Finchampstead News Oct'24

Ground has been cleared for the long-awaited District Centre in Arborfield Green and, by the time you read this, construction should have started.  Agreements are in place with Sainsburys and community views have been sought on the new community centre which will be based in the former Army library.  Every week we welcome more new residents to the area with many more to come and these facilities will be very welcome. 

As I write, I am reviewing the recently published update to our area’s Local Plan.  This covers how development in our area will be coordinated out to 2040.  It is the penultimate step in a process which started in 2015 and will conclude with review by a government inspector next year.   

Most people’s attention will be on the number of houses to be built and where they will be.  Numbers are determined by a government formula and, whether we like it or not (and almost everyone doesn’t), our target means building on greenfield sites.  There is a lot to be said about the size of the target, whether the market led system will ever make housing affordable and the impact of sustained development on things like transport, schools, shops which we have some influence on and things outside of local control, such as NHS capacity and utilities.  More thinking is needed from the government on these questions.   

However, it is still vital for us to have a Local Plan.  An approved plan allows us to refuse speculative development in unsuitable sites, to plan local infrastructure such as schools, roads, walking and cycling routes and much more, and to secure the funding for these from developers.  Not having a plan could result in a free-for-all for developers to build wherever they want with minimal and uncoordinated infrastructure.   

The plan contains forward-looking policies to reduce the impact of development on the environment, to increase the amount of affordable housing, particularly houses for ‘social rent’, enhanced protection for green space and landscapes and a commitment to deliver infrastructure in a timely way. 

The question of where to build started many years ago with landowner proposals for the Council to assess for deliverability and sustainability.  The sites in this plan have not changed hugely from the public consultation in 2021, other than the removal of housing from Rooks Nest Farm, some reductions in the Hall Farm area, and some extensions to Arborfield Green and south of Wokingham Town. 

At this stage, the plan is reviewed for legality and ‘soundness’, (defined as the plan being positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy).  If the plan is approved by councillors, there will be a public consultation to which you can respond on these questions.  Once the plan is approved by the government examiner, individual sites will need to seek planning permission, where there will be opportunities for public comment.     

You can contact me at adrian.betteridge@wokingham.gov.uk .