Theale Green School: academy status approved & head teacher confirmed

The government has given approval for Theale Green School to become an academy sponsored by the Bradfield College public school. Government rules forced the school to become an academy because OFSTED had put it into Special Measures.

The Interim Headteacher, David Bromfield, will become the permanent head from September.

Attempted garage break-ins in North Walk and The Orchard, Theale

Received the following today from the Thames Valley Police messaging service:

North Walk

Theale

21/22^nd May

Offenders have attempted to break into a garage which is part of a block of garages, the lock had been broken but nothing appears to have been stolen.

 

The Orchard

Theale

21/22^nd May

A garage has been broken into overnight and the lock had been broken on the garage. A second garage in The Orchard was broken into 19/22^nd May, the lock was damaged but again nothing appears to have been stolen.   

 

If you have any information which can assist the police with their enquiries please ring 101, alternatively you can ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111

Please help the police if you saw anything suspicious.

Please make sure your garage and sheds are secure.

Sewer in The Green and Church Street, Theale, being surveyed

Contractors were surveying the sewer in The Green and Church Street, Theale, yesterday. This is being done on behalf of Thames Water to discover why the pumping station at the corner of Lambfields and Church Street gets overwhelmed after periods of heavy rain.

The sewer has to be pumped out by tankers when this happens and this causes major disturbance to local residents. After pressure by me and our MP, the tankering was replaced by an additional temporary pump this winter and spring.

Bus shelter is to be installed in Waterside Drive, Arlington Business Park, Theale

I received notification yesterday that a bus shelter is to be installed in Waterside Drive, Arlington Business Park, Theale. The project is scheduled to start on 29th May and be complete by 30th May.

The shelter will be paid for from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. Previously, it was proposed to pay for it from developers contributions for the proposed Lakeside housing development, which I did not think was appropriate.

The sheleter will be cleaned and maintained by Goodmans Business Parks Ltd, who own and run the business park.

Updated: Theft from a BMW parked in The Green, Theale

Received the following from the Thames Valley Police Alert Messaging System 16/05/13:

Overnight between the 13^th and 14^th May a BMW parked in The Green, Theale was accessed. A search of the glove box was made and a satellite navigation system was stolen. 

In order to help protect your property make sure your vehicle is kept secure when not in use and never leave any items of value in the vehicle.

If you have any information about this incident or see anyone acting in a suspicious manner please call the 24 hour Police Enquiry Centre on 101 and state you are responding to a Thames Valley Alert message

UPDATE 17/05/13

I have been told by the victim that the BMW was in his drive and had been accidentally left unlocked  He suspects that the thief also tried to get into his house. The police told him that a BMW X6 was stolen from Woodfield Way the same night. He therefore suspects that the thief was looking for car keys when he tried to get into his house.

Please make sure that your car and your house are left secure. Also, please make sure that you do not keep your car keys near an outside door.

Pleased to see hole in Roundhead Rd has been repaired afer I intervened

There was a deep hole in Roundhead Road for several months. It was obvious that West Berkshire Council were aware of it as it was protected by warning signs and cones. The signs were, however, frequently blown or knocked over:

I chased the council on this on 10th May. Today, I was pleased to notice that hole had been filled in.

News re lifts & other improvements to Theale station

I attended a meeting of the "Theale Station Liaison Group" this morning to get the latest news on the project to provide:

• Lifts
• New footbridge
• New booking office

at Theale railway station.

The plans for the lift towers and footbridge have been approved by West Berkshire Council planners and detailed design is in progress. The booking office will be a modular building that will also include a waiting room. This does not need planning permission. It is also hoped that refreshment facilities will be provided, though this has not been finalised.

The lifts, new footbridge and booking office will be at the Reading end of the station car park. There will be a new pedestrian entrance from Brunel Road, to improve access to and from the business parks. This will require a ramp! 

The existing accesses to the platforms from the Station Road bridge will continue to be available. The existing ticket machine will remain and another will be provided outside the new booking office.

The current schedule is as follows:

Start on site: October 2013
Lift span installed: December 2013
Start of construction of ticket office: January 2014
Project complete: February 2014

The following images show what the finished project should look like:

The issue of manning hours for the station has still not been resolved. The train company believes that the lifts will only be available when the station is manned (though there is evidence that this is not the case for stations in other parts of the country). The station is currently only manned from 06:30 to 13:00 Mondays to Fridays and 06:45 to 11:30 on Saturdays.

The project is paid for by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, the National Station Improvement Programme and Access For All.

The Liaison Group consists of:

Alok Sharma, MP
First Great Western trains
Network Rail
West Berkshire Council
Theale Parish Council
Theale's Future
and myself