Bell Tower Community Association

Reading Borough Council has told local residents and Bell Tower it is satisfied that statutory nuisance is taking place at the Cardiff Road Train Care Depot, after a campaign lasting more than three years.

Discussions are underway between the council, Network Rail and Great Western to determine whether the rail companies have evidence to support their defence of Statutory Authority or operation by the best practicable means. The council also says it plans to start monitoring air pollution in Cardiff Road and has obtained permission from the Deaf Centre to install the necessary equipment on their premises.

Bell Tower chairman Jonathan Dart has written to Reading East MP Rob Wilson urging him to bring any pressure he can to bear on Network Rail and Great Western both in parliament and in central government. The letter also pointed out that the deferral of electrification of the Didcot-Oxford line and branches would inevitably mean more diesel units than originally planned being based at Reading depot after the summer 2019 date for the completion of electrification. This means that the railway companies can no longer say the problem of noise and pollution will solve itself through electrification and makes it more imperative for a solution to be found.

In light of what happened with the Green Park station issue, Bell Tower urged Mr Wilson to oppose any plans to add diesel services on any of the lines affected by the deferral of electrification because this would curtail the reduction in the number of diesel units based at Reading. Given the implications for the national rail network of the continued use of diesel traction in the Thames Valley for the foreseeable future, Bell Tower also asked whether there were any plans by the government to introduce new, less noisy and polluting diesel trains to replace the Reading-based turbo trains, while stressing that full electrification would be the option preferred by local residents.

Bell Tower has also written to Great Western to ask what the deferral will mean for the traction mix at the depot in 2019. After the previous deferral involving the Reading-Basingstoke line, they said 51 diesel units would remain at Reading (54 if there were extra trains to serve Green Park station) as opposed to the 45 originally envisaged. At the time of writing Bell Tower had not received an answer from Mr Wilson or Great Western.

Reading Borough Council has opened two consultations on proposed changes to council tax – one affecting levels for properties qualifying for discounts and the other changing levels of council tax relief.

It is proposed that the council tax discount scheme will be removed for many empty properties, so that owners would have to pay full council tax on them when unoccupied. The council tax relief changes affect the qualifying criteria and maximum level of benefit available.

Everyone who lives, works or studies in the borough of Reading is welcome to comment on these consultations, regardless of whether they are affected by the changes.

Details and online response forms at https://consult.reading.gov.uk/. The deadline for comments is 28 December 2016.

Photo: Andrew Smith

We held our autumn quiz on Saturday 29 October at New Hope – a gathering of garrulous quiz fans had a merry time tussling with the mix of general and specialist rounds from quizmaster Rod Plinston. The £50 first prize was won by a single point by the team of Sandie and Phil Gill and friends. At half time everyone was fed by the excellent service of a fish and chip supper.

Please look out for the next of these well-attended events and join in – our next quiz will be held in spring 2017. Many thanks to Rod for presiding and to Richard for organising the catering.

The Big Skip was back in October at a new venue, as we can no longer use the school playground after the building work. We held the event at 50 Milford Road, on the industrial estate.

It was a great opportunity for householders to dispose of their bulky waste, and we also had the chance to do a bit of ad-hoc gardening, trimming some overhanging tree branches that were blocking the pavement in Addison Road.

As usual the skip was kindly sponsored by Reading Festival organisers Festival Republic. Many thanks also to Mel Maxwell of Sandbag Ltd for use of the site. We hope to be back for another tidy-up day in the same place next summer.