Thatcham and Hungerford Town Centre Strategies submitted for West Berkshire Council approval

Following engagement with local communities earlier this year as part of our work to develop strategies for both town centres, the key improvements being put forward for further development in collaboration with local communities include:

In Hungerford:

• Creating a new 'town square' outside the Town Hall that could be used for markets and events.
• Creating spill-out space for businesses on the High Street.
• Improving pedestrian connections.

In Thatcham:

• Full or partial pedestrianisation of The Broadway.
• The creation of a 'Community Hub', improvements to the gateways to the town centre.
• Physical changes to the A4 to lower traffic speeds.

The changes are included in the Town Centre Strategies for Hungerford and Thatcham, which are due to be considered by the Executive on Thursday 23 March. The reports, including the strategies, can be read here and are recommended for approval.

The Town Centre Strategies have reached this stage as a result of months of hard work and a high level of public engagement.

Councillor Ross Mackinnon, Executive Member for Finance and Economic Development at West Berkshire Council, said:

"Ensuring our town centres remain vibrant places in the coming years will ensure West Berkshire remains a great place to live, work and visit.

"We're really proud of the work and collaboration with local residents and businesses, as well as Thatcham and Hungerford Town Councils, in helping develop these Town Centre Strategies.

"I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to reply to the public survey and suggest other ideas. It was a great response and will really give weight to these strategies as we work to take them forward."

The Council commissioned Hemingway Design to develop the Town Centre Strategies for both Thatcham and Hungerford. The Strategies aim to protect and boost the high street and town centres enhancing their vitality and economic prosperity.

The Strategies have been developed in partnership with local communities, stakeholders and both Town Councils, in the form of workshops and an online public survey which received 1,700 responses.

We would like to thank the residents, businesses and stakeholders including each Towns Council for taking part in the public consultation and sharing their views. The development of the consultation and strategies is the beginning of a much longer engagement process, which will continue to involve the communities of Hungerford and Thatcham, as we prioritise and work up the detail of the proposed projects.