THERE is growing frustration among residents of one of Wokingham Borough Council’s current strategic development locations over the lack of community facilities.
Householders in Arborfield Green are concerned about the length of time it has taken developers Crest Nicholson to deliver on promises of a village centre for the area.
The village centre, which is on the agreed plans, is to include a small supermarket, coffee shop and a bar, and an early years childcare setting.
Rachel Jordan, whose name has been changed, said that she and others were encouraged to move to the estate by sales pitches that included a vibrant centre.
“Boards were put up five years ago around the site where our centre is supposed to be, which say ‘coming soon’ and the paint is now peeling off them,” she said.
“There’s no sign of anything happening there and we don’t even know if it’s got full planning permission.
“We want to know when it’s going to happen.”
A spokesperson for Crest Nicholson said residents should expect to see some plans for the centre this spring.
But Ms Jordan said that if she were now buying a house in the area, she would be questioning where the facilities are.
“How can sales people and developers get away with saying all this stuff is going to happen without telling people when,” she said.
“They talk a lot of nonsense because they just want to sell the houses.”
Annoyance is not limited to newcomers into the area. Long-standing Arborfield residents have said that those who welcomed the development on promises of re-vitalising the area now feel that these have been forgotten.
“We were under no illusions about the disruption to the area which the building work would cause,” said Jon Atkinson, who has lived in Arborfield since 1992.
“But the proposals were sold to us on the expectation of the village centre.
“It was one of the development’s key differentials.
“Houses are now being sold on the basis of there being a village centre and there isn’t one.” he said.
Mr Atkinson runs an online chat groups for residents.
He opened the group two weeks ago to bring people together to lobby Crest Nicholson and WBC for progress on the village centre development. It already has more than 300 members.
Joanne Peters, whose name has also been changed, said that it is good that organised resident action is beginning to happen. Ms Peters has lived in the area for 20 years.
“One of the good things about the proposals was the promise of facilities,” she said. “It’s the same old, same old, though — developers will promise all sorts to build houses.
“Many people have had enough.”
Residents have also voiced concerns about WBC’s handling of the process.
Mr Atkinson said that there is a feeling that they are failing to hold Crest Nicholson to account.
“The council should make sure that the big developments like this are finished properly before giving the go ahead for new ones,” he said.
“Will they really make sure that infrastructure is in place at Hall Farm if that happens?”
In response, Cllr Wayne Smith, executive member for planning and enforcement, said: “We know some residents on our Arborfield major development aren’t happy with the time it has taken to provide a village centre.
“Facilities like shops need sufficient footfall to ensure they remain viable, so these generally come later on in the development phases as it is necessary to increase the local population which these facilities will serve.
“We’ve been in regular contact with Crest Nicholson, which is required to build it under conditions imposed when we gave planning permission for new homes.
“We remain committed to securing high-quality infrastructure for our communities and ensuring that developers fund it.”
A Crest Nicholson spokesperson said: “We apologise for the delay and would like to reassure residents that we remain wholly committed to delivering a vibrant village centre with key retail and community services at Arborfield Green.
“Following unprecedented market shifts as a result of the pandemic, we have had to reassess our proposals to ensure the centre met the evolving needs of residents, local people, and occupiers alike.
“We are pleased that planning has now recommenced to deliver the village centre and our design process is under way. We look forward to sharing our revised proposals for the hub through public consultation in the spring, prior to submitting a planning application.”
