Last week, I wrote about the disastrous draft Local Plan approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s Liberal Democrat administration and some of their Labour allies, and why we opposed it. This week I wanted to talk about why it’s vital that you take part in the consultation on that draft.
My Conservative colleagues were clear when this Local Plan was being debated that more time was needed to consider alternative options. Proposals in particular to build 3,900 houses at Hall Farm are not sustainable or suitable.
Although the draft Plan has been approved, this isn’t the end of the process. Before proceeding to examination by a Planning Inspector, there is a 6 week consultation where you have the chance to provide your comments on what the Liberal Democrats are proposing.
This matters for two reasons. Firstly, the Council must submit consultation responses to the Planning Inspector alongside its draft Plan. So your input will be considered by the Inspector. Secondly, if the consultation highlights material issues with the draft Plan, the Council can look at its proposals again before it goes to examination.
Your voice needs to be heard. So many local people have expressed their opposition to the Liberal Democrats’ plans. But the administration simply does not want to listen to you.
Having promised residents they would stop developments all over the Borough, the Liberal Democrats have now voted to approve them. Having promised they would produce a revised Local Plan, they waited two years then claimed that actually they couldn’t make changes after all, despite officers confirming that they could. They then claimed that sites couldn’t be changed without permission of the landowner, only to be again found to be incorrect. And when challenged and held to account for their decisions, they point the finger in every direction but themselves.
What was approved by the Liberal Democrats, with some support from Labour, was a political decision. At the meeting, we proposed removing Hall Farm and Barkham Square from the Local Plan, and deferring a decision for two weeks so that officers could come up with alternatives looking at brown field sites and drawing up exceptional circumstances for a lower housing requirement, as allowed for the National Planning Policy Framework. The Liberal Democrats and Labour voted this down.
The Plan also fails to deal adequately with some of the real problems it will cause.
I have already expressed why we have no confidence in the Liberal Democrats’ plans to accommodate more traffic, which are based on wishful and unrealistic thinking.
Last week I said that councillors were expected to vote on the draft plan with only vague promises of road improvements, some of which weren’t costed, to accommodate the thousands of extra cars on our local roads as a result of the new homes.
Among the many documents that are used as supporting evidence for the Local Plan, running to thousands of pages, is a transport assessment of the impact of the development being proposed. The Council’s own document acknowledges that development at Hall Farm would create more traffic on local roads that would “add significant demand” without mitigation. Even if it were addressed, “there is limited scope on the network to provide a level of highway improvement which would achieve nil detriment” – in other words, the impact of traffic will get worse. And the solution, according to this report? Putting a “strong focus” on more people walking, or travelling by bike or bus.
If you believe that the Liberal Democrats’ proposed Local Plan is wrong for our Borough, please take part in the Local Plan consultation. Information on the consultation can be found on the Council’s website, which Conservative councillors will share links to online. You can also go to the Council’s offices or write to the Council to request paper copies. You have until 12th November to respond to the consultation. Now is your chance to be heard.
Pauline Jorgensen is the leader of Wokingham Conservatives
