More than a £1m to be spent on community projects in Reading
The money comes from contributions made by developers
Over one million pounds will be spent on parks, play areas, and road safety measures in Reading after a funding package has been agreed.
Whenever a development takes place, the developers have to pay contributions to improve the local area, which is called community infrastructure levy (CIL).
From that CIL, 15 per cent of the money has to be invested in improving local amenities, including parks, play areas and residential streets.
At a recent meeting, Reading Borough councillors agreed which projects £1.623 million of CIL payments will go to.
The funding will go to 18 selected improvement projects, with the most expensive being the £230,000 that will be spent on upgrading Victoria Recreation Ground in Tilehurst.
Elsewhere, £200,000 will be spent on the Waterloo Meadows playground in Katesgrove, and £200,000 will also be spent on a ’20mph is plenty’ speed limit zone on streets around the Oxford Road.
In Whitley, £150,000 will be spent on improving pedestrian crossings at the Reading Gateway area, which has a retail park with popular eateries including Burger King, Costa Coffee and Nando’s.
You can see all the projects and how much will be spent on them below:
£231,000 for improvements to Victoria Recreation Ground
£20,000 for new street lights in town centre streets lacking adequate lighting
£200,000 for speed reduction measures in Northcourt Avenue
£200,000 for Waterloo Meadows playground in Katesgrove
£100,000 for Robert Hewitt Recreation Ground in Tilehurst Road
£50,000 for traffic calming measures in Shaw Road and Boston Avenue in Coley
£3,000 for staggered barriers in Sheeps Lane, Coley
£20,000 for Moriston Close playground in Norcot
£200,000 for a ’20mph is plenty’ zone on streets around the Oxford Road
£75,000 for green gym equipment at Palmer Park in East Reading
£15,000 towards a facelift for the Hexham Road Community Centre in Whitley
£33,000 for green space improvements at the Lower Mount in the university area
£13,000 for improvements to Southcote Linear Park in Brunel Road
£8,000 m for a new westbound bus shelter in Coronation Square, Southcote
£25,000 for lighting improvements at Coronation Square
£170,000 for improvements to South Whitley Park
£150,000 for Gateway area pedestrian crossings (Imperial Way and
Basingstoke Road)
£110,000 for communal area improvements in Lulworth Road, Whitley
Initially, 42 projects were proposed, with the 18 listed above securing the funding.