PETITIONERS have handed in more than 1,000 signatures against a proposal to develop on the border between Finchampstead and Barkham.
Peter Harper, who lives in Finchampstead, founded a petition against building approximately 270 homes on Rooks Nest Farm.
Mr Harper said that it gathered 1,100 signatures from residents living in his ward, as well as Crowthorne, Wokingham and Reading.
“A lot of people know the area well,” he said. “They go walking there.”
Mr Harper said that a lot of people feel strongly against developing on the farm, which sits on the Barkham side of the ward border.
“It’s a farm,” he said. “It’s country fields. It’s not suitable for a large number of houses.”
He handed the petition into the borough council on Friday with Cllr Rebecca Margetts and Cllr Simon Weeks, the two Conservative councillors for Finchampstead South, along with Cllr Charles Margetts and Cllr Daniel Sargeant, Conservative councillors for Finchampstead North, and campaigner Bernadette Mitra.
“I think they were surprised by the strength of feeling,” he added.
“It won’t have any impact on Barkham. In Finchampstead… the whole area is puffing under the strain of development.”
In the petition, Mr Harper wrote: “The proposal would see [more than] 100 acres of farmland and sensitive natural habitat given over for development, losing a critical local resource forever.
“The site is adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and would remove a key habitat for Longmoor Bog.
“Services are unable to cope with the current housing numbers and a housing estate on Rooks Nest Farm would add more traffic congestion on the roads, strain on local schools and increased waiting times at the surgery.
“A major development here will also remove the separation between Finchampstead, Barkham and Arborfield Green losing the identity of each of these villages.
“We urge Wokingham Borough Council to take this site off the list for development in the local plan and to replace it with more suitable options.”
It comes as the consultation on the local plan update ends tonight, Monday, January 24, at 5pm.
To take part, visit: engage.wokingham.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/right-homes-right-places-local-plan
