Streatley Hill's 60mph limit is to drop to 40mph, approved on 23 October after 94 of 109 responses backed it. Cost up to £12,000. The National Trust asked for it.
The speed limit on Streatley Hill will fall from 60mph to 40mph. West Berkshire Council approved the change on Friday 23 October.
The decision was taken by Councillor Stuart Gourley, executive member for environment and highways. It can be called in until 5pm on Friday 30 October; if it is not, it goes ahead (decision sheet, decision ID4827).
Streatley is a Thames-side village about 11 miles north-east of Newbury, opposite Goring. The hill is the B4009, climbing west out of the village towards the Downs.
Where the new limit runs
The 40mph limit covers the B4009 from just west of the junction with The Coombe to just west of the junction with Lewendon Hill, the road to Stitchens Green, according to the officer report.
That stretch passes the National Trust’s Lardon Chase car park and Goring and Streatley Golf Club, whose workshops and members’ car park sit either side of the road.
What the consultation said
The council advertised the order from 30 April to 25 May 2026. It received 109 responses:
| Response | Number | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Support | 94 | 86.2% |
| Object | 12 | 11.0% |
| Neutral | 3 | 2.8% |
Three of the objectors gave no reason, so only nine objections could legally be weighed. The report groups them into four points, with the officers’ answers:
- Drivers already go slower than 40mph. Officers agreed: measured speeds are typically 33mph to 37mph, so they expect the limit to be largely self-enforcing.
- Police cannot enforce it. Officers said that with speeds already below 40mph, extra enforcement should not be needed.
- A waste of money. The money comes from a budget for speed limit changes that is separate from road maintenance, officers said.
- It should be 30mph. Officers said a 30mph limit would “criminalise a large proportion of drivers unnecessarily”, given current speeds.
Thames Valley Police neither supported nor objected. The force said there is nowhere on the road where speed checks could be “safely or effectively conducted”. It asked that the signs be installed and kept clearly visible.
Why it was asked for
The National Trust’s area ranger for the Goring Gap wrote in support. The response, published anonymised in the report, describes “numerous reports of near accidents” at Lardon Chase, with cars stopping on the brow of the hill to turn into the car park.
Walkers, “including children and dogs”, cross from the car park to The Holies on the other side. The ranger said visitor numbers had risen substantially since Covid. The junction for Stitchens Green was described as “another accident blackspot”.
What happens next
The report recommends that the council:
- introduces the 40mph limit as advertised, at a cost of up to £12,000
- measures speeds again about 6 and 12 months after the signs go up
- asks its rights of way team to review footpath signs between Lardon Chase and The Holies, with the National Trust
- writes to all 12 objectors
No date has been given for the new signs. The scheme sits on the council’s minor works programme.
What it means for you
If you drive the hill: nothing changes until the legal order is made and the 40mph signs go up. The limit is only enforceable once the signs are in place.
If you walk at Lardon Chase or The Holies: the change is aimed at the crossing between the two. Footpath signs there are also due to be reviewed.
Is the hill open? Streatley Hill was shut for emergency council repairs on 15 September. Our roadworks page tracks what the official record says about it.
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