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Message Board 02.06.2011

Déjà Vu - Woosehill Inspector's Report 1974

The report of the Planning Inspector on proposals to develop Woosehill for housing in 1974 has recently come to light. This contains some interesting comments about inadequate infrastructure, including the insoluble problem of the level-crossing and the overloading of Barkham Road. Click here to download.

Message Board 07.01.2011

'Have your Say' on the development plans
for Arborfield Garrison SDL

Nature of consultation

This is a consultation by the developers of the central and northern parts of the Garrison site (principally the Ministry of Defence) seeking public comments before they submit an application for outline planning consent.

The plans may be seen in an on-line exhibition at: http://www.gvagrimley.co.uk/consultarborfield

Then click on 'Public Consultation Boards'.

Key Issues

Infrastructure phasing strategy

Correct phasing of the development is of the utmost importance. In particular, it is essential that:

no more than 750 new homes are built before a relief road by-passing Arborfield Cross is built to address the traffic capacity constraints on the A327;
the long outstanding question of whether the Arborfield sewage works need to be upgraded or rebuilt needs to be settled and reflected in the phasing of the building programme. The list of constraints in Poster 3 does not even mention the issue of inadequate sewage capacity.

It is highly unsatisfactory that the developers intend to submit an outline planning application when the route of the Arborfield relief road is still unknown, as the layout of the roads in the new settlement ought to be aligned with this. The first phases of the new secondary and primary schools would be built in the First Phase (2012-2015), but when the schools would be completed is not stated.

Wokingham Borough Council need to be more robust in imposing an infrastructure phasing strategy on the developers. The importance of this therefore needs to be impressed on the developers.

Size of development and recreational space

It is rather disconcerting that in the on-line exhibition the developers have chosen to highlight the Inspector's unhelpful observation that 3,500 new homes may be treated as a minimum (see Poster 4).

The exhibition reveals that the developers intend to build more houses and flats on two open green spaces within the boundaries of the SDL after 2026. This raises the prospect of a new settlement of 5,000 homes. Alongside the existing 900 houses, this would result in a settlement of some 15,000 people.

This emphasises the importance of ensuring that playing fields and other open spaces are safeguarded in perpetuity against the risk of future development. The best way to achieve this is to ensure that the playing fields (school and public) and open spaces are owned by the community.

Once 3,500 new homes have been built, it is unacceptable that recreational space used and enjoyed by the community for the preceding fifteen years should be appropriated for building another 1,500 houses/flats.

Road network

There is no specific mention in the on-line exhibition of a new road to by-pass Arborfield Cross. Instead there is a general statement that: "The Consortium is exploring options for a relief solution around Arborfield Cross", which is very weak.

Biggs Lane still enters/exits the SDL at the current junction with Langley Common Road rather than via the Bramshill Hunt roundabout on the A327 (which can be achieved by using the northern end of Baird Road).

The plans also show Commonfield Lane as an access/exit route to/from the SDL, although the Core Strategy says that the lane should be closed to traffic other than buses and bicycles. This is essential to stop traffic accessing Barkham Road/Bearwood Road via Barkham Street.

Unless alterations are made to the junction where Biggs Lane joins Langley Common Road to discourage through traffic, and Commonfield Lane is blocked, there is every prospect that residential roads through Barkham will be used as main arteries to reach the SDL. In consequence Barkham Road and Bearwood Road are likely to see significant increases in traffic.

Sustainability

There is no mention in the plans about sustainability issues:

solar gain and building design
renewable energy (e.g. wind turbines, solar panels)
street lighting standards
fibre optic cabling rather than satellite dishes
internal speed limits and road design criteria
HGV restrictions

Have your Say

The developers need to be given a clear message by the residents of Barkham that they must make a firm commitment to build a relief road around Arborfield Cross before 750 houses are built and that it is unacceptable to build extra houses on recreational space after 2026.

Please 'Have your Say' by making your views known to the Ministry of Defence and urge your neighbours (or ask other members of your household) to do the same to maximise our impact.

Comments may be sent by letter or email. Click here to download a model covering letter/email. This website also contains guidance on making comments in the form of briefing notes on the most important issues. Click here to download these briefing notes.

Please feel free to incorporate any of the points in the briefing notes in your comments, preferably using your own words. It is probably better to concentrate on making a limited number of key points well.

Comments may be sent by email to:

consult.arborfield@gvagrimley.co.uk

Letters should be sent to:

Arborfield Garrison Consultation,
c/o Sarah Jones,
Assistant Estates Surveyor (London),
Defence Estates Operations South,
First Floor, Zone D, St George's Court,
2-12 Bloomsbury Way,
London WC1A 2SH

There is also an Online Feedback Form on the consultation website.

The deadline for making comments is 5:00 p.m. on Friday 14th January.

Message Board 13.12.2010

MoD consultation

There is an on-line exhibition by the MoD Consortium about its plans to develop the central and northern parts of the Garrison site, as a preliminary to the submission of a full outline planning application in early 2011.

To see the on-line posters, please go to: http://www.gvagrimley.co.uk/consultarborfield. Then click on 'Public Consultation Boards'.

The land in the ownership of the MoD consortium accounts for 2,000 of the 3,500 proposed new homes. A separate consortium is developing the southern part of the SDL, and will be submitting a separate outline planning application in early 2011.

The deadline for comments to the developers is Friday 14th January. Commentary on the issues and guidance on how to make comments will be posted on the BVRA website during the first week of January. An email prompt will be sent to those on the mailing list.

Message Board 11.10.2010

Arborfield Garrison Development Update

The below update appears in the Autumn issue (no. 93) of the BVRA Newsletter:

Barkham Parish Council, along with the BVRA, has taken an active interest in the proposal to redevelop Arborfield Garrison as a housing area containing 3.500 homes. From the beginning, when Wokingham Borough Council published its Core Strategy, we have had to accept that development was likely, but we have been very concerned that developers should not be allowed to build just another bland housing estate with minimal infrastructure. We have continually pressed the Borough Council to stick to their original stated aspirations to develop a community of “high quality design” and an “infrastructure rich solution”.

Our primary concern as Barkham residents is that we do not wish to see a large scale development take place which is entirely dependent for access along the existing network of residential roads in the parish, including Langley Common Road, Barkham Road and Bearwood Road which are already extremely busy with through traffic. To limit the traffic problems we wish to see a new access road along the A327 corridor by passing Arborfield to the west and we need the northern end of the Garrison area to be carefully designed to discourage through traffic along Langley Common Road.

Barkham Parish Council has been working closely with the BVRA, ably represented by David French. We have prepared a number of submissions, either jointly or separately at each of the consultations and we gave evidence at the Examination in Public last year. More recently we have responded to the draft Master Plan for Arborfield Garrison. (The Master Plan provides a more detailed brief than is contained in the Core Strategy.)

This summer Barkham Parish Council has also been working with neighbouring parish councils including Finchampstead and Arborfield. We have had considerable success in getting our views across to key Members of Wokingham Borough Council including the Leader of the Council David Lee and Angus Ross who is the Member with responsibility for planning. We also attended a meeting that was attended by some of the senior officers of Wokingham Borough Council.

To date we have had a very sympathetic hearing from the Members, but we remain concerned that the Borough Officers, who are under great pressure from the developers, are too willing to kick any difficulties into the long grass. For example they were prepared to say that there was not a problem with sewage capacity in spite of a statement from Thames Water saying the opposite – we believe they are now taking a greater interest in this problem!

The change of government in May potentially has enormous influence on proceedings. The Core Strategy was prepared under criteria set by the Labour government: these effectively dictated housing targets for local authorities. The Coalition has quickly introduced new guidance that is supposed to give communities greater control over decision making. However all the necessary legislation is not yet in place, so it remains unclear how the appeal process will work. (This is likely to be tested with two major planning applications already filed for Shinfield and North Wokingham.) The outcome may show whether it was a wise decision for Wokingham Borough Council to adopt the Core Strategy earlier this year with an election pending.

By the time this article is printed, the Borough Council will probably have made some important decisions. At the September Executive Meeting they will decide whether Wokingham Borough housing targets should be modified. I am also anticipating that they will also adopt the Master Plans for North Wokingham and South Wokingham. It is understood that the South of M4 development (Shinfield and Three Mile Cross) will be deferred for further consultation as some important layout problems have to be resolved.

At the time of writing it is unclear what Wokingham Borough Council will decide regarding Arborfield Garrison. The sensible decision in my view would be to defer development for a number of years, so that several key issues can be properly addressed and proper planning can take place. These issues include:

Whether housing demand really justifies the proposed 12,500 homes for the whole of Wokingham during the period up to 2026.
Whether the Ministry of Defence are actually going to vacate the main brownfield site and, if so, when?
To allow time to plan a route for the proposed Arborfield bypass.
To allow time for planning of other infrastructure, including upgrade or replacement of the sewage works.

Whatever the decision, Barkham Parish Council and the BVRA will continue their scrutiny of planning proposals and will do what we can to guard against any back tracking on the important design and infrastructure commitments already made by developers and the Borough Council.

Laurence Heath
Vice Chairman Barkham Parish Council

Postscript: As far as I am aware no decisions were taken at the September Executive Meeting. One factor may be that WBC are hoping that the Government's Strategic Defence Review will clarify the future of Arborfield Garrison. That is sensible enough, although it would not be surprising if Arborfield gets treated as a matter of detail to be sorted out at a later date as part of a further review of MoD property assets. Arborfield Garrison is certainly a small issue when put alongside funding the Afghanistan war, aircraft carriers, large fleets of jet fighters and transport planes all costing billions of pounds.

Provision of a school in the south of the borough, and how it can be funded, is also likely to have an increasing influence on the final decisions. There is no doubt that WBC has a big problem with the provision of school places, made worse by their decision to close Ryeish Green. There will be temptation to approve the extra housing as a means of obtaining additional developer funds to pay for the school, notwithstanding the other gaps in infrastructure.

Message Board 14.03.2010

Have your Say on the WBC Masterplans
for Arborfield Garrison SDL

Key Issues

1. Size of new 'village'

In his Report the Inspector endorsed the figure of 3,500 new dwellings, but confusingly left the door open to the possibility of further development. Consequently, there is now no maximum limit on the number of new houses that can be built.

The upshot is that Wokingham Borough Council and the developers are pressing ahead with plans to build 5,000 new dwellings at Arborfield Garrison. Alongside the existing 900 houses, this would result in a new settlement of some 15,000 people.

As the new 'village' would only have the potential for 5,000 new dwellings within the site boundaries if there is high density development from the outset, and the masterplans provide for medium density housing, the building of 1,500 additional houses and flats would necessarily involve the expansion of the site into surrounding countryside (unless playing fields and public open space were appropriated) with inadequate infrastructure.

The master plan already refers to the need to cater for the expansion of the new 1,500 pupil secondary school and for a third primary school after 2026.

2. Access to/from the SDL; Bramshill Hunt roundabout

As regards the north-west 'gateway' to the new settlement, the master plans propose that access should be via Langley Common Road at the junction with Biggs Lane, which would be the 'spine' road through the northern part of the SDL. The master plans do not appear to envisage any improvements at this junction.

Unrestricted access to/from Langley Common Road would be highly unsatisfactory, and put more pressure on residential roads in Barkham. The lack of direct access from the north of the SDL to the A327 increases the likelihood of Langley Common Road, Barkham Road, Bearwood Road and School Road becoming main access roads for the SDL.

The northern 'gateway' to the new settlement ought to be the Bramshill Hunt roundabout on the A327, with the northern end of the Baird Road service road acting as a link to/from Biggs Lane. Traffic could be discouraged from using Langley Common Road by making it a 'T' junction off Biggs Lane.

3. Arborfield relief road

It is common ground that a bypass around Arborfield Cross needs to be completed before 750 new houses are built (2015). This is essential to avoid even more traffic using residential roads through Barkham.

4/5 years is a very ambitious time frame for completing the building of a new road, especially as the route has not yet been determined. Wokingham Borough Council therefore needs to be urged to give the building of the Arborfield relief road the highest priority.

4. Local road network

There is serious concern that residential roads will be used as main arteries to reach the SDL. It is likely that Langley Common Road, Barkham Road and Bearwood Road will all have to carry significant increases in traffic. Ideally Langley Common Road and the SDL 'spine' road (Biggs Lane) should meet at the Bramshill roundabout, encouraging traffic in the direction of the A327 and the proposed Arborfield relief road.

Barkham Road is not suitable as a key 'corridor' into Wokingham, and School Road should not carry more through traffic.

While the Core Strategy says that Commonfield Lane should be closed to through traffic other than buses and bicycles, this is not mentioned in the infrastructure masterplan. The closure of Commonfield Lane is essential to stop traffic from the SDL accessing Barkham Road and Bearwood Road via Barkham Street.

Parts of the SDL are going to be a building site for at least 15 years. Construction traffic should be prohibited from using residential roads through Barkham and restricted to using the A327.

5. Recreational space

It is unclear in whom ownership, and responsibility for the maintenance, of open spaces in the SDL will be vested. It is essential that playing fields and other open spaces are safeguarded in perpetuity against the risk of future development. The allocated recreational space is vulnerable to the possibility of further development as Wokingham Borough Council and the developers do not regard 3,500 new dwellings as a maximum. The best way to achieve this is to ensure that the playing fields (school and public) and open spaces are owned by the community.

6. Sewage works

The future of the sewage treatment works must be resolved. Thames Water advised WBC over 2½ years ago that the sewage works need a major upgrade if not the provision of new sewage treatment works. This will require a long lead time: Thames Water have indicated this could be as much as 8-10 years. Again WBC need to be urged to give this matter the highest priority.

Have your Say

Wokingham Borough Council need to be given a clear message by the residents of Barkham that building 5,000 new dwellings at Arborfield Garrison, rather than the 3,500 endorsed by the Inspector, is unacceptable.

Please 'Have your Say' by making your views known to Wokingham Borough Council and urge your neighbours (or ask other members of your household) to do the same to maximise our impact.

Comments may be sent by letter or email. Click here to download a model covering letter/email.

This website also contains guidance on making comments in the form of briefing notes on the most important issues. Click here to download these briefing notes.

Comments may be sent by email to: spd@wokingham.gov.uk

Letters may be posted or hand delivered to:

Cris Lancaster,
Development Management,
Wokingham Borough Council,
Council Offices,
Shute End,
Wokingham,
RG40 1WL.

The deadline for making comments is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday 23rd March.

Message Board 17.02.2010

WBC Masterplans for Arborfield Garrison SDL

Wokingham Borough Council have now published two Masterplans in respect of the new settlement of 3,500 dwellings at Arborfield Garrison, alongside the existing 900 houses. One masterplan covers design and layout, the other concerns infrastructure. The public consultation period runs until 23rd March.

To see the masterplans on the WBC website please click here. The 'design and layout masterplan' is the fourth downloadable document and the 'infrastructure masterplan' is the third downloadable document.

The good news is that the masterplans include provision for the building of a relief road to by-pass Arborfield Cross, although it may not be built by the time it is needed in 2015.

While the developers have been pressing for the size of the 'Strategic Development Location' (SDL) to be increased to 5,000 dwellings, in his Report the Inspector endorsed the figure of 3,500 dwellings in the Core Strategy but confusingly left the door open to the possibility of further development.

The masterplans, in turn, refer to the possibility of building additional housing. As the new 'village' would only have the potential for 5,000 dwellings within the site boundaries if there is high density development from the outset, and the masterplans provide for medium density housing, the building of additional dwellings would necessarily involve the expansion of the site into surrounding countryside (unless recreational space was appropriated).

Concerns remain about the north-west 'gateway' to the new settlement where Biggs Lane joins Langley Common Road, and the pressure this could put on residential roads in Barkham, as the masterplans contain no proposals to improve this junction or to make the 'gateway' the Bramshill Hunt roundabout on the A327.

The lack of direct access from the north of the SDL to the A327 increases the likelihood of Langley Common Road, Barkham Road, Bearwood Road and School Road becoming main access roads for the SDL.

Major improvements are proposed to Park Lane, which runs south from the eastern end of Biggs Lane (by the junction with Commonfield Lane), which is the north-east 'gateway', to the northern edge of Eversley on the A327. Park Lane would therefore effectively become the eastern perimeter road of the SDL. While the Core Strategy says that Commonfield Lane should be closed to through traffic other than buses and bicycles, this is not mentioned in the infrastructure masterplan.

There is reference to measures to improve accessibility by 'non-car modes' (i.e. bus and bicycle) along Barkham Road and other major roads, but within a very limited budget.

The infrastructure masterplan also mentions the need to discuss sewage capacity with Thames Water, but Thames Water have already advised WBC that the sewage works need a major upgrade if not the building of new sewage treatment works.

Please "Have your Say" and let Wokingham Borough Council know your views on the masterplans by the deadline on 23rd March, and urge your neighbours (or ask other members of your household) to do the same to maximise our impact. Guidance about making comments will be posted on the website around 14th March. An email prompt will be sent to those on the mailing list.

Message Board 08.11.2009

Inspector's Report on WBC Core Strategy 2006-2026

The Inspector's report on the Core Strategy was published on 6th November. The Core Strategy is the blueprint for how the Wokingham district will be developed over the next twenty years. This includes the building of 12,460 new houses by 2026, concentrated in four 'strategic development locations' (SDLs), and associated transport and other infrastructure improvements (e.g. schools, community facilities).

The Inspector's conclusion is that the Submission Core Strategy is sound, provided it is changed in the ways specified. The principal changes required by the Inspector (which are not extensive) are:

- Changes to some elements of infrastructure provision in the SDLs;

- Deletion of Policy CP13 – Gaps;

- Change to the calculation for Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANGS) requirements;

- Amendments to the Key Diagram.

The main results from a Barkham perspective are:

The Inspector has endorsed the proposal for a new 'village' of 3,500 new houses at Arborfield Garrison;
The Inspector has rejected the proposal to increase the size of the new settlement to 5,000 new houses, on the basis that the very high housing density required would not be appropriate;
The Inspector has rejected the proposal to shift the new settlement northwards by building 850 new houses at Barkham Square.

Many residents objected to the proposed development plans for Barkham Square Park, and wrote to Wokingham Borough Council expressing their opposition. This clearly had an impact, as the Inspector makes special mention in his report of the extent of the representations by local people. A big thank-you to everyone who "had their say".

As regards transport infrastructure, the Inspector notes that 750 new houses could be built before improvements to the Arborfield Cross roundabout or the building of a new by-pass are needed, but he fails to make this a condition of development proceeding beyond this point.

A copy of the Inspector's Report may be found on the below WBC webpage:

http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/core-strategy/

Following the formal adoption of the Core Strategy, WBC will be publishing a Masterplan and an Infrastructure Delivery plan for the development at Arborfield Garrison. These supplementary planning documents will be subject to public consultation early in the New Year, and details will be made available on this webpage, with an email alert to mailing list subscribers.

Many thanks to all those residents who took the trouble to complete the recent WBC questionnaire on Arborfield Garrison SDL and let the Council know their views, especially about the impact on local roads. We hope this will be reflected in the supplementary planning documents.

Message Board 06.10.2009

Core Strategy Exhibition
Arborfield Garrison SDL Questionnaire

The Inspector's report is still expected during the course of October. In the meantime Wokingham Borough Council have organised an exhibition on the four Strategic Development Locations (SDLs), which may be seen at Shute End, Wokingham Town Hall, Arborfield Village Hall and Shinfield Parish Hall until 16th October, as well as online.

WBC arepreparing a Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and an Infrastructure Delivery SPD for each SDL.The purpose of the exhibitions is to seek further views which will be used to develop the draft documents. There is a questionnaire on each SDL which residents are invited to complete.

The Masterplan and Infrastructure Delivery SPDs will be subject to public consultation towards the end of the year.

Please click here to see the exhibition display boards. To download the questionnaire for Arborfield Garrison SDL please click here.

Three options

Three alternative plans have been put forward for the layout of housing, roads and amenities at Arborfield Garrison SDL, which vary according to the location of the new secondary school (1,500 pupils) and district centre (including 43,000 square foot supermarket):

Option 1 - Southern Link Focus

Option 2 - Central Spine Focus

Option 3 - Central Area Focus

As regards access:

None of the options shows any change at the junction where Biggs Lane joins Langley Common Road, so access from the north of the SDL to the A327 would continue to be indirect.
While Option 1 shows a secondary route joining Langley Common Road at the northern tip of the SDL where Langley House stands (opposite the tyre depot and garage), Options 2 and 3 show a Primary Route accessing Langley Common Road at this point.
Options 1 and 2 show the Nine Mile Ride extension as a major east-west route through the south of the SDL, while under Option 3 it is a secondary route for local access.

Key issue

The most important issue as far as Barkham is concerned is the question of access onto Langley Common Road from the SDL. All three options show two access points: in Options 2 and 3 both of these are shown as Primary Routes.

This is a major concern because it increases the likelihood of Barkham Road, Bearwood Road and School Road becoming main access roads for the SDL. We do not want to see residential roads through Barkham treated as primary access roads.

It would be preferable for there to be no access onto Langley Common Road. Rather the northern Primary Route access should emerge at the A327/Langley Common Road roundabout by following Baird Road and there should be an additional link from Baird Road onto the Poppyfields roundabout.

Have your Say

Please 'Have your Say' and let the Borough Council know your views on the options by completing the questionnaire, which should be returned by 16th October.

Suggestions for completing the questionnaire may be found by clicking here. It is not necessary to answer all the questions. The most important comments are in bold. Paraphrasing the comments in your own words would be desirable.

If you prefer, you may also use the pre-completed questionnaire form attached, which contains suggested responses to all the questions. To avoid standard responses, it would be helpful if you could delete responses to those questions which you do not consider to be important and adapt other responses to better reflect your own views as appropriate.

The questionnaire form is an editable Word document.

Completed questionnaires

Forms should be emailed to: cris.lancaster@wokingham.gov.uk

Hard copy forms may also be posted or hand delivered to:

Cris Lancaster
Masterplanner
Policy and Partnerships
Wokingham Borough Council
Shute End
Wokingham
RG40 1WR

Please don't forget to add your name and address on page 5 of the Questionnaire.

The deadline for sending the questionnaires to Wokingham Borough Council is 5:00 p.m. on Friday 16th October.

Message Board 25.05.2009

Conclusion of Examination-in-Public

The Examination-in-Public hearings concluded at the end of April.

An additional statement was submitted by the Parish Council about the impact which the proposed new settlement at Arborfield Garrison would have on the local transport network. Please click here to see this statement.

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) and the Arborfield Consortium have admitted that because of capacity constraints on the A327 at the Arborfield Cross roundabout, a relief road will need to be built before the number of new dwellings exceeds 750 (scheduled for 2016).

Since WBC has not produced even preliminary plans for the relief road and no funding has been identified, the Parish Council is seeking to have the Core Strategy amended to 'cap' the size of the new settlement at Arborfield Garrison at 750 dwellings unless and until the relief road is built.

The Inspector has provisionally indicated that WBC should receive his report in October 2009.

Once the Inspector's binding report has been received and the Core Strategy adopted, WBC will move to the 'masterplanning' phase which will involve further public consultation.

Message Board 15.04.2009

Examination in Public on WBC Core Strategy 2006-2026

The Examination-in-Public hearings continue until 23rd April.

To see the statement submitted by Barkham Parish Council for Session 9 on Transportation, please click here.

As regards the proposal to shift the proposed new settlement of 3,500 houses at Arborfield Garrison northwards into the heart of Barkham by the incorporation of Barkham Square Park, a joint statement has been submitted by BPC/BVRA for Session 12 on alternative housing sites. Please click here to see this statement.

More details on the progress of the Examination-in-Public are available on the WBC website at:

http://www2.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/ldf/core-strategy/examination-core-strategy

The webpages contain a wealth of information and are updated on a daily basis. The most interesting material is to be found under "Sub Categories" > "Written Statements".

Message Board 11.03.2009

Examination in Public on WBC Core Strategy 2006-2026

Many thanks to all those residents who sent comments to Wokingham Borough Council about the proposal to shift the proposed new settlement of 3,500 houses at Arborfield Garrison northwards into the heart of Barkham by the incorporation of Barkham Square Park (164 acres).

Comments were made by 64 Barkham residents as well as Barkham Parish Council and the BVRA. Copies of the responses, including the 65 page memorandum by the Parish Council (No. 1648), may be found under "Sub Categories" on the below WBC webpage:

http://www2.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/ldf/core-strategy/core-strategy-consultation/site-allocation-representations/site-allocation-representation-response

The next stage is for the WBC Core Strategy to be examined for "soundness" by an independent Planning Inspector at an Examination-in-Public.

There will be 14 sessions between 17th March and 23rd April, which members of the public are welcome to attend. The venue for the hearings will normally be the Professional Development Centre, Reading Road, Wokingham, RG41 1RJ.

The Parish Council and the BVRA have submitted a supplemental statement for discussion at Session 3 on 19th March about Arborfield Garrison SDL. This focuses on the scale of the new settlement, unacceptable transport effects and downstream flood risk. Please click here to see the statement.

The Inspector will consider all the representations made. Apart from the Barkham Square Park proposal, the Arborfield Garrison Consortium has proposed increasing the scale of the new settlement from 3,500 to 5,000 dwellings.

The Inspector will make recommendations for making the Core Strategy sound, which will be binding on WBC unless it decides not to adopt the Core Strategy. In the latter eventuality, or if the Inspector finds that the plan is unsound, the Council would have to go back to square one.

More detailed information on the Examination-in-Public is available on the WBC website at:

http://www2.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/ldf/core-strategy/examination-core-strategy

Message Board 2.12.2008

'Have your Say' on Barkham Square housing proposals

The promoters of the plan to build 850 houses need to be given a clear message by the residents of Barkham that:

Development of greenfield land on this scale in the heart of Barkham is unacceptable
Barkham and Arborfield must continue to be separate
Over-development and the resultant traffic congestion are not sustainable

Please click here to see a plan of the proposals

Please 'Have your Say' by making your views known to Wokingham Borough Council and urge your neighbours (or ask other members of your household) to do the same to maximise our impact.

Comments may be sent by letter or email. Click here to download a model covering letter/email.

This website also contains guidance on making comments in the form of briefing notes on the issues which we think are the most important. Click here to download these briefing notes.

Please feel free to incorporate any of the points in the briefing notes in your comments. It is probably better to concentrate on making a limited number of key points well, so you may wish to limit your comments to (say) 3 to 6 issues.

Copies of the briefing notes and model covering letter are available at Barkham Post Office.

Barkham Parish Council will discuss the proposals at its next meeting at Barkham Village Hall on Tuesday 9th December at 8:00 p.m. All residents are very welcome to attend.

The deadline for making comments is 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday 17th December.

Message Board 18.11.2008

Proposals to develop Barkham Square Park

In connection with the consultation on the WBC Core Strategy 2006-2026, a proposal has been submitted by the owners of Barkham Square to shift the proposed new settlement of 3,500 homes at Arborfield Garrison northwards by incorporating the whole of Barkham Square Park (164 acres) in the new development.

The plans include:

building 850 houses (at a density of 15 per acre or 37.5dph) - equivalent to more than two Elizabeth Parks - plus a new primary school on greenfield land adjacent to Langley Common Road;
direct road access to the new settlement from Barkham Road on the Bridge Cottages side of the junction where School Road meets Barkham Road/Langley Common Road (instead of accessing the new settlement via the A327);
designating an extensive area on the south-east (Commonfield Lane) side of the new settlement as public open space (as a sweetner and to satisfy the EU Rare Birds Directive).

The proposals:

threaten the physical and visual separation of Barkham from the new settlement at Arborfield Garrison;
raise the prospect of even more traffic (and consequent congestion) along Barkham Road and School Road than under WBC's proposals;
involve unspecified improvements to the B3349 "key corridor" into Wokingham (i.e. the Barkham Road).

To see a plan of the proposals:

(a) please go to:

http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/ldf/core-strategy/core-strategy-consultation/site-allocation-representations

(b) at the end of the two column list near the bottom of the web page, please click on "XXXIV-Land north of Arborfield Garrison";

To read the proposals, you should download "1985 - Pegasus Planning for Barkham Square - evidence" on page 2 of 4.

The deadline for comments by the public is 17th December 2008.

Message Board 09.11.2008

Consultation on WBC Core Strategy

Thank you to everyone who took the time to send comments to Wokingham Borough Council.

Representations were received by WBC from about 2,000 individuals and organisations, including standard responses from 1,032 members of 12 Wokingham residents' associations.

Comments were received from 96 residents and organisations in Barkham, including 85 residents who responded using the pro forma comment form. The level of responses from Barkham received a special mention in the WBC consultation summary.

Copies of all representations made are available for inspection at WBC's offices, and some are also available on the WBC website.

According to the WBC website, the timetable for the finalisation of the Core Strategy 2006-2026 is:

Submit Core Strategy to the Secretary of State - August 2008
Consult on Submitted Core Strategy - August to October 2008
Pre-Examination Meeting - January 2009
Examination in Public - March 2009
Receive binding Inspector's Report - June 2009
Adoption - July 2009

It does not look as if WBC intend to prepare a revised version of the Submission Core Strategy prior to the Examination in Public, and it seems the current version was submitted to the Secretary of State at the same time as the public consultation commenced.

Message Board 08.11.2008

Barkham Post Office, 50 Bearwood Road

The informal hearings by the Planning Inspector of the appeals against the refusals of the two planning applications submitted in December (ref. F/2007/3115) and June (ref. F/2008/1290) are to be held together at the Council Offices, Shute End, Wokingham, on Tuesday 2nd December at 10:00 a.m. The hearings are open to the public.

Message Board 30.09.2008

BVRA letter to WBC

If you would like to see the BVRA's letter to Wokingham Borough Council commenting on their plans for future development, please go to BVRA letter

Click here to see Barkham Parish Council's letter to Wokingham Borough Council.

Message Board 14.09.2008

'Have your Say' on WBC plans for future development

The key issues raised by the proposals to build 3,500 new homes at Arborfield Garrison by 2026 include:

The sustainability of the scale of the new settlement of around 10,000 people at Arborfield Garrison/Hogwood Farm, which is significantly greater than the 2,500 homes envisaged by the South East Plan.
The implications of the proposed "improvements to transport capacity" along Barkham Road/Langley Common Road, including better accessibility for buses and cyclists, which raises the prospect of road widening in some places.
Improved public transport is obviously key, but unlike elsewhere there is no commitment to high quality express bus services from Arborfield Garrison to Reading, Wokingham or Bracknell (merely general reference to "improved public transport services").
The omission of any proposal to remove the level crossing by Wokingham Station, without which it is hard to see how transport capacity on the western side of Wokingham can be improved.

We need to demonstrate to Wokingham Borough Council that the residents of Barkham are concerned to see that the new settlement at Arborfield Garrison is sustainable and will not have an adverse effect on the character and separate identity of Barkham.

Please 'Have your Say' by making your views known to Wokingham Borough Council and urge your neighbours (or ask other members of your household) to do the same to maximise our impact. For more information and guidance on how to make comments please go to Comments on Core Strategy.

Message Board 27.08.2008

Core Strategy 2006-2026

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) has now published its Submission Core Strategy for the Local Development Framework 2006-2026. The public consultation period runs to 1st October 2008.

The bad news is that WBC is proceeding with plans for a new settlement at Arborfield Garrison/Hogwood Farm with 3,500 houses to be built by 2026 (rather than 2,500 as previously intimated).

The better news is that the quota for new housing over the plan period for the nine 'limited development locations' within Wokingham district, which include Barkham, is 100 dwellings.

WBC is proposing four 'strategic development locations' (SDLs) to accommodate the majority of the required housing:

Arborfield Garrison - 3,500 homes
South of Wokingham - 2,500 homes
North Wokingham - 1,500 homes
South of M4 – Shinfield/Spencers Wood/Three Mile Cross – 2,500 homes

While there is reference to the need to preserve the separate identity of Arborfield, Barkham and Finchampstead, being a 'high level' document the appropriate 'measures' are not elaborated (apart from the proposed restriction of access along Commonfield Lane to buses and cyclists).

There are various references to improvements to transport infrastructure, including a two-pronged extension of Nine Mile Ride through Arborfield SDL to join the A327, but not much information about how Langley Common Road/Barkham Road (as the principal route to/from Wokingham) would be improved (apart from measures to improve accessibility by 'non-car transport modes').

Guidance about making comments to Wokingham Borough Council will be posted on the website around 15th September. An email prompt will be sent to those on the mailing list.

Barkham Parish Council will discuss the Submission Core Strategy at its next meeting at Barkham Village Hall on Tuesday 9th September at 8:00 p.m. All residents are very welcome to attend.

For more details, including how to send comments to Wokingham Borough Council, please go to Submission Core Strategy 2006-2026.

Message Board 25.11.2007

Proposed sites for future housing developments in Barkham

Wokingham Borough Council has now published summaries of the responses to the public consultation last year on the initial proposed development sites under the Local Development Framework 2006-2026, together with details of additional sites that have subsequently been put forward. There are 7 new Barkham sites with plans for around 900 more new houses. For more details, please see Responses to initial public consultation.

WBC has also listed a number of suggested sites in Arborfield, Barkham, Finchampstead, Swallowfield and Wokingham together under "Arborfield Strategic Development Location (SDL)". 7 of the 10 initial suggested sites in Barkham are included in the Arborfield SDL, as are all the new Barkham sites.

There have been discussions between WBC and the Ministry of Defence about developing Arborfield Garrison and 'adjoining land', which contemplate the construction of up to 3,500 dwellings on MoD land and 1,500 dwellings on 'adjoining land' (2,500 by 2026). For more details, please see Arborfield Garrison.

The WBC Executive will decide their preferred initial site allocations in mid 2008, following which there will be a further round of public consultation.

Section 2 Aims of Barkham Development Watch

- Potential new developments in Barkham

- Threat to Barkham's semi-rural character

- Rapid communication system

- How to protect our village against urbanisation

Section 3 How to receive email alerts

Section 4 Current planning applications

- Barkham

- Neighbouring parishes

Arborfield

Finchampstead

Winnersh