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Thursday, May 20, 2021

Newbury Weekly News

Your views talk to us POST: Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, RG14 2AD EMAIL: editor@newburynews.co.uk Why we all oppose Thatcham homes plan IT is highly unusual for a local issue to gather such a large CHRISTIAN Viewpoint Is love possible? Email letters to editor@newburynews.co.uk with your full name, a terrestrial address and daytime phone number. DEADLINE: MONDAY NOON

Located outside of existing settlement boundaries, and at distance from major retail, leisure, and employment hubs, it’s inevitable that a development of 2,500 dwellings will generate thousands of extra car journeys per day. With no primary north/ south traffic route serving Thatcham, these journeys will either be funnelled into the often congested A4, the notorious Thatcham level crossing, or the residential and village routes that pass through Bucklebury, Cold Ash and Midgham. No credible traffic forecast has been provided by WBC that describes the impact on local roads or mitigation. For such an enormous development it might be expected that WBC would have consulted with each of the impacted parishes to explain in detail how such colossal growth would be accommodated, the new infrastructure and services that would be required to sustain the population growth, and how the adverse impacts on the natural environment and its carbon footprint would be mitigated. Disappointingly, details have not been published on many of the most pressing issues, and on some issues there has been a complete lack of consultation. As a result, Thatcham Town Council and the parishes of Bucklebury, Cold Ash and Midgham, all oppose the plan, which appears to be rushed through, poorly thought out and inadequately assesses alternative options. BARRY DICKENS Chairman of Bucklebury Parish Council MARIGOLD JAQUES Chairwoman of Cold Ash Parish Council TONY MARKHAM Chairman of Midgham Parish Council JOHN BOYD Mayor of Thatcham Town Council THIS My Newbury picture was taken by Steve Gouldstone while walking on Greenham Common between the ‘Maypril’ showers. Why not take some inspiration from this and send the Newbury Weekly News and Newburytoday some of your photographs? They can be of anything – the weather, events you are attending or even what’s happening in and around West Berkshire. If you have a picture that you would like to submit for consideration, please send it to editor@newburynews.co.uk Alternatively, send it to our twitter account @newburytoday using #MyNewbury, but please remember to let us know where the picture was taken and, crucially, by whom. It may then be published online on www.newburytoday.co.uk , or in the Newbury Weekly News , the Newbury and Thatcham Advertiser and our Instagram and Facebook pages.

consensus of public opinion and strength of feeling across multiple parishes in West Berkshire. Nevertheless, the emerging Local Plan from West Berkshire Council (WBC) achieves just that. Their recently-published plan proposes a sprawling development of 2,500 houses to the north and east of Thatcham in an area of countryside that currently separates Thatcham from its neighbouring parishes of Bucklebury, Cold Ash and Midgham. Although the proposed site is labelled as Thatcham NE it could equally be called Eastern Cold Ash, Lower Bucklebury or West Midgham. Its enormity is akin to a new town of a scale equivalent to that of Hungerford being squeezed into the strategic gap between the parishes and Thatcham, damaging the unique characteristic of each. The implications if it proceeds will be far-reaching, to every resident in Thatcham, the immediate neighbouring areas, and beyond. The area of proposed development hedgerows that separate fields of high-quality agricultural land, interspersed with ancient trees, and bounded by natural woodland. Adjacent to several ancient woodlands, a wildlife site, and an area identified for bio-diversity improvement, the site forms the setting of the surrounding Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The site is important for many reasons – its ecology, biodiversity and wildlife, but also for the residents in the neighbouring parishes who currently access the site through six rights-of- way which make it one the most My Newbury in unspoilt countryside is characterised by mature

“MY command is this: love each other.” John 15:12 The Bible says a lot about love: that God loves us, that we should love Him and love others – meaning everyone. Not asking much then… Some years ago Mike, a friend of ours, was murdered and his wife, Jo, beaten and left for dead as they took Bibles and medicines into Hungary. Jo immediately forgave the young men, visiting them in prison and befriending their families. It was not her own, but God’s love in her that enabled her to love like that. Few would disagree that we need more of that kind of love, but isn’t loving our enemies a rather unrealistic ideal? We can love our family – most of the time; love our friends – when they are around for us. But our enemies? The reason we are told to love God first is that without that initial relationship, we cannot love anyone, never mind people who provoke, intimidate, crush, harm, hate or kill us. However, when we meet Jesus Christ and understand how much he forgives, accepts and cherishes us, loving others takes on a different look altogether. His life begins to change us from the inside, and we are able to love with His love, not our own. Loving everyone, even those who persecute us, becomes a joyful possibility. Find a quiet place to pray; meet with God, and you will know just what I mean. CAROLYN BRAMHALL Founder of Heart for Truth, Newbury Points of contact - Newbury News Ltd Address: Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, Bucks, RG14 2AD EDITOR: Andy Murrill (01635) 886625, email: editor@newburynews.co.uk DEPUTY EDITOR: Sarah Bosley (01635) 886655, email: sarah.bosley@newburynews.co.uk CHIEF REPORTER: John Garvey (01635) 886628, email: john.garvey@newburynews.co.uk HEAD OF COMMERCIAL: James Harris (01635) 886660, email: james.harris@newburynews.co.uk ADVERTISING OFFICE MANAGER: Lisa Francis (01635) 886643, email: lisa.francis@newburynews.co.uk RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING (01635) 886646 email: recruitment@newburynews.co.uk CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING (01635) 564573, email: advert@newburynews.co.uk NEWSPAPER HOUSE RECEPTION (01635) 524111, email: reception@newburynews.co.uk NEWSPAPER CIRCULATION: Lesley Marriott (01635) 886613, email: circulation@newburynews.co.uk PHOTOGRAPHY: Phil Cannings (01635) 886642, email: picturedesk@newburynews.co.uk Many of the photographs in the Newbury Weekly News have been taken by NWN photographers. These images, and many more, are available to order online at newburytoday.co.uk/picturegallery HOW TO MAKE A COMPLAINT Newbury News and Media Limited publications are regulated by IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. If you have a complaint about a Newbury News and Media Limited publication, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSAO by telephone 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint. COPYING THIS NEWSPAPER To enquire about permission to copy cuttings for internal management and information purposes, please contact the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA media access), Wellington Gate, 7&9 Church Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1NL, telepohone (01892) 523273, email: copy@nla.co.uk Inquiries concerning the re-publication (either in print or online) of content from this newspaper should be addressed to: the Editor, Newbury News and Media Limited, Newspaper House, Faraday Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2AD, email: editor@newburynews.co.uk

A c2c EMU train at Midgham Station on Saturday

Lovely to see a different type of train WHEN the electrification of The Berks and Hants Railway was complete I said that’s it, there will be nothing different to photograph now, I have taken it all. Just Green EMUS and IETs up and down from now on. GWR have either borrowed or been lent three c2c EMUs to integrate into the system so they can use EMUs on some of the longer distance trains. I did not know they were going to

the roads to the north of Thatcham such as Heath Lane and Bowling Green Road would need to be widened and new routes across the north of Thatcham to link the north of Newbury may be required (yet this has been ruled out by the planning officer). With the site near the A4 and the Thatcham Air Quality Management Area it was also noted that there would be a significant worsening of air pollution including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. It seems remarkable that with all these concerns the planning team would consider Thatcham NE to be the preferred strategic site for development. use them down here. What a lovely surprise. Here is one at Midgham on Saturday, the second day they were running. DAVID CANNING Aldermaston

precious and valuable sites for health, exercise, and well-being. In WBC’s own site assessment, published in April 2020, their ‘AONB Unit’ stated that any development would affect the setting of the AONB, and that Floral Way in North Thatcham is a strong settlement boundary that should not be broken. The Thames Valley Environmental Research Centre stated that there would be a high risk of adverse impacts on priority habitat and neighbouring wildlife sites. On highways, it was identified that the development would have a very significant impact on Thatcham and the A4, and that Little did I think that one day I would be able to photograph a bright sparkling c2c EMU running on the local train line. This is due to the currant problems with IETs.

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