This week we reach a critical point in the Arborfield Strategic Development Location when the Crest Nicholson led Arborfield Garrison Landowners Consortium planning application along with the application for the school comes before the Wokingham Borough Council planning committee. If you have submitted comments to either application you should have received formal notification of the meeting, taking place at 7pm on Wednesday 25th March at the Council offices in Wokingham.
You will see from the notification that the recommendation from the officers for both applications is that they be approved.
This is an interesting recommendation when you look back over the comments, and the council promises. Right from the start one of the biggest concerns about the new development would be, that like so many other developments across the borough over the years, it would cause major traffic problems. You only need to try and drive anywhere in the borough at peak hours to realise that there are a number of long standing traffic issues especially around the large estate developments. The council has long established form in approving housing developments with ludicrously unrealistic under estimates of traffic generated, and wildly optimistic suggestions of how many residents will use public transport or get on a bike. Whenever those points are raised about this development, whether that be the A327 through Eversley, Barkham Bridge, Nine Mile Ride, California Crossroads or numerous other problem areas the assurances come back from our elected representatives that no, they have learnt from previous developments and they will ensure that the development will not be approved until everything is sorted out. They have said much the same thing in answer to questions at executive meetings, and even made the commitment on TV, as Cllr Angus Ross makes on the end of the South Today report from a few years ago.
Given these assurances over and over and over again, you’d expect that the developer has provided comprehensive plans for all the critical junctions? The simple fact is that they haven’t. They’ve done some, but on critical junctions such as California Crossroads there is no plan at all, the developer is providing a pile of money and a working group consisting of the same local councillors who have been promising for years that the traffic problems will be sorted before planning permission is granted has been set up, but they haven’t produced any plans. Similarly the developer has provided a pot of cash for improvements on the A327 through Eversley, without actually giving any indication what they might be. This is coupled once again with a wildly optimistic suggestion that residents will get on buses – without any detail of where these buses might run – or ride a bike or walk to the “nearby” railway services.
At every stage residents have been assured that the traffic and transport plans would be sorted before planning approval is granted. Here we are the week of the planning meeting, with the plans recommended for approval, despite leaving critical junctions unplanned, and sustainable transport plans based on fantasy and wishful thinking.
So what can you do about it? Most importantly, if you are available on Wednesday night you are entitled to attend the meeting. As affected local residents you are also entitled to speak at the meeting. If you feel your points about traffic have been ignored by the recommendation to adopt the plans you can tell the planning committee so – please let us know if you would like to speak and we will pass on details. Cllr Simon Weeks and Cllr John Kaiser who represent Finchampstead and Barkham respectively sit on the committee, so if you are in Finchampstead or Barkham contact them and let them know what you think of adopting the plans for housing development without the promised traffic mitigation being in place. It is also worth noting that in a few weeks time some of us will have another chance to express our opinion via the ballot box, as alongside the general election, residents in Barkham get to elect a new local councillor. However across all the parishes with a critical General Election local parties will be out knocking on doors too.
Although there will be another chance when the Marino application comes before the planning committee, this meeting on Wednesday is when a large part of the future of Arborfield, Barkham, Finchampstead and the surrounding area will get decided, and residents of Wokingham will be living with the results of that decision for many years to come.
We have issued a press release to all local news organisations highlighting the broken promises.
The Arborfield Garrison Resident's Action Group (AG-RAG) represents the civilian residents who mostly live in the southern part of Arborfield. Although this area is adjacent to the Arborfield Garrison itself, the AG-RAG does not represent the views or interests of the MoD or the Military Commander of the Arborfield Garrison.
Arborfield Garrison SDL (WBC)
Arborfield Garrison SDL (Crest Nicholson/Marino Family Trust)
Arborfield Garrison at Present
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The Arborfield Garrison Resident's Action Group (AG-RAG) represents the civilian residents who mostly live in the southern part of Arborfield. Although this area is adjacent to the Arborfield Garrison itself, the AG-RAG does not represent the views or interests of the MoD or the Military Commander of the Arborfield Garrison.
Arborfield Garrison SDL (WBC)
Arborfield Garrison SDL (Crest Nicholson/Marino Family Trust)
Will They Approve? Do You Approve?
This week we reach a critical point in the Arborfield Strategic Development Location when the Crest Nicholson led Arborfield Garrison Landowners Consortium planning application along with the application for the school comes before the Wokingham Borough Council planning committee. If you have submitted comments to either application you should have received formal notification of the meeting, taking place at 7pm on Wednesday 25th March at the Council offices in Wokingham.
You will see from the notification that the recommendation from the officers for both applications is that they be approved.
This is an interesting recommendation when you look back over the comments, and the council promises. Right from the start one of the biggest concerns about the new development would be, that like so many other developments across the borough over the years, it would cause major traffic problems. You only need to try and drive anywhere in the borough at peak hours to realise that there are a number of long standing traffic issues especially around the large estate developments. The council has long established form in approving housing developments with ludicrously unrealistic under estimates of traffic generated, and wildly optimistic suggestions of how many residents will use public transport or get on a bike. Whenever those points are raised about this development, whether that be the A327 through Eversley, Barkham Bridge, Nine Mile Ride, California Crossroads or numerous other problem areas the assurances come back from our elected representatives that no, they have learnt from previous developments and they will ensure that the development will not be approved until everything is sorted out. They have said much the same thing in answer to questions at executive meetings, and even made the commitment on TV, as Cllr Angus Ross makes on the end of the South Today report from a few years ago.
Given these assurances over and over and over again, you’d expect that the developer has provided comprehensive plans for all the critical junctions? The simple fact is that they haven’t. They’ve done some, but on critical junctions such as California Crossroads there is no plan at all, the developer is providing a pile of money and a working group consisting of the same local councillors who have been promising for years that the traffic problems will be sorted before planning permission is granted has been set up, but they haven’t produced any plans. Similarly the developer has provided a pot of cash for improvements on the A327 through Eversley, without actually giving any indication what they might be. This is coupled once again with a wildly optimistic suggestion that residents will get on buses – without any detail of where these buses might run – or ride a bike or walk to the “nearby” railway services.
At every stage residents have been assured that the traffic and transport plans would be sorted before planning approval is granted. Here we are the week of the planning meeting, with the plans recommended for approval, despite leaving critical junctions unplanned, and sustainable transport plans based on fantasy and wishful thinking.
So what can you do about it? Most importantly, if you are available on Wednesday night you are entitled to attend the meeting. As affected local residents you are also entitled to speak at the meeting. If you feel your points about traffic have been ignored by the recommendation to adopt the plans you can tell the planning committee so – please let us know if you would like to speak and we will pass on details. Cllr Simon Weeks and Cllr John Kaiser who represent Finchampstead and Barkham respectively sit on the committee, so if you are in Finchampstead or Barkham contact them and let them know what you think of adopting the plans for housing development without the promised traffic mitigation being in place. It is also worth noting that in a few weeks time some of us will have another chance to express our opinion via the ballot box, as alongside the general election, residents in Barkham get to elect a new local councillor. However across all the parishes with a critical General Election local parties will be out knocking on doors too.
Although there will be another chance when the Marino application comes before the planning committee, this meeting on Wednesday is when a large part of the future of Arborfield, Barkham, Finchampstead and the surrounding area will get decided, and residents of Wokingham will be living with the results of that decision for many years to come.
We have issued a press release to all local news organisations highlighting the broken promises.
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