The annual pancake race in Bartholomew Street has been cancelled due to health and safety concerns. The new £500,000 road layout was supposed to make it easier for events to take place, but officials blamed “operational difficulties”.

A recent meeting between retailers and council officials heard that: “This is a negative aspect of the enhancements that have been carried out, which needs to be addressed so that future events can proceed safely.”

It is believed that the race has only been cancelled a handful of times since World War Two. Newbury.net will bring you more next week.

Millions for Newbury

West Berkshire Council is preparing to spend almost £7 million on renovating schools, stately homes and public buildings in Newbury.

Councillors meet next week to approve almost 100 bids from various departments for the £13 million pot.

Top of the agenda is the £3.7million Shaw House revamp, which is currently stalled after councillors failed to back their own plan to build flats on playing fields in the gap between Newbury and Thatcham, to pay towards the refurb.

Also on the cards, is a £1 million art block for St Barts, a £400,000 sports hall for Trinity, and £600,000 for the Market Place makeover and car ban.

Other projects include £520,000 for the new cycle-friendly Monkey Bridge over the canal and £365,000 for the revamp of the museum.

On the traffic front, the third phase of a £10 million roads upgrade programme will be announced, featuring improved junctions at both ends of Pyle Hill, new solar-powered parking meters in Newbury, and a £500,000 parking permit system across Newbury.

Thatcham gets Newbury’s cash

Nearly £650,000 of Vodafone cash granted to Newbury will be spent in Thatcham, West Berkshire Council said this week.

The money was down for a 100-place nursery for local children in or around their Shaw HQ, but a time limit lapsed, allowing the council to recoup the money and spend it on what it liked.

Instead, the cash will go on an outdoor ampitheatre at the Lower Way attraction.