Shockwaves have gone through the Wokingham community with the news that the Cantley Park café will close.
Owned and run by Wokingham Borough Council, the premises at Cantley Park Pavillion became available to let on the Zoopla website a few weeks ago for £22,000 per year. Now agents Page Hardy Harris has the property ‘under offer’. My Wokingham spoke to the letting agents but were unable to confirm any details about the potential new tenant.
One person who works at the café said: “We are very sad that it will close.” And added: “I don’t understand – it is very busy here at the weekends. We are usually full up on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, not just with sporting events but with people taking walks in the park. They will have nowhere else to go.” And she added that upstairs from the café is a space used by other community groups from around the area that could face looking for new homes.
Cllr Ian Shenton, executive member for environment, sport and leisure at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “Like many local authorities around the county, we face unprecedented financial challenges. It is extremely tough financially for everyone, from residents to local businesses. Councils are no different and not immune to these challenges. We have to ensure frontline services are protected and that we make the best use of
our assets to generate income.
“We’re disappointed that we will be closing the café at Cantley Park, but it is running at a loss, usage is
low and we are unable to ensure opening hours align with the other facilities provided in the park.
However, we are offering opportunities for mobile caterers who could offer a range of seasonal,
temporary or permanent facilities at Cantley Park. This would allow existing park users to continue to
have access to catering facilities.
“We have therefore taken the decision to consider the wider opportunities for the use of the building
and other opportunities to provide catering that are financially more sustainable. We have recently
marketed the unit and had a number of local businesses interested in moving into Cantley Park. The
details of this are commercially sensitive, but we are confident a new business will be moving in shortly.
“Once the legal process is complete, we will have a better idea of timescales for the café closure. Café
staff were informed of these proposals at the end of 2023.”
The advert for the property states Cantley Park Pavillion is a spacious unit across ground and first floors, which is predominantly open plan with the flexibility to be easily divided or opened out further. The unit comes with an abundance of parking including ev charging points. Added features include kitchens on both ground and first floor, a balcony on the first floor and an external paved area to the front for outdoor seating. The premises looks onto the sports pitches which are typically fully booked.
A £1.6 million investment in Cantley was approved by the council in 2020 which included an upgrade to the pavilion.
