Question Submitted Under Council Procedure Rule 10
Councillor Temperton to Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration
The Market is now located in Braccan Walk and will remain there. This is also the location of the Bracknell War Memorial. This memorial- an angel- is made of limestone and is fragile. It cannot be frequently deep cleaned because of erosion. Every market day, it is now surrounded by food vans pouring out diesel and fat fumes. Can the Council, working with relevant partners, investigate the relocation of this monument, or if it is too fragile to move, the provision of an alternative in a more suitable location?
Minutes:
Councillor Temperton asked Councillor Brunel-Walker, Executive Member for Economic Development and Regeneration the following published question:
The Market is now located in Braccan Walk and will remain there. This is also the location of the Bracknell War Memorial. This memorial- an angel- is made of limestone and is fragile. It cannot be frequently deep cleaned because of erosion. Every market day, it is now surrounded by food vans pouring out diesel and fat fumes. Can the Council, working with relevant partners, investigate the relocation of this monument, or if it is too fragile to move, the provision of an alternative in a more suitable location?
Councillor Brunel-Walker was unable to attend the meeting so the Leader of the Council, Councillor Bettison OBE read out to the meeting the response that had been prepared:
Bracknell's war memorial was erected in 1924 to commemorate the dead of World War I. and originally stood on the edge of the old town, at the junction of Binfield Road and Wokingham Road, but was moved to its present location in 1950 as part of the development of Bracknell New Town. The land the structure sits on is owned by the Council. The structure was officially added to the Historic Buildings listings on the 18th October 2012 and is Grade II listed monument.
He stated that the war memorial was of national and local importance, it also had legal protection as a listed structure. It was the focus for remembrance activities, and for many families, the war memorial was a place of focus and reflection to remember or commemorate the fallen, those have made the ultimate sacrifice Queen, or King, and Country but have no headstone.
He added that the War Memorial was owned by the local Branch of the Royal British with whom the Council worked with to arrange and undertake routine cleaning and maintenance.
He explained that moving the war memorial would be treated as requiring listed building consent for “demolition” and consultation with Historic England before re-erection. It was considered unlikely to receive consent.
Councillor Brunel-Walker had asked officers to assess the current condition of the structure and what measures were required to reduce any potential damage to the monument.
Councillor Temperton asked the following supplementary question: If the statue could not be moved then an assessment be undertaken of its condition and if the market place arrangements can be changed so that it is not subject to fat and fuel contamination and be cleaned ready for VE and JE day celebrations this year.
The Mayor confirmed that Councillor Brunel-Walker would be asked to provide a written response.