An application for a change of use to establish a mobile home park in Barkham for the over-55s has been refused by Wokingham Borough Council.
The site at Bluebell Farm on Commonfield Lane is currently home to two residential dwellings. Plans indicate the owners wanted permission to station nine mobile homes on the site.
Part of the site is currently used with permission as a seasonal caravan park.
Owners had previously applied for similar permissions, the latest being in August 2023 when permission was refused for 14 static mobile homes following the demolition of existing properties.
Wokingham Borough Council, in its decision report, cited reasons for refusal included the site being unsustainable, unjustified and unnecessary development in the countryside.
It also noted how the application site is within an unsustainable location that would not encourage a modal shift towards sustainable modes of transport, by reason of the countryside location outside of settlement limits, distances to facilities and services, limited public transport links and poor quality of the walking/cycling environment.
It also said the proposal did not make adequate provision for on-site affordable housing.
Finchampstead Parish Council and Barkham Village Residents’ Association had also voiced their objections to the plans during the consultation.
