If you were listening to the Phil Kennedy Drive Time show on BBC Berkshire this afternoon you may well have heard our spokesperson Gill Purchase and Cllr Keith Baker talking to Phil about the proposal for the Arborfield Bypass and the opposition from villagers to the proposed route that comes very close to the Arborfield Cross, leaves extra traffic still driving through the middle of Arborfield and will put Lockey Farm out of business.
Keith’s responses are pretty dismissive, describing the suggestion that Lockey Farm would be put out of business as scaremongering – however as he admits, the council has yet to talk properly to the owners of Lockey Farm. From our position of having talked to the owners of Lockey Farm already before we made the point on the radio, the impact on Lockey Farm will be such that they will lose significant sources of income were the road to be built, and would be unable to continue in business. The farm obviously intends to speak for itself and we offer them our full support – the relief road is intended to benefit Arborfield, not destroy the livelihood of a well respected local business and employer.
You can hear the full interviews here:
We are also pleased to report that the Parish Council have issued a response to the bypass plan. They intend to consult the residents as a whole through the next Arborfield News to get a clear understanding of the view across the whole village. Their statement issued through the village website is as follows:
The Parish Council was not consulted on the analysis carried out by WBC and therefore does not at this point have a preferred option. We recognise any one of the routes will be both popular and unpopular with a proportion of residents but we also recognise that a bypass is required. Each Councillor is currently looking at the recommended route individually and will be highlighting their key concerns so we can collate an initial response to WBC although it is also recognised that the consultation does not commence until September. Our initial request to WBC, which has been made, is to be supplied with the supporting documents and analysis so we can see how they arrived at the recommended route. We are sure this will raise further questions and queries which will be worked on over the summer. The Parish Council plans to create a questionnaire for residents, information of which will be in the next issue of the Arborfield News and also available on Survey Monkey. By having the questionnaire responses we will be able to gauge local thought as not everyone wishes to stand up in a packed room to air their concerns and thoughts.
Lastly, don’t forget the executive meeting taking place tomorrow, Thursday 25th July, 7:30pm at the Wokingham Borough Council offices. We understand that a significant number of questions have been submitted, and whilst if the questioners do not attend those questions will be answered in writing, attending the meeting in person gives the opportunity to ask a supplementary question of the council executive. Even if you’re not asking a question, having a good turn out of residents is worthwhile, so if you can spare the time please join us tomorrow night.
