Over the past few weeks there have been a number of articles in this paper about the Wokingham Local Plan.
Mostly these articles positioned why, we need a Plan and built up to tell us to expect a big increase in housing numbers. There were of usual mentions of listening to residents, right homes right place, infrastructure led and of course the repeated boast of being the lowest funding Unitary Council.
What was not mentioned of course was the Enough is Enough consultation that gave a clear mandate from nearly 50,000 residents that Wokingham does not want and cannot cope with more development.
We were promised that our Conservative led council would strongly push back through their Conservative party contacts to reduce numbers. They obviously failed as the numbers have actually increased. So much for listening to residents.
At a recent Executive meeting a Shinfield Cllr asked a question about numbers of houses approved in a number of wards including Shinfield (3397) and Hurst (39).
The answer given was the usual obfuscation with a selective ramble about the Core Strategy, followed by a few numbers. The questioner was then not allowed a supplementary question as the Leader ignored protocol and the constitution and moved quickly on. Every other question on the night (and at nearly all other WBC meetings) were allowed a supplementary. Why not this question on housing numbers? Something to hide?
When a very experienced and respected Cllr tried to question the validity of the numbers given, she was ‘aggressively bullied’ out of raising these concerns. The numbers given were not in line with those given to residents on previous occasions, yet no opportunity to challenge was allowed. Given these behaviours, what are they hiding? Even by their own numbers it is obvious that right homes right place is not a balanced and equitable approach.
Perhaps Executive NIMBY would be a more appropriate description.
The articles emphasised that by building bigger they will be able to ensure the right infrastructure. They don’t have a very good record of this. This is certainly not the experience of Shinfield residents.
Shinfield has been subjected to significant development with promises of infrastructure.
Where are the promised sports pitches? Where is the promised supermarket? Where is the significant tree planting? Where is the promised village centre?
Just a selection of promises not kept.
Shinfield does however have multiple homes across the area who are suffering regular sewerage flooding as the waste system is beyond capacity.
Other homes regularly suffering garden and house surface water flooding. Homes suffering regular power cuts. Homes regularly suffering water supply outages or low water pressure.
A GP surgery that has doubled in patient numbers in just a few years and are understandably struggling to provide the service they want to deliver. These are the infrastructure amenities residents want and need but have not got.
When these issues are raised with WBC, they simply adopt a ‘not a Council issue’ and leave residents to fight for themselves. One resident has been they will need to learn to live with regular flooding. In simple terms WBC approve the housing developments and then wash their hands of any problems. Plan, approve and run seems to be the strategy. Given all of this what confidence can we have with the latest set of infrastructure promises?
No doubt the Eastern Relief Road will be quoted as Shinfield infrastructure investment, something residents are still paying for. The reality is that the main reason for this road was to justify the extension of the village boundaries to squeeze in more houses and to enable the University Science park. It has not been a relief to the community, it has simply shifted the congestion pinch points.
That leaves the much-repeated claim of being the lowest funded unitary Council. This has been challenged by other Councils as they claim the same position but even if (for once) the figures were correct this means that Wokingham residents are getting less out of the central pot than any of their neighbours. Is that really a success?
So, the much awaited and multiply delayed local plan will yet again tell Wokingham residents to expect even more houses, more disruption, more cars, more congestion, more service infrastructure issues such as power cuts, more flooding, more stress on local health services.
Is it just fortunate timing that following multiple delays in producing a local plan it is being launched just after a local election where two of the key Executive ‘architects’ of the local plan were up for re-election? Fortunate indeed.
Cllr Jim Frewin is an independent representing Shinfield South on Wokingham Borough Council
