2022-01-04 Local Plan Update

DevWatch Alert
Local Plan Update (LPU): Revised Growth Strategy Consultation
– closes 24 January

INTRODUCTION

Residents are hopefully already aware of Wokingham Borough Council’s current consultation on the Local Plan Update as it has been widely publicised by WBC. This consultation ends on 24 January 2022. This DevWatch alert is a reminder of the consultation and the deadline and includes a summary of issues which may be of concern to residents and on which you may wish to comment by participating in the consultation.

We are not describing all the (smaller) sites in the LPU but residents affected by these may choose to comment. The online consultation form can be accessed via:

https://engage.wokingham.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/right-homes-right-places-local-plan

• The current consultation is entitled Right Homes, Right Places: Local Plan Update Revised Growth Strategy Consultation Nov 2021-Jan 2022 with copious supporting documentation.
  
  
• This updates the earlier consultation Right Homes, Right Places: Draft Local Plan Public Consultation Feb 2020–Mar 2020 with respect to three main themes.
  
  
  1. The revised sites selected following the loss of Grazeley following objections by the MOD.
     
     
  2. Designation of ‘Local Green Spaces’ to allow the community to identify and protect green areas that are deemed to be of particular importance.
     
     
  3. Policies have been amended/added to reflect the above changes – these include SS1, SS3, SS4, SS5, SS6, SS7, H1, H2 and HC4. Several appendices have been updates as well.

• WBC has stated that all policies and other content of the earlier 2020 consultation document not affected by the current update will go forward unchanged.

BACKGROUND

• Some 15,513 dwellings will be built acrossWokingham Borough over the period 2018/19 to 2037/2038 – approx. 775 dwellings pa.
  
  
• This will be achieved by the continuing build out of the existing SDLs with some additional housing, establishing a fifth SDL centred on Hall Farm and developing a number of smaller sites.
  
  
• Hall Farm will ultimately deliver 4,500 homes but only 2,200 are expected to be built within the 2018/19 to 2037/2038 planning horizon.
  
  
• It is encouraging that the Hall Farm development is specifically employment led driving off the new jobs that will be created within the science park.

IMPLICATIONS FOR BARKHAM – SITES TO BE DEVELOPED

Woodlands Farm: This is still listed as providing 15 Gypsy and Traveller Pitches and does not reference the current situation opposite Instalcom and the outstanding appeal. It would appear that the authors of this revision are not up to date rather any suggestion that Instalcom are seeking to cut their losses. We have queried this with WBC but are yet to receive a reply/clarification.

We will issue a separate DevWatch update alert on the Instalcom issues.

RFC Training Ground Development: The 140 homes to be built are now regarded as part of the Arborfield Garrison SDL. In the past, the intent to build outside the red line boundary (RLB) was problematic but with RLBs being re-drawn, this is now not an issue. At the meeting where outline planning permission was granted, Barkham Parish Council objected for two reasons:

1.  No pedestrian access to the site from the direction of Arborfield Green - this has now been corrected by providing access via Hazebrouk Meadows.
   
   
2. It is proposed to locate the development on the boundary, only separated by a footpath, of Hogwood Industrial Estate. Objections raised that noise and smells could impact new residents were dismissed because a full survey would be completed. This should remain a contentious issue when reserved matters are brought forward as a satisfactory survey today does not ensure there will not be problems in the future. We suggest an alternative layout should be considered.

Rooks Nest Farm (RNF) and at 24 Barkham Ride: The revised LPU describes this site as being part of Finchampstead and this has been picked up in the press - it is actually within the Barkham parish boundary. WBC have commented that they do not necessarily describe sites by parish but by the settlement most affected by the development, which is an arguable point!. This should not stop Barkham residents commenting if you wish to do so.

Some 270 homes are proposed for this location which is more than the 200 homes first mooted in the Scoping Opinion Request issued in connection with the Solar Farm (SF) that was submitted as part of PA210460. At that time a crematorium (then a pet crematorium) was mooted. It appears that the area now allocated to this additional housing will occupy ALL of Rooks Nest Farm not required by the SF. Two points to note:

1. 66 homes are in the plan for 31-33 Barkham Ride which is just across Barkham Ride from the RNF development. The concentration of housing in this area will effectively extend the Finchampstead housing estates into Barkham and will, surely, embolden the owners of Model Farm and land further along Barkham Ride into Finchampstead to seek development opportunities.
   
   
2. Access to RNF was part of the comforter offered to the farmer of High Barn Farm to provide a transition period. Timing of the development of RNF will need to be a consideration in this regard.

Other Barkham Sites: Sites that have been discussed over the years such as those on School Road, Barkham Square and Edneys Hill have not been included in this version of the Local Plan Update. It should not be assumed that they have completely gone away as they could be proposed in the event that the 5 Year Land Supply (5YLS) is not maintained. There is no mention of any additional measures that WBC could take during the next planning phase to protect the 5YLS such as:

• Specifying that build out has to be completed by a certain date – not begun by a certain date.
• Penalties for failing to deliver required number of houses on time.
• More homes being built by companies owned by WBC rather than relying on developers who will always seek to maximise value of the land by controlling prices.

IMPLICATIONS FOR BARKHAM – LOCAL GREEN SPACES

• Designated as ‘Local Green Spaces’:
  
  In response to the 2020 consultation, Barkham Parish Council listed a number of other areas that should also be designated as ‘Local Green Spaces’ and these were all acknowledged as reflected in the following list except for The Coombes.
  
  
  1. The cricket and rugby pitches within Arborfield Garrison SDL (A), Princess Marina Drive
  2. The cricket and rugby pitches within Arborfield Garrison SDL (B), Princess Marina Drive
  3. Rook’s Nest Country Park
  4. Hazebrouck Meadows (A) Biggs Lane and Commonfield Lane
  5. Hazebrouck Meadows (B) Biggs Lane and Commonfield Lane
  6. Elizabeth Park, The Junipers
  7. The Junipers
  8. Fox Hill which straddles the parish boundary
     
     
• Not designated as ‘Local Green Spaces’:
  
  Despite being nominated by both Arborfield and Barkham PCs, The Coombes has not been included in the proposed list. The summary conclusion given is:
  
  Not recommended. The nominated area is considered an extensive tract of land which offers some recreational value. The site provides some historical and ecological value, but areas such as Bearwood Estate are not readily accessible to the public for any recreational use. As a result, the site does not warrant further consideration as a Local Green Space.

Considerations:

1. Does being included in the Bearwood and Barkham valued landscape offer equivalent protection?
2. The area considered by WBC when judging whether The Coombes should be designated as a ‘Local Green Space’ included private land owned by the Golf Club and Reddam School where there is no general public access.

IMPLICATIONS FOR BARKHAM – ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC

• Hall Farm will generate significant additional traffic and provision has been made for a considerable amount of additional infrastructure to alleviate the impact. Regardless of the measures taken both within the new site and outside, traffic travelling to Wokingham will ultimately end up on Barkham Road which will only compound the existing congestion. To reduce the impact rather than just moving the problem elsewhere, traffic moving outside the Hall Farm Development should be deterred by maximising the sustainability of the site to discourage the need for frequent trips into Wokingham. Commuter buses should be laid on between the site and major occupational centres.
  
  
• The development of Rooks Nest Farm and the nearby sites will again give rise to a significant increase in road traffic along Barkham Ride both in the direction of Finchampstead and towards the Commonfield Lane/Barkham Street junction. Any attempt to address this by simply widening Barkham Ride, where it can be, will only transfer the problem to Barkham Street, Commonfield Lane and along the Finchampstead section of Barkham Ride and will not solve the problem.

Kind Regards 
BVRA

Please note all previous DevWatch alerts can be viewed on the BVRA website at https://www.barkham.org.uk/index.php/devwatch 

WBC is an abbreviation for Wokingham Borough Council