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Object to ‘Hall Farm/Loddon Valley’ green field development.

Sat 22 January 2022

Consultation into revision of Wokingham Local Plan – mostly about housing allocations but also covering local green space designations - closes at 5 pm on Monday 24^th January.

This allocates ‘Hall Farm/Loddon Valley’ – an open area south of Earley currently occupied by University of Reading’s agricultural research – for massive green field housing development. If you disagree with this please respond to the consultation – guidance below.

This proposed ‘Strategic Development Location’ with 4,500 dwellings, of which a minimum of 2,200 dwellings would be completed in the period to 2037/38, would extend into the countryside for about 2km south of Earley between Shinfield and Sindlesham.

Landowners Reading University aspire to create an ‘International Employment Hub’ based around the ‘Four Valleys’ of Cinema, Heritage, Medical and Nano including the option of a hospital. Transport modelling is looking at a new bridge over the M4 to join Lower Earley Way with or without a new M4 junction.

This development will:

increase local population density and demand for resources and travel;
reduce local land available for agriculture, forestry, recreation and wildlife;
entail significant carbon emissions to create new buildings and infrastructure.
the long distance from major centres and easy access to the M4 is likely to encourage private car use and discourage active travel.
Slow roll-out of development will delay development of new communities and facilities.

You can e-mail your objections or comments to lpu@wokingham.gov.uk or complete the on-line survey form by going to Project • Local Plan Update: right homes, right places (wokingham.gov.uk) and clicking on ‘Take the survey’ and then ‘Ok, let’s go’.

The survey is on multiple pages – so progress by clicking the down arrows to each question you want to answer (there are 17 questions but only three - #3, #5 and #10 - are relevant to Hall Farm):

Questions 1 and 2 (non-mandatory?) ask for your status as resident or non-resident and your address.

Question 3 – your postcode - is mandatory. ‘Question 4’ is guidance.

Question 5 is about the Spatial Strategy so answer ‘Yes’ to 5a and disagree (5) with Hall Farm in 5b. 5c is for text entry to give reasons … or opinions!

Questions 6, 7, 8, 9 refer to other (previously-defined) Strategic Development Locations – if you have no comments continue.

Question 10 is specific to Hall Farm / Loddon Valley and is essentially a repeat of the first part of Question 5b. So answer ‘Yes’ to 10a and disagree (5) with Hall Farm in 10b. 10c is for text entry to give reasons … or opinions!

Questions 11 and 12 and 13 are about smaller sites and details of development guidelines so you can select ‘No’ and not answer them.

Question 14 is about the Pinewood Centre so you can select ‘No’ and not answer it.

Question 15 is about Local Green Space. Either ignore this question (enter ‘No’) or ‘Yes’ to comment on any you know or care about.

Of particular interest to me is 15c ‘Earley and Sonning’ which includes ‘Land south of the River Thames, Earley / Sonning’. This proposed designation includes the East Reading Mass Rapid Transit route which I would like to be designated Local Green Space so select ‘1’

15k allows you to comment and to enter additional areas you would like to see designated. Could perhaps comment that you support all proposals.

Question 16 is about ‘Other matters’ – an opportunity for general comments – perhaps criticising government policy or the distribution of new housing within Wokingham (Reading as ‘Diamond for Growth’ in the old SE Plan).

Question 17 is ‘About you (optional)’ so you can select ‘No’ in 17a and proceed to ‘Submit’ and ‘Finish Survey’.

Links:

Hall Farm | Green4grow | Arborfield

https://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/19799916.reading-university-encourages-debate-4-500-homes-plan/