Page 1068 - Reading Mercury

Ernest Bland, who had the support of shopkeepers, publicans and traders in that part
of the town.
At Tuesday’s Wokingham Town Council’s Finance and General Purposes
Committee meeting, the Town Clerk, Mr. Richard Jones, told members that he had
sought quotations for repairing bent and cracked stall tubing and suggested an entirely
new lay-out for the market would be desirable.
Stalls should be five or ten feet in width, all interchangeable, giving room for more
to be included on the site and designed so that when one section needed to be replaced
it could be done without undue disturbance or cost. Members agreed that his
recommendations should be discussed at a full council meeting.

NEW BARRIERS AT STATION
Wokingham District Council have fully supported plans to install automatic barriers
at Wokingham Station, level crossing. Their support follows an offer from Berkshire
County Council of financial aid to speed up the completion of the project, but on
Monday they agreed that the barrier should be of full width type, with metal aprons.
They made this condition after fears that the traffic situation could become worse if
a continental half-barrier crossing was put in.

th
Thur 17 April
WOKINGHAM TO SPONSOR PLAY BUS
The Wokingham Town Council’s decision to go ahead with a mobile play school
scheme by themselves was approved by the district council’s Community Services
Committee last week.
It was agreed that they would be responsible for servicing and garaging the play
bus. They also agreed to act as coordinators to get the project under way.
The town council decided they would go ahead with the scheme despite the fact that
Winnersh and Woodley Town Councils were not prepared to take part in the scheme.
They will accept the ownership of the vehicle and be responsible for its running
costs for the next two years.
The money for the bus was raised by the West Forest Round Table. At the moment
it is at Ed’s Barn Country Club; it is hoped that the conversions to the bus will be
completed by June.

nd
Thur 22 May
SHOCK FOR TRADERS
Dozens of Wokingham shops are facing closure because they cannot afford huge
rent increases. Traders in the town centre said this week they will be forced out of
business by rises of as much as £5,000 proposed by the owners of the properties. A
dentist has already decided to move out of his surgery in the Arcade, off Peach Street
because he cannot pay a 250% rise. And many more shop managers fear they will
have to close down after the shock rent demands arrived this month.
The rents are due to go up because of a review of seven-year leases on many town
centre stores. Most of the shops affected are in Peach Street where tenants have been
asked to pay between £3,000 and £5,000 a year more. Peach Street is one of
Wokingham’s main shopping centres. Among the stores whose managers have said
they are facing massive rent rises are a jewellers, greengrocer, men’s wear shop,
bakery and shoe store.
It is understood that the rises have been proposed to bring the rest of the properties
up to a figure they might be expected to fetch in the current property market.

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