Development Watch

Barkham Development Watch

Helping to protect Barkham's distinctive character

Message Board 18.11.2008 - Proposal 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.

Guidance on making comments to Wokingham Borough Council will be available on the website in early December.

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