in the near future.

A councillor has criticised a police boss after he urged the public to do more to stop shoplifting, warning it could put people at risk.

Delivery robots have been spotted travelling along pavements in Reading, marking a first for the area.

Changes are coming to a chain bakery that serves workers at one of Bracknell’s business parks.

A councillor in Bracknell has claimed freedom of speech is ‘under attack’ in a debate over the right to expression and democracy.

A contentious project for an annexe has reluctantly been given the go-ahead despite fears it could be turned into a new home.

A plan to convert offices near Reading town centre into a court has been given the go-ahead.

Land in Wokingham could be sold off for millions of pounds to provide new affordable homes and a vital cash boost.

The Reform UK party in Bracknell has mourned the loss of American conservative activist Charlie Kirk who was killed yesterday.

A new team of enforcers has been assembled to crack down on littering and flytipping in Reading.

A neighbour in Bracknell has blasted the loud noise coming from a music event to celebrate the anniversary of The Lexicon.

A decision is due on whether the car park at one of the biggest shopping centres in Reading will be sold off to its owner and developer.

A burger joint and dessert parlour in Reading has been allowed to stay open later during the weekend.

Progress is being made on the construction of a new fashion store that is set to open at a busy retail park in Reading before Christmas.

A search is on for a manager to run a post office in Caversham following a recent closure.

The financial position of Bracknell Forest Council is stable with an underspend despite pressures on caring for adults and children.

A secondary school on the outskirts of Reading that was rated ‘Inadequate’ has been taken over by a new educational trust.

A letter has been sent to all councillors in Berkshire pushing for a public sector pensions scheme to ‘divest’ from Israel.

A clash is looming over plans for the McDonald’s drive-thru restaurant in Bracknell, as council officers have opposed changes.

The status of a hotel along a major road on the outskirts of Reading has been clarified ahead of its eventual demolition.

A new Mediterranean restaurant is gearing up to open at a shopping area for neighbours in Bracknell.