Please share with friends, family and neighbours in the borough so they can keep up to date. Sign up here if you've received a forwarded copy.
| |
|
Share your views on our draft tall buildings planning document
You
are invited to comment on the draft of a planning document which will
help to ensure the suitable location, height, and design of future tall
buildings within the Royal Borough.
We are holding a six-week public consultation, until Tuesday 11 October,
on the draft Building Height and Tall Buildings Supplementary Planning
Document (SPD), which will guide developers in choosing the best
locations for tall buildings and achieving architectural excellence, and
help the council decide planning applications.
The
draft SPD says the vast majority of the borough is inappropriate for
tall buildings, and most new development within established settlements
should mirror the height of surrounding buildings to protect the
borough’s scale and character.
As
a growing borough, we can however expect to receive more planning
applications for tall buildings - so the SPD is about making planned
provision for high quality, well-located tall buildings in a limited
number of suitable locations, to meet our local needs, support
investment, regeneration, and help protect the Green Belt.
You can read the draft SPD and submit your comments on our website.
You are also invited to attend a drop-in event at Maidenhead Library on Thursday 8 September between 2pm and 6.30pm. An online consultation event will also be held via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 28 September from 6pm to 8pm. The link for joining will be added to the website that week.
Read our press release to learn more.
| |
|
Bin collections return to normal after strike
In Wednesday’s special edition of the Residents’ Newsletter,
we advised that a resolution had been reached between waste contractor
Serco and the GMB union and that further industrial action by waste
collection operatives in the union has been suspended.
While
refuse, recycling and food waste collections are now running as normal,
there have been significant disruption and delays due to the strike
action which has meant we were unable to complete any bin collections on
Wednesday this week, though crews have since been working hard to catch
up.
If
your refuse, recycling or food waste was due to be collected on
Wednesday, please leave them out and they will be collected by the end
of Sunday if they haven’t been collected already. However, please do not
put your recycling bin out for collection if you live on one of the
streets listed on our waste and recycling crew strike webpage. These bins will be collected on Tuesday 6 September.
For more information, including about garden waste collections, please read the issue of Residents’ Newsletter sent earlier this week.
| |
|
Are you ready for back to school?
The summer holidays are ending this week, so all mums and dads make sure you’ve got the 2022/23 term dates in your calendars.
There
are approximately 4,500 children in the Royal Borough making the move
up to secondary school, and while this transition is exciting for many,
it can bring new challenges or worries.
Our
Wellbeing Team and Emotional Literacy Support Assistants work with
schools in the Royal Borough, alongside parents, carers, and partner
services, to support children with a range of issues including feelings
of anxiety. You can learn more about them in our short video.
There’s a wealth of professional guidance from Kooth and the NHS on coping techniques available to parents and young people to help with anxiety.
Frimley Health and Care also has a helpful guide for children to help them manage their mental health. Their Little Blue Book of Sunshine is a great source of reliable, professional guidance.
| |
|
Are your voter registration details up to date?
Our
Electoral Services team is running its annual canvass to determine
which residents should be registered to vote at each address. This
information is used to update the electoral register for 2023.
We have sent emails to some residents who are already registered, asking them to go to the Government website and check the register details for their household. The emails will come from electoral.registration.rb.windsor.and.maidenhead@notifications.service.gov.uk.
From Saturday 8 September,
we are also sending paper forms to properties. Full details about what
you need to do and how to respond will be included in the information
you receive.
Where
possible, we encourage you to confirm your details online using the
information sent to you, rather than posting paper forms back to us, as
this is the quickest and easiest way to update the details for your
household, and it’s more environmentally friendly too. For more
information, visit our website.
To learn more, read our press release.
| |
|
Home Office sets up accommodation site for asylum seekers in Datchet
We
were informed earlier this week that the Home Office has arranged to
use The Manor Hotel in Datchet from this month to accommodate people
seeking asylum who are at risk of destitution.
This is a private arrangement between the Home
Office and the hotel. The Royal Borough was not informed until this
week, was not involved in this arrangement and will not be involved in
the running of this accommodation site or provision of day-to-day
support, which is all being handled via the Home Office.
We will continue to liaise with the Home Office, NHS services and other partners with respect to our statutory duties.
Further information is available on our website.
| |
|
Grazing cattle reintroduced to part of Battlemead Common to enhance biodiversity
Livestock
have been reintroduced to an area of Battlemead Common, north of
Maidenhead, in an exciting new trial designed to help enhance
biodiversity at the site.
Almost
40 cows - Herefords and a Belted Galloway - are now located in the east
field, with some of the herd due to be moved into the north field soon.
Conservation
grazing is an effective and sustainable way to maintain and improve
certain habitats and is used successfully across the country by various
wildlife and conservation charities. It means areas don’t become
overgrown, encouraging a diverse range of plants and animals, including
invertebrates, amphibians, birds, and, in turn, small mammals to thrive.
Learn more by reading our press release.
| |
|
Royal Borough Heritage Discovery Week to shine a light on area's rich and varied history
Discover and
appreciate some of the unique heritage we have in the Royal Borough of
Windsor & Maidenhead via a series of events planned for
our first Heritage Discovery Week running from 10 to 18 September.
There are a range of
free and paid events, and The Windsor and Royal
Borough Museum will also be open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am
to 4pm throughout the week with free entry available to all and free
resources to help you discover more about our local heritage.
This is an ideal opportunity to discover more about the rich and varied history of the Royal Borough and highlights include:
-
Free access to explore the Windsor Guildhall on Saturday 10 September
- A VIP guided tour of the Guildhall hosted by experts from the Windsor and Royal Borough museum the same day (Advantage Card discount available)
-
Drinks, dinner and afternoon tea
events at the Guildhall with expert speakers on a variety of topics
including Leslie Grout on Secrets of the Cranbourne Tower on Tuesday 13 September, Hugo Vickers on The Queen and Windsor on Wednesday 14 September and Terry Pendry on All the Queen's Horses on Thursday 15 September.
Full details and how to book can be found on our website.
There will also be a free local studies drop-in session at Maidenhead Library on Tuesday 13 September from 10.30am to 12.30pm where
you can view items held in the local collections and learn how local
resources can be used to complete your own research projects.
Read our press release to learn more.
| |
|
Do you know your numbers?
It’s Know Your Numbers this week, the annual UK
campaign raising awareness of high blood pressure, also called the
‘silent killer’ because it rarely has any symptoms.
Responsible for more than half of all strokes and
heart attacks, high blood pressure is also a risk factor for heart
disease, kidney disease and vascular dementia.
The only way to know if you have the condition is
to measure your blood pressure. The good news is that if it’s high, it’s
one of the most preventable and treatable health conditions.
We are asking you to:
- Take your blood pressure to know your numbers
- Encourage others to measure their blood pressure at home or at a pharmacy
- Raise awareness about the risks of high blood pressure.
Visit the Frimley Health and Care website for more details.
| |
|
Get involved in local town forum meetings
If
you want to get involved and suggest topics for future town forum
meetings which discuss issues affecting Maidenhead and Windsor towns,
please email your ideas to the council.
You
can suggest topics for future meetings of the Maidenhead Town Forum and
Windsor Town Forum as well as attend the virtual meeting and contribute
to the discussions. Agendas are published a week in advance so you can
see what councillors will be discussing and get involved if there is
something you are interested in.
Your
suggestions for discussion will be considered by members of the two
meetings and then added to a future agenda if appropriate.
The next meeting of Maidenhead Town Forum is on Monday 5 September (next week) and the Windsor Town Forum takes place on Wednesday 14 September.
To find out more about how to get involved, including how to attend and speak at a meeting, email mark.beeley@rbwm.gov.uk (for Maidenhead Town Forum) or oran.norris-browne@rbwm.gov.uk (for Windsor Town Forum).
Anyone can watch the meetings live on our YouTube channel.
| |
|
Are you aged 11 to 25? Have your say in the Royal Borough Youth Council's survey
The Royal Borough’s Youth Council
wants to hear from residents aged from 11 to 25 on how the Youth
Council can best help our local community, as part of their 2022 survey.
Their
survey covers mental health services in schools, our local libraries,
and transport in the community. Your feedback will influence the Youth
Council’s focus and efforts in the coming year. Take part by completing their survey before the end of September.
You can also apply to join our Youth Council or see their poster to learn more.
| |
|
Royal Borough community spotlight
Here are just some of the upcoming community events in the Royal Borough:
-
Annual Old Windsor Handicraft, Produce and Horticulture Show (Saturday 3 September, 2pm to 7pm) – Old Windsor Memorial Hall. A
local show of art, craft, flower arranging, produce, cookery and
baking, and photography. Entries are welcomed by all age groups and in
all categories. For more information, visit the Facebook Event page
-
Celebrate the life and music of Julian Bell
– (Sunday 4 September, 7pm to 11pm). New Windsor Community Association.
Julian Turner Bell - known by almost everybody as 'Ju' - was a musician
who lived his whole life in Windsor. His friends and family were
shocked by his sudden death, and sadly Covid prevented them from
celebrating his life properly. Now the time has come to do it in style,
in the form of an indoor mini-festival - 'JuFest' -
on what would have been his 65th birthday. Many of the bands he played
with will be re-forming for the event. All profits will be donated to
Cancer Research. To book tickets and learn more, visit the Eventbrite page
-
Maidenhead Tuneless Choir
(Wednesday evenings from 7 September, 8pm to 9.15pm) – URC Maidenhead,
West Street, SL6 1RL. The Tuneless Choir are back to ‘sing like no one
is listening’. No vocal talent required to join as all notes are
welcome, especially the wonky ones. Described as ‘guaranteed to leave
with a smile on your face’ and ‘best experienced to be believed’ the
choir are offering a free sing in September to new members. Check out their flyer for more information
-
Cox Green Horticultural and Craft Show
(Saturday 10 September) – Cox Green Community Centre. Calling all
children! You are invited to take part in this year’s horticultural and
craft show. All children’s entries are free across categories including
baking, sewing and photography. More information is available on the Cox Green website
-
New programme of Windsor & Maidenhead Community Forum dialogues
(Starting Tuesday 6 September) After a three-year break, the Windsor
& Maidenhead Community Forum (WAMCF) are launching a new programme
of their successful free Dialogue sessions covering topics including
“What makes us human?”, “What brings true happiness?” and “Can religious
faith make you a happy person”. For more information, visit the WAMCF website
-
Party like it’s the end of the school holidays
(Friday 16 September at 7.30pm) - Furze Platt Senior School Theatre.
Furze Platt Senior School is marking the end of the long summer holidays
with a big fundraising gig. Maidenhead band Funkin’ Souled Out is
playing tracks from Donna Summer to Sister Sledge, Jamiroquai to James
Brown, the Bee Gees to the Jackson Five and much more from the disco
decades. Tickets are just £12.50 each and all profits go towards the
school. Visit the Ticketsource website for more information
-
Maidenhead Waterways Fun Day
(Saturday 17 September, 10am to 3pm) – Maidenhead Town Centre
Amphitheatre. The event is free to attend and open to all with lots of
fun activities planned to include canoe races, paddle boarding, live
music, wild walks, treasure hunts, stalls and so much more. All
events will be based in and around the water basin near Bakedd and the
Coppa Club, with live entertainment in the amphitheatre outside the
central Library on St Ives Road. For more information, visit the Maidenhead Bridge Rotary website
If
you have an upcoming not-for-profit community event or activity you’d
like to promote in this newsletter, simply send basic information about
your event to communications@rbwm.gov.uk and it could be shared with over 20,000 local residents.
You
just need to include a brief description, when and where it takes
place, and a link to a website/social media page/contact where people
can find out more.
| |
|
Have your say
We regularly hold consultations to get your views on proposals within the Royal Borough.
Responding to our consultations and giving your feedback is the best way to ensure your views are heard.
Our current consultations are:
| |
|
Local travel updates
Planned strikes by the train drivers’ ASLEF union on Thursday 15, Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 September are expected to continue to cause various levels of disruption.
To stay up to date with the latest local rail strike updates, please check the Twitter accounts for Great Western Railway and South Western Railway.
For details of council works on highways, visit our website. For full local
roadwork details, including work by utility firms, please visit the One Network
website.
| | | | | |
