A company wanting up to 300 homes built on a green field has cut 50 homes from the plan and added a tennis court and outdoor gym.
But there are claims that an extra road into the site, added to the plan, could mean 200 more vehicles using narrow Tape Lane in Hurst. Tape Lane is an access only road used by children walking to school.
Residents protesting against the plan are not impressed by the changes and are keeping up their fight. The two groups involved have different tactics though.
Protect Hurst Action Group had urged residents not to go to the Hurst Village Hall exhibition last Thursday which revealed the land promoters Mactaggart & Mickel’s changes.
PHAG said: “Unless you are emphatically stating you are against any development on this site, from past experience, any other comments made will be used by Mactaggart & Mickel to imply your support when they submit their outline planning application.”
But Mactaggart & Mickel told people: “Any improvements you suggest will not be used to imply your support for the development.”
Hurst Village Society encouraged visits to the exhibition. Chairman Jo Newbold said: “It is only if we are all familiar with the proposals that we can make sure we act as one in raising issues in any subsequent planning application process.”
The 300 homes would have added about a third (34%) more homes to Hurst’s current 876. Cutting 50 would mean 28.5% more.
Protect Hurst Action Group said: “It does not matter whether it’s 250, 300 or 10 homes: the field should not be developed. That development would be contrary to policy and outside the development limit of Hurst. The field is part of the rural character of Hurst. It is a green field site.”
Mrs Newbold and HVS planning member John Osborne went to the exhibition. Mrs Newbold said: “While they have reduced the number of homes down to 250 it in no way mitigates the fact that HVS and we believe the majority of the residents of Hurst do not want this development, no matter how they present it.
“We are a rural village and that is how we would like it to stay. This is an ongoing process and therefore there is very little more we can add at this time until a planning application has been submitted.”
Conor Roberts of Mactaggart & Mickel said the biggest change as a result of their earlier consultation was the cut of 50 homes. “We have listened to people,” he said.
He said the company had been talking to Wokingham Borough Council. “Following their suggestions we have included an access for a limited number of units [homes] from Tape Lane.”
There are complaints about fast traffic in Tape Lane. Mr Roberts said: “To reduce speed of traffic coming up Tape Lane we have included traffic calming on that new access road. The way the junction is designed will act as natural traffic calming.”
Asked about Tape Lane being an access only road, with the aim to cut traffic, he added: “Wokingham wanted more than one access to the [development] site.”
The new access road would not create a cut through the whole site, and details would be discussed with Wokingham. More trees would be planted than first suggested, with the site part of the Queen’s Green Canopy scheme.
At the village hall villager Eric Rockall, who is retired, said the plan would spoil the village.
“People would think they were moving out into the country. Instead country would be taken away from Hurst.
“Almost 100 cars could come out into Tape Lane and then onto Broadwater Lane. It’s not the best of junctions. Possibly 400 extra cars could come out of the Lodge Road access road. I’m not at all reassured by their changes.”
Isobel Jenkin of Twyford said “I’m keeping an open mind. We have to have a compromise. People need housing. I’m concerned about them building larger houses which people from London come down to buy. We need more key worker houses. Hurst could provide them. But I would like to see some countryside left.”
Mactaggart & Mickel wants residents’ views on the changed plan. Wokingham Borough Council will ask for comments on the eventual outline planning application.
The exhibition is at Hurst Village Hall again tonight (Thursday) 3.30pm to 7.30pm. Details are at www.landeastoflodgeroad.co.uk
