Thames water is proposing an enlargement of the water storage tank (under the earth mound) at the Earley Reservoir on Elm Lane.
Although Planning permission has yet to be applied for, but it is understood that the plan is to extend the ‘back’ (when looking at the storage tank from Elm Lane) to the boundary line of the White Knights Primary School. It seems an odd shape extension to me! Does this mean that they will also extend to the right-hand side of the tank.
Thames Water are to hold a series of open Public Exhibitions to explain their proposals on:
- Tuesday 15th May at Earley Crescent Resource Centre, Warbler Way, Lower Earley, RG6 4HB – 10am – 6pm
- Friday 18th May at Lodden Valley Leisure Centre, Rushey Way, Lower Earley, RG6 4GD – 2pm – 9pm
- Saturday 26th May at Lodden Valley Leisure Centre, Rushey Way, Lower Earley, RG6 4GD – 2pm – 9pm
Local residents should already be receiving letters about these dates and other information.
Will this be another ‘Sibley Hall’ planning debacle? We will have to see what is said at the meetings and see what Thames Water thinks about local residents reactions to their planned proposals.
In my one conversation with them, they have said they acknowledge that the open space is a very well used area by local residents and they are concerned that it is kept as open and accessible as possible both during the engineering works and afterwards. We will see.
Beasley's Place 
Went to the meeting and it was explained quite well as to the process that will happen. Planning permission will be sought later this year and if granted, work will commence early next year as far as I could tell.
My only concern was regarding the contractors access. Apparently, they cannot use the gates of the Water Plant and therefore an access will be created by enlarging the existing gate opposite the entrance to Beaconsfield Way.
As we all know, since the mess-up that is the Shinfield High-Street was finished, much more traffic uses Elm Lane to bypass that. With a building site access opposite Beaconsfield Way, getting out of there may become an even more frustrating exercise.
I believe the only way to solve that is to install temporary traffic lights.
We will see.
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