A long‑promised safety upgrade at one of Bracknell and Wokingham’s most difficult junctions has been put in focus by a Wokingham councillor determined to get answers.
The Old Wokingham Road / Waterloo Road / Peacock Lane junction, straddling the boundary between Wokingham Borough and Bracknell Forest, is a critical link from “Greater Crowthorne” – including Wokingham Without – to the A329(M) and the M4.
Conservative Wokingham Without councillor Séona Turtle wants to know exactly when long‑awaited work will begin to transform a bend and T‑junction close to Easthampstead Park into a roundabout.
At Wokingham Borough Council’s full council meeting on Thursday, 23 July, she is expected to ask Highways chief Adrian Betteridge:
“Can you confirm when this work will start, the planned duration of the work and how this contract is being funded?”
The question will put the spotlight firmly on Wokingham’s role in delivering the scheme, even though the road lies almost entirely within Bracknell Forest.
A transfer of land to support the junction was unanimously agreed at a Bracknell Forest cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 14 and the work was previously announced to start in September.
Any incident or interruption there rapidly brings traffic to a standstill, triggering severe delays for commuters, businesses and residents on both sides of the borough line.
The Chair of Wokingham Without Parish Council, Nicholas Martin said: “Personally I think it’s a good idea. At the moment it’s dangerous, but I think things are well underway.”
He compared the situation at Waterloo Road with the adjacent junction at the end of Easthampstead Road where it can also take a long time to pull out:
“Wokingham Borough are shutting off a lot of through-traffic going up Easthampstead Road by making it a cul-de-sac.”
Cllr Turtle’s intervention will give voice to the frustration of road users who have repeatedly branded the junction dangerous and “long overdue” for improvement, and who now expect concrete progress rather than vague assurances.
The roundabout has already cleared key hurdles. Bracknell Forest Council has granted planning approval for the new layout, and its cabinet has agreed the necessary land transfer to allow the project to proceed.
Funding is tied to the South Wokingham major development and distributor road, a major housing and infrastructure package enabling growth in Wokingham’s locality.
According to Cllr Turtle, until Wokingham Borough Council sets out a clear timetable, construction plan and funding explanation, the communities who rely on this vital strategic route are left waiting at a junction they have repeatedly warned is unsafe.
