A new £3million park and ride for Wokingham has begun construction. Wokingham Borough Council’s contractor AH Willis has started to create the 250-space Coppid Beech park and ride.
It will provide a key facility for residents wanting to travel into nearby town centres due to its proximity to Wokingham town centre, the borough boundary with Bracknell Forest and the A329M. The bus services linked to the park and ride could be used for employment trips during weekdays, and leisure trips during weekends. The council is looking for opportunities to link the park and ride to other parts of the borough including Twyford.
Images taken from the Coppid Beech Park and Ride Business Case document, located here
Works so far have seen site fencing set up, including access gates and tree protection fencing. Our contractor will then begin site clearance and creation of a site entrance road. Later in the spring there will be further enabling works on site before the construction and creation of the car park takes place in the summer months.
The project has been given significant financial support (£2.4million) by the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) with the rest paid for by the council through developer contributions. The land allocated for the application, which also includes cycle and motorcycle parking spaces and electric car charging points, was previously agreed for this use as part of the Keephatch Gardens development east of Wokingham town centre.
“The new park and ride at Coppid Beech will help support the borough with the transport infrastructure it needs for the years ahead,” said Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, executive member for highways and transport. “Car journeys will rise as we come out of lockdown and this kind of facility helps us encourage residents out of their cars and onto public transport, which is better for the environment. We thank our partners at the Thames Valley Berkshire Local Enterprise Partnership for their significant support on this project.”
Tim Brown, group chairman at contractor A H Willis and Sons Ltd, added: “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to provide a new community asset that will benefit local residents, businesses and visitors to Wokingham, improving accessibility to the town and travel links to the surrounding area.
“We are proud of our association with Wokingham Borough Council and equally proud to have been chosen to deliver this infrastructure scheme. We will shortly be establishing ourselves on-site and welcome feedback from the local community on our progress and conduct while delivering on our promise to provide Wokingham with this excellent new facility.”
Work will continue throughout the year, with completion expected to be in Autumn 2021 when it will be opened. Further announcements will be made on an opening date in due course.
The council will be providing regular updates on the project via the council’s weekly traffic and travel newsletter, which residents can sign up for now.
