Two of West Berkshire’s biggest ticket capital spend items for next year are on the traveller caravan site linked to the death of PC Andrew Harper, and the fenced off Faraday Road football pitch.
A number of members of the public, including PC Harper’s mother, objected to the Ufton Nervet Four Houses Corner £4m refurbishment.
But it’s likely to go ahead despite local objections and one from Thames Valley Police, as the council is legally obliged to provide gypsy traveller sites.
The matter is to be decided at a planning meeting after the budget spend meeting.
The costs are split across the next two years, totalling £2,112,175 each year.
And public opinion appears demonstrably more frustrated with the lack of action at Faraday Road.
The council is facing repeated questions about its budget spend, with increasing pressure to show progress on its manifesto promise to get football back to Faraday Road.
It faced questions from the public at last week’s executive committee wanting to know why £115k had been spent on fencing off the pitch.
The council responded by saying the fencing was there to protect the public.
The council has stalled any progress on bringing community football back to the site, with more public questions lobbed at it demanding to know why the pitch can’t even be booked.
The budget papers going forward this week say £859k has been allocated for provision to support the delivery of the playing pitch strategy through provision of additional facilities – but does not outline what those are.
The council says it is awaiting a district-wide report on the playing pitches in West Berkshire so it can decide what to do but has allocated £2,325,000 in next year’s budget – again for provision to support the playing pitch strategy.
But it is unable to confirm if it has actually appointed any consultants, and at what cost, to undertake the review of playing pitches in the district.
More questions have been tabled for this week’s (Thursday) capital budget strategy meeting.
“Over £3.18m is the total planned expenditure next year (2024/25) for projects 29 Playing Pitch Action Plan and 250 Newbury Sports Hub,” asks Alan Pearce.
“Please can the council confirm how much of this planned expenditure is allocated for the Faraday Road football ground/stadium project?”
There is no presence on the council website to book to use the pitch, or any phone number.
The council announced the pitch was reopened to the public last November and had installed temporary changing facilities.
The council and the executive member for leisure Janine Lewis were both contacted for comment last week and asked to clarify the position regarding both progress on the anticipated playing pitch strategy, and whether the Faraday Road pitch will likely see football back on it by the new season.
Other big ticket items in the capital include the upgrade of Theale Railway station at £3,469,560, and £16m over the next three years for green energy projects.
