CADRA Monthly Round-up February 2019

Ian Brown
We are very sorry to hear of the death of Ian Brown, who was a stalwart of CADRA and Chair during the 1990s. He was able to join us in cutting CADRA's 50^th Anniversary cake last year, before he and Jan moved to be near their family. He will be much missed, and our thoughts are with his family.

Caversham Post Office
The Post Office are seeking a new Postmaster among existing businesses in Caversham, so far, we understand, without success. We will keep you posted.

Planning issues on Caversham's northern edge
Firstly, the High Court robustly rejected Gladman's appeal for a Judicial Review of the Inspector's earlier refusal of their 245-home proposal at Peppard Rd. We have just heard that Gladman have been granted a brief private 'Oral hearing' on 26 March in order to plead their case for a full court hearing - High Court Judgement Report. The campaigners at CAGE worked incredibly hard and we were happy to lend support. Secondly, a 30-home appeal at Kennylands Rd, Sonning Common has been withdrawn. Thirdly, South Oxfordshire's Local Plan has discounted sites on our northern fringe for development, including the part of Reading Golf Club in their area. Comments on the plan can be sent up to 18 February - SODC Local Plan - 2034. However, increases in housing requirements may bring further changes and we shall remain vigilant.

SSE site, Vastern Road
Proposals are being drawn up for a major residential development of this site, which is straight across the River from Christchurch Meadows and will impact on views in a big way. Following the early discussions, we reported on before, the developers have revised their proposals and addressed some of our concerns. They are holding a public exhibition on the site itself (across Vastern Road from the station north entrance) from 3.30 – 7.30 on Monday 25^th February.

CADRA AGM 11^th June 7.30 at Thameside School
William Marshal was one of the most powerful figures of Medieval England. 14 May 2019 sees the 800^th anniversary of his death at his home here in Caversham. We are delighted that Tom Asbridge has agreed to speak at our AGM. Reader in Medieval History, and TV presenter, he is the author of "The Greatest Knight", about William.

We are currently developing plans for an information board in Caversham, telling William's story and may soon be seeking contributions towards the cost.

Caversham sign, St Martin's Precinct
As previously mentioned, this sign has started to lean. After a successful meeting with the Council and the original maker, Stuart King, during the next couple of months the sign will be removed, refurbished and securely re-fixed. We are grateful to the Caversham Traders Association who have agreed to share the cost of Stuart King's work.

Environment Agency Flood Defence Proposals
We mentioned these in December, and an outline is at Consultation Report. The huge impact which these could have is causing great concern in the area, particularly around Amersham Road and Heron Island. A group has emerged to campaign in residents' interests. CABFAS stands for 'Campaign for a Better Flood Alleviation Scheme' and its website is at https://www.cabfas.org. CABFAS's first concern is that the scheme is not widely known in the area, and it is campaigning for more and better information for residents, which CADRA wholly supports. This should enable a clearer view to be taken on the justification and impact of this huge scheme and what alternatives there may be.

Published: 2019-03-06 09:36:44
Updated: 2021-12-01 00:12:13

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