THE decision on the future of the Adwest building in Woodley will not be influenced by external factors, says a Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson.
At a planning committee meeting tonight, June 8, councillors will decide whether to approve plans which will see the former headquarters of Miles Aircraft, on Headley Road East, demolished.
Concerns have been raised over the decision being influenced by external factors. This includes the possibility of an appeal to the planning inspectorate if the application is rejected, or deferred for a second time.
A spokesperson for the council has said this won’t affect the decision.
They said: “There is always a risk of an appeal if an application is refused or not determined within a timeframe set by the government, so this is no more a concern with this application than it would be with any other.
“We will decide it in accordance with planning policy, as we always do, and take all material considerations into account.
“The possibility of an appeal will therefore not affect the outcome.”
The application was previously deferred by the committee at a meeting on Wednesday, May 11, when it decided more time was needed to understand the context of the site.
It also decided that a site visit was necessary to consider the heritage aspects and environmental health issues raised.
The visit took place on Monday, June 6.
Since the planning meeting last month, Wokingham Borough Council has changed leadership with the Liberal Democrats now running the administration.
As a result, some of the planning committee members have changed and a new chair has been appointed.
The council insists this won’t have a detrimental impact on proceedings.
The spokesperson said: “The new members of our planning committee have received the necessary training and been given the usual amount of time to read the officers’ report on this application.
“This report addresses all material considerations – including the air quality assessment submitted alongside the application, which our environmental health officer has assessed.”
Under the proposal, five commercial buildings for light industrial work and storage as well as offices, car parking and a new access road would be built.
The Adwest building is one of the last remaining buildings from Woodley’s airfield days and has many historical links.
A petition to save the art deco site from being demolished received more than 4,500 signatures with many residents calling for the site to be repurposed to maintain its features.
Representatives from all Wokingham’s political parties have raised concerns over the plans.
Matt Rodda, Labour MP for Reading East, said: “It is an incredibly important piece of aviation history and is the last remaining link to the Woodley airfield which should be preserved for the community.
“I am calling on the council’s planning committee to defer or turn down the application.
“I’m also concerned about the effects on air pollution, noise pollution and traffic in the area.”
Mr Rodda’s worries on pollution are shared by the leader of the council, Cllr Clive Jones.
He said: “I hope the planning committee will listen to the arguments put forward.
“Noise, air quality and HGV movements are all a concern.
“This is my personal opinion.”
The leader of the Wokingham Conservative Group has previously called for the building to be repurposed to maintain its “important historical frontage.
At the planning meeting on May 11, she said that aircraft factories are “large by design” and she could not accept that retaining the front of the building whilst redeveloping the back was not deemed to be of value.
She added: “You don’t need to retain the whole acre of factory just to retain the front which I think is the piece that people believe has the major heritage.”
