Newsletter of the Sonning & Sonning Eye Society Issue • Summer 55 2018 Alien Invasion Prof. Alastair Driver explains the Saga of the Floating Pennywort impacting on wildlife, recreation fell on deaf ears and the plant and flood risk management. continued to spread down the Foudry Brook and into the It was brought into the UK lower Kennet and the many for the ornamental pond trade interconnecting ditches in the in the 1980s and first recorded in south Reading area. the wild in 1991. It appeared on my radar locally about 10 years Then on 28th July 2017, I ago when it turned up on the spotted small rafts of Floating Foudry Brook in South Reading. Pennywort in the Blake’s weir As Head of Conservation for area in Reading, just upstream the Environment Agency of the confluence of the Kennet The innocuous-sounding, but at the time, I pushed hard with the Thames and so again I highly invasive, non-native for resources to be found to urged the Environment Agency aquatic plant Floating Penny- completely eradicate the species to act fast to eradicate it, before wort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) before it spread on down into fragments washed downstream. which originates from the Amer- the Thames. Sadly, although Unfortunately it took the EA icas, can grow incredibly fast some localised control was a few months to respond with and can completely smother wa- carried out by the EA and other action on the ground, by which terways and weir structures etc, organisations, my pleas largely time large rafts had appeared in the Thames at Sonning Floating Pennywort blocking the Hennerton backwater in a single season particularly in slower flowing Photo credits for this article: Alastair Driver areas downstream of Sonning Lock and in the weir channels near the French Horn and Sonning Mill. It also spread downstream into the Hennerton backwater and the Shiplake Lock area. Bearing in mind that individual stems of this amazing plant can grow up to 20 cms a day and that it can grow out 15 metres from a river bank in one season in warm conditions, this was entirely predictable. Continued on page 5 --» Bridge is the newsletter of the Sonning & Sonning Eye Society email: [email protected] web: www.sonning.org.uk Printed on paper from responsible sources by a company supporting the Woodland Carbon Scheme Bridge newsletter • Issue 55 • Summer 2018 1 Over the coming months at the Sonning Lane pinch Bridge will feature these points. The Society is organisations one by one opposed to the use of the to showcase their aims, field opposite Blue Coat for objectives and achievements parking, this is green space >>Eye on Sonning and we hope this will trigger which should only be used some readers to offer their for parking when other a view from the Bridge services as a trustee or options of using existing Mike Hart, Chairman committee member of one or paved areas in the sports more of the organisations. grounds along Sonning Lane have been exhausted. We are fortunate to have very Traffic and parking active voluntary organisations problems continue to blight Summer has finally in Sonning. Apart from the the village. Discussions are arrived and with it the Sonning and Sonning Eye still ongoing with Reading start of the social calendar Society we have an active Blue Coat School to find including the Sonning Parish Council, Pearson Hall alternative parking for the Festival with the Regatta Management and Social students who park along and Sonning Scarecrows Committees, Robert Palmer Sonning Lane and with over the weekend of 26-28th Alms House Trust, Fire Brigade the traffic department May (this will have been and Trust, Scarecrow Committee, of Wokingham Borough gone by the time you read WI and many others. All of Council to change the yellow this issue), the RNLI Garden them depend on volunteers lines so that there is more Party on 16th June and the giving their time to keep the provision for traffic to pass Elegant Picnic on 14th July. organisations running smoothly parked cars. Unfortunately The forthcoming Society for the benefit of the community solving this problem is events include a heritage and it is very important that taking much longer than we walk on 29th September and new volunteers come forward had hoped and meanwhile a visit to Loddon Brewery on to offer their services in order confrontations take place 13th October. that the organisations remain daily between drivers who sustainable. are unwilling to give way Executive Committee & Panels Patrick Hamblin, Planning & Traffic Panel Meetings & Planning Applications Additional planning issues: Information on planning applications Three meetings of the Panel have been • Assistance was given by a Panel to WBC and South Oxfordshire District held since the last Executive Committee member relating to a property in Council are now shown on the Society’s meeting on 8th March, 4th April and 3rd Duffield Road (outside of Sonning & website under the Local News menu May 2018. Twenty five applications were Sonning Eye) after an approach was heading. discussed. made to the Society for assistance Letters were sent to Wokingham to prevent a building with heritage Sonning Parish Council Planning Borough Council (WBC) as follows: significance being demolished. The Committee meetings • Pool Court, Thames Street - relating application was subsequently refused. The Society has been represented at to an application to build a very large • A public enquiry was held on 1st May these meetings as an observer since the outbuilding relating to the Gladman Developments last edition. application to build 245 houses in • The Bull - relating to alterations Traffic (which we supported, except for the Emmer Green. The Society has already proposal to erect a pergola in the area objected regarding this development. The Society is still waiting to hear from adjacent to the wall to the Church and Our concern was the potential large WBC regarding the proposed parking re- the pergola was to have a roof of cedar increase in traffic crossing Sonning strictions in Sonning Lane. Unfortunate- shingles. This was a good outcome as Bridge each day. Our previous ly the engineer dealing with this project the plans were amended so that only comments will be taken into account. has been on sick leave for some time but half of the pergola is to be roofed, thus The enquiry has since been temporarily is aware of our concerns that the matter minimising the impact of the roof on suspended following additional is moved ahead. the view from ‘The Bull’ to the Church information being provided by South and vice versa), Oxfordshire District Council on its Local Plan Update • August Field, Charvil Lane - relating future land supply. No changes have been made to the list to a retrospective application to build a • An informal hearing was held on 4th of sites for updating the local plan and pair of semi-detached houses in place April relating to the proposed Sonning also the gypsy and traveller local plan of the single dwelling on the site. The Golf Club development off Pound Lane. since its publication by WBC. There are Society objected to this application – The results of that hearing have not yet seven sites listed in Sonning. The Society the foundations have already been laid! been made public. is continuing the monitor the list. Bridge newsletter • Issue 55 • Summer 2018 2 Loddon Brewery Celebrates 15 Years Christopher (The Gaffer) Hearn, owner of Loddon Brewery from across the country for its beers. To date, Loddon has won over 50 national and regional prizes. Fast forward to 2018 and Loddon beer is supplied in draught and bottles all across the UK – in parts of Europe too. Brands like Hoppit, Hullabaloo and Ferryman’s Gold have become synonymous with the region, and become firm favourites for local people. Customers at the Coppa Club and the French Horn in Sonning will also be used to seeing the Loddon pumpclip on the bar. Chris and Vanessa’s son Dan joined in 2016 and the brewery has continued going from strength to On 2nd July, it will be 15 years to the day that the strength – sustained year on year growth and, in first beer from Loddon Brewery hit the market. 2017, the announcement that Loddon had become Hoppit, a 3.5% classic bitter, was the first brew an elite sponsor of Henley Hawks Rugby club, the to ever come out of the Dunsden-based brewery, brewery’s biggest corporate investment to date. and remains a firm favourite to this day. New products are continually being introduced The brewery itself was a long time coming, to reflect the ever-changing market, and in July and when it finally opened for business it was the the brewery is set to open its new tap room, with realisation of a lifelong dream for owners Chris 3 taps of Loddon Brewery permanently available and Vanessa Hearn. so beer-lovers can enjoy a pint at its very source. Brewing is in Chris’s blood. He joined the Local craft beers will also be available. industry in 1976 as a shift brewer at Brakspear in Henley, and spent a further 18 years moving The Sonning and Sonning Eye Society is through the ranks at the company. His final role planning to take a group of members on a tour was Free Trade and National Accounts Manager. of the brewery, including tasting opportunities, Stints at Batemans Brewery, in Lincolnshire, on 13th October. Details will be published on the and Morrells of Oxford followed until, in 2002, Society’s website in due course. Chris decided it was time to do what he’d wanted to do for years – set up his own brewery.