Hurst under siege?

The dismissal by the Government Inspector of Wokingham District Council's plan for a new settlement of 2,500 houses at Grazeley will have a knock-on effect for the whole of the Wokingham District, writes WDC Councillor Annette Drake. The £1.3million inquiry was not only a time-consuming exercise for our planning team, but leaves us looking for land to accommodate 7,750 houses before 2006.

I know that Hurst residents are anticipating pressure for development, but this decision will no doubt exacerbate the demand. Hurst does have some protection from rural policies which preserve our green fields, but within the settlement boundary these policies do not apply, so we have to brace ourselves for an onslaught from developers who will put forward plans within the settlement for "in-filling" and "rounding-off".

Our best defence at planning appeals has always been the lack of services; no street lights, few footways and a village school without any vacancies for several years to come. I can assure you that I shall remain vigilant but when we are faced with unacceptable development the support from each one of you will be essential. I am glad we have Hurst Village Society and the Parish Council to keep a watchful eye out for potential marauders, and prepared to fight together so we should be ready for the fray!

Why has it come to this?

This situation arose from the old Berkshire County Council's Structure Plan Policy H3 that accommodation was needed for people moving into the area to work in Reading which is expanding rapidly, with the development of new business parks and the Oracle Centre.

Wokingham District Council officers proposed three sites at Grazeley, Spencers Wood and Shinfield which they thought would broadly comply with the aims of the Structure & Local plan policies. However, the Inspector criticised the Council for its "flawed methodology". He stated that it had not sufficiently examined opportunities for re-using brown-field sites, or applied a sequential approach to the selection of new housing sites - contrary to national Housing Policy Planning Guidance in PPG 3. This will create considerable pressure for the Council because time is running out, and if the Council does not comply with the policy it will have to explain to the Government why it has failed to carry out the guidance.

Whilst we can agree with some of the amendments to PPG 3, (e.g. the re-use of brown-field sites), the increased densities (30-50 residences per hectare, similar to densities in Woodley and Earley) would not be suitable in Hurst. It is a difficult situation for the Council, because it has to do everything it can to meet the Government's requirement for new housing, whilst protecting existing settlements and green fields wherever possible.

The Organic Farm Inquiry

The appeal against the refusal of planning permission for the development of an Organic Farm and transport distribution unit on land between Lodge Road and Tape Lane was dismissed by the Planning Inspector after the Inquiry in June. There had been considerable local opposition to the development which many people thought would not be a viable organic agricultural venture, and was really a transport logistics centre. The District Council employed expert agricultural witnesses who were able to give valuable evidence to the inquiry.

Dorndon House

As most people in the village will know, a proposal for the demolition of Dorndon House in School Road to replace it with a three-storey building of 12 flats has been submitted to the District Council. It is likely to be discussed at the next Development Control meeting on 27 September. Annette Drake will be speaking against this application. A duplicate application has been submitted so that the applicants can "fast-track" their plans in the event of winning an appeal against the original application. People living nearby have written to the District Council giving their opinions about the development, and a petition of more than 400 signatures opposing it was handed in to the council by Mandy Burch from Tape Lane. The Hurst Village Society has also opposed the development particularly on the grounds of extra traffic on the already busy School Road, and the size of the proposed building.