Page 1112 - Reading Mercury

Council a new car park. He has already got permission for change of bar and a licence
for the new bar.
The function room will be used for conferences and wedding receptions. There were
plans to redecorate the existing bars in the New Year. Hopefully there will be major
alterations inside. “We want to take a couple of walls down inside the bar and revamp
the toilets.”

Thur 25th Aug
COUNCIL OFFICES DELAYED AGAIN
The deadline date for the completion of Wokingham District Council’s new offices
has been missed again. Builders James Longley had promised that stage two of the
building would be finished by Friday but tonight councillors will be told much of the
work is still outstanding. They will hear it will be impossible to meet the deadline and
a decision will have to be made about the delays at the meeting.

HISTORY MYSTERY AT 4-STAR HOTEL
There may be the ghost of a nun
Wokingham’s new-look four star hotel is finally open after a £9 million facelift and
extension project involving 18 month’s work. The newly-named Stakis St Anne’s
Manor on the London Road now has 130 bedrooms, new conference and banqueting
facilities and a new leisure club.
Formerly known as St. Anne’s Manor the building now owned by entrepreneur Reo
Stakis is believed by staff to be steeped in history. There are rumours that the staff’s
quarters are haunted, probably by a nun. But the full history of the manor still remains
a mystery.
Sales Manager Beverley Faithfull said the staff had made inquiries but had drawn a
blank. They are appealing to Wokingham people to enlighten them if they can. The
new hotel, one of 35 in the Stakis chain, has attracted mainly business people since it
opened in August 8th.
The extension has been built and furnished in the same style as the original listed
building. In places the join between the old and new bricks are just visible.
Perhaps the main interest to many Wokingham residents will be the new leisure club
which is open to membership as well as hotel guests. The management hopes to
attract a total of 500 memberships including a mixture of families and single
members. The club includes an 18-metre long and eight metre wide indoor swimming
pool with an attached whirlpool spa. It is set in a Roman-style room complete with
pillars, statues, mirrors on part of the ceiling and drinks area. Other facilities include
two sunbeds, a sauna and steam room, two outdoor all-weather tennis courts and a
gym. Among the fifteen exercise machines are rowing and running machines and
bicycles. There is talk of providing a running track.

th
Thur 29 Sept
PADDOCKS CAR PARK PLAN IS APPROVED
Controversial plans to turn the Paddocks in Wokingham town centre into a car park
have been given the go-ahead by Wokingham district councillors. It was the best out
of a number of alternatives. Access to the car park is to be through the middle of Elms
Road recreational ground but only as a temporary measure until an alternative is
found. The plan will now be referred to the policy committee to raise the budget for
the scheme from £210,000 to £336,000.

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