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News Archive - Week Beginning 3rd May 2009
Crime
Thames Valley Police have put up a reward of £10,000 for information resulting in the conviction of the assailant who attempted to murder Caversham resident Stuart Purser outside his flat in Mead Close on May 5th 2008. The targeted attack is believed by police to have been organised by criminals living within the Reading area, and has left Mr Purser blind in one eye. (Reading Evening Post 05/05/09 p3, Reading Evening Post, 06/05/09 p2)
Festivals
The 15th Reading Beer and Cider Festival (held in two giant tents at King’s Meadow from April 30th to May 3rd) attracted over 15,600 visitors – a record, according the ‘Post’. Over 500 different beers were on sale. (Reading Evening Post 05/05/09 p11)
Planning
The South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) has said in its draft South East Plan published on Wednesday, May 6th that Reading planners must allow for 12,200 new homes to be built within the RBC area over the next 17 years – up until 2026. The average annual build for Reading will be 611 homes a year, compared with 623 for Wokingham and 475 for West
Berkshire. The plan breaks from the policy of concentrating on brownfield development, saying: “to the extent that development cannot be satisfactorily accommodated in the existing built-up areas, sustainable urban extensions will be promoted at selected settlements… …sustainable greenfield allocations should be mainly focused on the periphery of those hubs (i.e. Reading) where other constraints do not prevent this…” Goodbye countryside. (Reading Evening Post
06/05/09 p4)
Roads
A letter from the former Mayor of Reading Kay Everett responds to criticism of her actions in driving sheep through the centre of Caversham on the afternoon of Friday, April 24th, on behalf of Age Concern Berkshire “and other charities”. She specifically replies to a letter in the ‘Post’ on April 30th, saying that traffic was only held back on one side of Caversham Bridge “for a short time” and that her actions were “done with the best of intentions”. Her letter says that “as a Freeman of Reading Borough I had the full support and co-operation of Reading Borough Council in this matter”. According to her, the sheep were not at risk. (Reading Evening Post 07/05/09 p6)
Services
At the recent Emmer Green Residents Association (EGRA) AGM, several members complained about poor local post services, with Saturday post being delivered as late as 9.30pm. Neighbours in Rosehill Park, Tower Close, the Ridings, the Horse Close and Chiltern Court all said that they were experiencing similar problems. (Reading Chronicle 07/05/09 p28)
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