The business of leisure and entertaining people in Wokingham has been very active and competitive during recent years and it seems that 2009 is no different. Changes are always under way and further changes being planned, Peach Street place has not appeared yet, but is still in the works. The turmoil in the commercial property business has certainly delayed this further.

But, our continuing expanding population is one on the drivers of this change, it brings new opportunities for businesses and, for those that have been in the trade for many years, it brings the challenge of expansion. Some projects blow hot and cold, one such is the Peach Place/Rose Street development that has been 'on the books' for many years and is currently on the back burner. The plan is to replace the 60's flat roofed shopping block with units more in the "vernacular" style of Wokingham. The current store units are occupied by, amongst others, Superdrug & Boots. Above them were number of homes whose residents have to be accommodated elsewhere in preparation for the redevelopment. The units are on very short lets at the moment, and this sees stores come and go. A recent change is the opening of a new Costa Coffee outlet. This is a new chain to Wokingham that is likely to have ssen the success of Caffé Nero, which is always popular, it seems the demand for light grazing increases rather than reduces in tougher times. The business people who turn up for the free wi-fi struggle to find a seat.

Staying

It has always been tricky to find somewhere to stay close to Wokingham town, and although extra bed space has been created recently, it still seems demand is higher than availability. Remember in June Ascot Racecourse holds Royal Ascot, most overnight accommodation is "sold-out" during that week. We are building a listing of places to stay with links and details over here. It currently includes the main Wokingham places, but is growing as we check places out. One place that has undergone another change is Court Lodge in Wellington Road, since being acquired by the owners of Cantley House Hotel, it was renamed "Court Lodge", and has now been renamed "Cantley Lodge" which makes more sense to me, sharing the quality brand associated with Cantley House.

Eating Out & In

Around the town you can find many styles of cuisine, we list them all in our directory in this issue. If you're on that limited budget there are often offers available in local restaurants. Newspaper offers are worthy of a mention, look out for the annual Times Dine with Wine & Lunch for a Fiver offer, which requires the collection of vouchers from the newspaper. These vouchers are accepted by a range of eateries around the country.

Meet up for drink

Wokingham once topped the charts in pubs per person, and it continues to offer a wide choice of hostelries. Look at pages three to eight for eating and drinking venues. There are several good outlets for Real Ales and of interest to Campaign for Real Ale members. You can check out the beers found in the Crispin, the Broad Street Tavern and Wetherspoon's at the BeerMad website and the breweries at Quaffale

Pampering

A trend that is common to most of the UK is reflected in Wokingham. Pampering palaces are opening up around the town. In Denmark Street the former Rejuvenate premises is now part of the Retreat.

Keeping Fit

Want to keep fit in Wokingham. The are lots of choices to help you with this task. The Holmes Place fitness centre is now part on the Virgin group and has been renamed Virgin Active, a membership only club with pool, workout equipment and Brown Bag Café. Ten Pin Bowling is available at the Bowling centre in Wellington road just along from the station. St Anne's manor (a Hilton Hotel) in London Road has a pool and gym for members and guests. The Carnival fun pools are at the end of Wellington Road. They have two pools one with slides and paddling area, the other deeper and usually laid out in lanes. For the more mature Crown Green Bowling is catered for at the club in Reading Road. The Crispin centre in London Road has racquet games and more.

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