HIGHLIGHTS of the new 2.3km Arborfield Cross Relief Road linking the A327 Reading Road with the A327 Eversley Road include a green bridge that will allow pedestrians, cyclists and horses to cross over safely at its mid-section junction with Swallowfield Road.
Planning officers presented the proposal for the new Arborfield Cross Relief Road (ACRR) and its the tree-lined green lung to the committee, which met on Wednesday, January 10, at Wokingham Borough Council’s Shute End offices.
The Wokingham Paper was the only media present.
The ACRR is one of a number of major infra-structure projects planned by the council as it seeks to accommodate the large number of houses coming to the borough by 2036.
It will link up with the Shinfield Relief Road which opened at the end of October last year.
As well as the green bridge, there will also be a 3m shared foot and cycle path along the length of the relief road.
The road will have a speed limit of 50mph, following consultation with Thames Valley Police and street lighting is not proposed for sections of the road.
It was noted that the land for the road is currently not owned by the council, but by multiple parties. However, issues of land ownership fall outside of the planning process and did not form part of the assessment of the application.
At the northern end, the ACRR will come out by the Shinfield Relief Road at Bridge Farm – next to the proposed CEMEX quarry and cement factory.
The planning officers had taken this into account when carrying out traffic modelling exercises and it was felt that if the CEMEX application was approved at a later date, “none of the assessed junctions would be expected to be over capacity by 2026”.
Speaking against the proposal, David Horton raised issues with noise and security.
He called on the council to reduce the speed limit to 40mph and to install a secure barrier along the border of gardens backing on to the ACRR. He also wanted the council to use the best possible sound screening materials and low noise road surfaces.
Arborfield councillor Gary Cowan (independent) spoke in favour, adding that it was important to use low noise road surface materials and that the water supply at Arborfield Court needed to be monitored.
Officers pledged to install an acoustic fence by Arborfield Court and it was made a condition that this proposal should be made in writing, as should the use of low noise tarmac.
The scheme was passed unanimously.
