Planning Application for Houses
East of Barkham Manor

Planning Application 240179 has been submitted to WBC to build 3 detached houses to the east of Barkham Manor, with proposed access from the current Barkham Manor’s access road.

There have been 3 previous applications (all rejected) for the development of this site. The most recent, in 2020 for 4 detached houses was refused and the subsequent appeal dismissed. 

The developer claims that the reasons for the last rejection have been addressed. The BVRA would beg to differ on this. 

• The number of properties has been reduced from four to three but there is still encroachment of the countryside and expansion of development away from original buildings on Barkham Hill.
• The impact on the grade 2 listed Barkham Manor remains.
• The impact on the character of the area remains including the reduction of the separation of the built-up area of Barkham Hill from the Barkham Church and Manor Area of Special Character.

 There are also other points to consider.

• Access by non-car transport modes is difficult. The road is unlit with a narrow footpath and public transport in the area is poor. 
• Access is unsuitable from a highways perspective. It is on a step hill with poor sight lines.
• The addition of 3 executive properties does little to meet the overall housing needs for Wokingham.

Residents can comment on this planning application, the closing date for comments is 13 February 2024. 

The application can be viewed and comments made via the following link:

https://planning.wokingham.gov.uk/FastWebPL/detail.asp?AltRef=240179 

Kind Regards
BVRA 

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

WBC is an abbreviation for Wokingham Borough Council

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