February 2024

The Bond Riverside programme is currently under review and will be resumed once a new approach has been agreed.

October 2023

Work as now begun on the first phase of the programmes environmental improvements on Faraday Road. Volker Highways have been conducting pilot-hole checks to identify underground services and suitable locations for SUDS and greening measures. We hope to implement the works over Christmas and early in the new year.

A strategy board was held with Council Members to look at some of the key goals of the programme and agree a way forward. This will now feed into the programme review which is currently underway.

On 19th November the Faraday Football Pitch will host its grand re-opening as a league pitch. Further details will be published in the coming days.

September 2023

The designs and locations of the SUDS and environmental improvements work has now been completed by Ardent. The work will now be passed onto Volkers who will be starting with pilot holes before breaking ground later this Autumn.

Hemingway Designs have sent through a draft of the placemaking strategy. This will now be reviewed by key officers before the final amendments are made and we can begin implementing the strategy.

A review of the programmes goals and aspirations is under way following a new direction from the administration. It is currently on target to be completed and signed off by the end of the year.

August 2023

Following the local elections in May the new WBC administration has brought in a new ideas for the Bond Riverside Regeneration Project. Faraday Road Football pitch is now in the process of returning football to the site, therefore will no longer be a part of the Regeneration Project.

We will shortly be reviewing the programme to take account of the ambitions of the new administration, but the wider goal of economic development and regeneration remains a top priority.

May 2023

Ardent have begun putting together the final drawings and locations for the SUDS environmental improvements, ready for work to begin later this summer.

Following a review of the programme Hemingway Designs have been given an extended 3 months to produce the final placemaking report. This will allow for a better integration with other ongoing council strategies such as Parking.

April 2023

Following the successful bid to the LEP, work has begun drawing up locations and plans for the environmental improvements ready for work to start later this year.

March 2023

We are pleased to announce that we were successful in our funding bid to the LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) and have been awarded £375,000. These additional funds will be invested into environmental improvement projects that we are looking to get under way immediately.

We are also edging closer towards the completion of the Place-Making Strategy that is being put together by Hemingway Design. Once published we will be looking to start implementing it as soon as Summer 2023.

February 2023

On the 8th March we held our long awaited LRIE Identity Project and Careers Event where we were joined by WBC Chief Executive Nigel Lynn, Leader of WBC Lynne Doherty and Wayne Hemingway to announce the winners of the LRIE Identity Project and the new name for LRIE.

The surprise of snow on the morning meant the event had to be changed to a virtual event. 

And now for the winners, drumroll please………

The winners were "Bond Riverside" from Newbury College! Congratulations to Molly, Xander and Toby for their submission and the hard work they put in to it.

This means that we are proud to announce a new name for LRIE; Bond Riverside.

Wayne Hemingway also gave a talk on the urban planning industry, his career path and fielded many questions from those in attendance.

January 2023

The LRIE Identity Project Competition has now been concluded with a winner being settled on by the panel. The winner will be announced and the prize for the school being presented on the 8th March at our Identity Project follow up event where Wayne Hemingway, of Hemingway Design, will be giving a presentation to the students on careers in urban planning and design.

The place-making strategy for LRIE is currently in the drafting stage with some great progress being made ready for the release in a couple of months’ time.

We are in positive ongoing conversations with leaseholders across the site, and a funding bid has recently been sent to the LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership). The hope is that this extra fund will enable us to kick-start implementation of the place-making strategy when published in a couple of months.

December 2022

Works are being carried out for the drilling of water table boreholes on LRIE as a way to monitor and support a sustainable drainage strategy.

September 2022

Hemingway Design appointed alongside SUDS and Energy consultants to deliver place-making strategy for LRIE.

LRIE Schools Identity Project

West Berkshire council has launched an exciting opportunity to work with local schools to re-brand the London Road Industrial Estate. We have gone out to local schools and colleges to ask students to come up with their ideas for a new identity for the estate, including ideas for a new name linked to employment and the environment as well as a way of working in the current age.

It’s exciting to gain insight from the young people that will be our workforce of the future and see what they deem as important in a work space. The competition will reward the winners with prize money as well as essential experience for future work. The winners will also be given chance to participate in the execution of their idea to see it come to life!

Plans and winners will be announced early 2023 so keep an eye out for LRIE’s new brand!

Full LRIE Public Webinar 

Find out the latest information from our webinar. 27/09/2022. **Note: All council representatives in the webinar were acting as the landowners. Please visit the FAQ page to find out more.**

Topics covered in Webinar

An introduction from Cllr Ross Mackinnon about the LRIE webinar

Eric Owens, West Berkshire Council, talks about the new approach to the LRIE

Simon Matthews, LEP, talks about the employment benefits of the LRIE

Hemingway Design talk about their previous work, understanding of current trends and how this work will link to the future of the LRIE site