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Royal Borough helps residents boost renewable energy generation, cut carbon emissions and save on energy bills

A new initiative now available in the Royal Borough will help residents generate their own renewable energy, cut their carbon footprint and save money on their energy bills.

Solar Together is a group purchasing scheme for solar panels being launched today (Monday 9th May), helping incentivise renewable energy uptake among Royal Borough residents. It will give them confidence when installing solar panels  that they are paying a competitive price for a high-quality installation from pre-approved installers.

From today residents can join the group-buying scheme offering solar panels with optional battery storage and electric vehicle charging points. It also offers retrofit battery storage for residents who have already invested in solar panels and are looking to get more from the renewable energy they generate, as well as increase their independence from the grid.

Residents thanked as Royal Borough sees extra recycling after revised waste collections

RBWM would like to thank residents for their efforts in supporting the revised collection regime after figures showed they are choosing to dispose of less in their black waste bins, and recycle more of what they throw away. Based on the tonnages of material collected, the recycling rate for 2021/22 was 55.7%, compared to a rate of 51% for the 2020/21 financial year, and 45% in 2019/20.

There has been a significant decrease in the amount of waste being disposed of in refuse bins, with 23,303 tonnes collected in 2021/22, compared to 28,497 the previous year - a decrease of 18% - and 28,898 tonnes in 2019/20.

Ascot Racecourse and the Crown Estate today welcomed 70 local schools to Windsor Great Park to be involved in a ceremony which saw 70 new oak trees planted as part of The Queen’s Green Canopy ‘Plant a tree for the Jubilee’ project.

The trees have been planted adjacent to the Royal Procession route from Windsor Castle to Ascot Racecourse, along Duke’s Lane, and are intertwined with existing, mature oak trees, some of which date back to 1751.

Each school was represented by a pupil, holding their school’s crest or something that identified their school, and a group photograph was taken before a reception was held back at the racecourse.

A permanent plaque will also be placed among the trees to remind people of the initiative and celebrate the joint venture between Ascot Racecourse and the Crown Estate.

Have your say on options to improve the A308

A five-week consultation inviting the community to share their views on options to improve key sections of the A308 is now open. 

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead is initially considering how 21 sections of this key transport link - the A 308, , from the Bisham roundabout junction in the west, to the M25 in the east, could be improved over the coming years, and the council wants to hear your views to help decide on the best options to create safer, more user-friendly routes for all.

The council has undertaken a study to identify existing issues on the A308, including highways safety, congestion and promoting sustainable travel, and work up a range of different ways these could be addressed as well as support future sustainable economic growth as the Borough Local Plan is delivered.

Following initial conversations with stakeholders, the council initially identified 42 locations as worthy of further investigation for improvements and has since looked in more detail at 21, based on site-specific issues and data.

The locations for suggested improvements have been split into four areas along the length of the road - Maidenhead and West, Bray, Windsor and Dedworth, and Southeast Windsor and Old Windsor – and people can leave their feedback on the different options for each area online.

There will also be several drop-in consultation events taking place to allow residents to find out more about the options prior to sharing their feedback online. These all take place from 6pm until 7.30pm at: ....

If any Ascot & Sunnings residents were in their gardens just after 11am this morning (May 5th) and were shocked to find a plane with red, white and blue livery extremely low over their houses, flanked by two RAF fighter jets, they weren't dreaming ! The official explanation, as reported first by the Daily Star, is that it was a welcome for the Japanese Prime Minister, who is visiting Boris today.  Don't we have the Red Arrows for that kind of thing ?

Garden in Bloom 2022 competition |  Green-fingered residents in the borough are encouraged to enter this year’s Garden in Bloom competition which was launched at this week's Full Council meeting by the Mayor, Councillor John Story.

Any garden visible from a footpath or road is eligible for entry. Nominations can also be made by residents, passers-by or by councillors in their wards until Thursday 30th June.

There is just a single category, and the competition will be judged by councillors on a ward-by-ward basis. All entrants will receive a certificate and the winner and runner-up in each ward will also receive a rosette. In addition, the winner will receive a £20 voucher to spend at Braywick Heath Nurseries.

Nominations can be made by filling in the form available on the website https://www.rbwm.gov.uk/home/community-and-living/garden-bloom

 or by emailing gib@rbwm.gov.uk, A photo is welcome, but not necessary, and one nomination per address is all that is needed.