This page covers major planning initiatives that affect our parish.
For help on planning issues you can contact Peter Hughes, the chair of the Planning and Transportation Committee.
As part of its Local Development Framework (LDF), which provides a structure and methodology for large-scale district planning, Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) produced a Core Strategy detailing how they would fufll the requirement emanating from the previous Labour government for 12,460 houses and accompanying infrastructure to be built in the borough in the period to 2026. This document was approved by the borough council in January 2010.
The Core Strategy states that development will be mainly concentrated (10,000 houses) in four Strategic Development Locations or SDLs. One of these, the South of the M4 SDL, encompasses much of our parish - Shinfield village, Spencers Wood, Three Mile Cross and Ryeish Green.
The final draft of a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) that describes the preferred option for how the development will take place was issued for consultation during a six-week period which ended on 23 March 2010.
To view the plans and find out more go to http://www2.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/ldf/local-development-scheme
Shinfield Parish Council members are unhappy with the proposals and have made their collective view felt in a covering letter plus a detailed letter written for us by Dr. Wendy Le-Las, Planning Consultant to the National Association of Local Councils. The Parish Council also distributed a flyer explaining the situation in more detail to residents, and you can download it here.
WBC was intending to consider the Adoption of Supplementary Planning Documents for the Strategic Development Locations at the Executive Meeting on 24 June 2010. But instead they released the following statement:
The new Secretary of State for Communities has announced his intention to abolish the Regional Spatial Strategies and return decision making on housing numbers to Local Authorities. We await further details of the changes to be made to the planning system and have put on hold the further progress of the Masterplans and Infrastructure documents for the Strategic Development Locations as a result. We also understand that the Secretary of State for Defence is unable to confirm the position on Arborfield Garrison until later in the year.
The matter was discussed at the Executive Meeting on 21 October 2010 and a decision was made to go out to consultation again, with revised master plans. The six-week consultation period began on the 9 November and finished at 5.00 pm on 21 December.
The parish council created the following documents during the period of the consultation to inform residents:
Summary of parish council's grounds for objecting
The parish council retained Dr. Wendy Le-Las to write their letter of objection. It can be viewed here.
Wokingham Borough Council has redrafted all the master plans for the four SDLs, including Shinfield. The plans went out for a six-week consultation period that ran from 15 June to 27 July 2011. The borough council appear to have heeded residents' views on some aspects of the plans. We await a decision of WBC’s Executive Committee mid-September.
Wokingham Borough Council adopted the Supplementary Planning Document for the South of the M4 SDL and the SPDs for the other SDLs in the autumn 2011.
A group of southern parishes (Arborfield with Newlands, Barkham, Finchampstead, Shinfield, Swallowfield and Wokingham Without) has been working on collective action to ensure that WBC members fully understand our concerns. After numerous meetings and communications with WBC, the consortium regretfully decided that legal action was the only recourse open to it. Accordingly in January the group issued a challenge on the legality of the actions of WBC in relation to the masterplanning process. A response has been received and negotiations are taking place.
In July 2010 the University of Reading submitted three major planning applications for development in Shinfield:
| F/2010/1428 | Full application | Eastern Relief Road to bypass Shinfield Village |
| O/2010/1432 | Outline application | Residential development consisting of 1350 dwellings and associated infrastructure (school, foodstore, community centre,etc) all to the south west of the village |
| F/2010/1434 | Full application | Set up of a SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) in an area to the east of Shinfield and south of the Arborfield Road bordering the River Loddon |
The university submitted these plans despite the fact that the master planning documents for the SDL are still not adopted.
The Parish Council has responded to all three applications. You can view our responses here.
The university has issued amendments to all three plans, and you can view these online, in Spencers Wood library, at the WBC Council Offices or at Shinfield Parish Hall (mornings only). The deadline for responding is 18 May 2011, however, it is still worth sending in late comments as the council have to take note of them.
The university lodged appeals with the Planning Inspectorate on the grounds of non-resolution by WBC. The Public Inquiry took place from 11 October to 16th November at Bulmershe College in Woodley. The Parish Council spoke against the plans. Shinfield Parish Council has produced a report on the Public Inquiry, which is available for download here.
Early in February 2011 the University of Reading submitted another major planning application (number O/2011/0204) for development on the Manor site (previously used for agricultural research) in Shinfield. The area is bordered by Brookers Hill, Hollow Lane and Church Lane. The proposal is a residential development comprising up to 126 dwellings, a sports pavilion, public open space, landscaping and associated works and demolition of existing vacant buildings. The deadline for comments is 1 March 2011.
The Parish Council's response is available on the Planning and Transportation Committee minutes page (click Associated Documents for the meeting on 18 February 2011).
The University of Reading has submitted an application to WBC for a Science Park to be built on land to the north of Cutbush Lane. WBC have approved the whole scheme in outline, with the associated access arrangements approved in full. The decision has been endorsed by the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). For more information see the Science Park Consultation website.
The Oxford Diocese has submitted an outline application for up to 175 dwellings with associated playspace, landscaping and access, plus a suitable alternative natural greenspace (SANG). The land is adjacent to the Churchfields development, and lies to the north-west of the village. Local views on this proposal expressed during the first consultation on the South of the M4 SPD were broadly in favour of development in this area. The WBC Planning Committee turned down this application at the meeting on 28 April 2010. The Oxford Diocese have appealed, and the appeal has been considered at a public inquiry. The Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government called in the inquiry,
The outcome was that the appeal was recommended for refusal by the inspector and the Secretary of State did in fact refuse it.
Here is a list of dates on which WBC's Planning Committee will meet in 2011. Residents may have a three-minute slot at the beginning of the meeting in which to voice their views. Meetings start at 7.00 pm. For further information on planning see WBC's website pages on planning.
| 5 Jan | 20 Jul |
| 2 Feb | 24 Aug |
| 2 Mar | 21 Sep |
| 30 Mar | 19 Oct |
| 27 Apr | 16 Nov |
| 25 May | 14 Dec |
| 22 Jun |