William, the popular pony who lives in a field wanted for house building, has been given notice to quit.
Fans worried about his future have said how much they will miss him. William, a dark brown Welsh pony, even starred at Tuesday’s Hurst Parish Council meeting, though not in person.
He was in the field next to the meeting at Hurst Primary, School Road. Many children and adults stop to talk to him on their way to and from school.
There is no planning permission yet for the scheme for 24 houses on the old Hurst Show site. Edward Butler-Ellis, on behalf of Helmsley Land and the land owner, said yesterday: “We’re in a position to submit the application [for outline permission] within the next week.”
William’s owner Sue Scorer is searching for a local field so she can keep visiting William every day.
“The land owner has asked me to remove William by Wednesday, March 1,” she said. “Another horse was in the field with William for a while recently.
“William has proved he can share his field with another horse. I’m still looking for another field for him and would like to hear from anyone who can help.”
She thanked Wokingham Today for reporting her earlier appeal for a new location.
After Tuesday’s meeting, Mr Butler-Ellis said he had told the council meeting that people had inquired about William’s future.
He added: “The landowner has previously made William’s owner aware of the intentions to submit a planning application and under the terms of the Grazing Agreement, it allows a two-month period for his owner to find pastures which are suited to his needs.
“The agreement will end on 1 March 2023, but the landowner is happy to offer flexibility should the need arise.”
Mr Butler-Ellis said he had told the meeting there had been a pre-submission public consultation about the 24-home scheme.
He had engaged with more than 60 village households. He said a broad spectrum of views had been expressed. Objectors [to] the scheme had highlighted their concerns over density, lack of housing need, and impact on the local highway network.
Supporters of the scheme acknowledged the need to offer new family and affordable homes, citing that many of the existing homes in the village were either too large or unaffordable, he said. Some supporters also believed that [the] site would provide a more realistic contribution to the council’s housing issues and help to protect against other developments.
Yesterday, he said 11 people had replied to the consultation, nine supporting the scheme and two objecting.
Wokingham Borough Council will give residents the chance to comment on the scheme once a planning application is made. WBC will then decide whether to grant permission.
Parish council chairman Wayne Smith gave an update at the meeting on the council’s role in objecting to a scheme for 200 homes, between Tape Lane and the B3030 from Winnersh towards Twyford. An appeal for planning permission starts on January 31. Hundreds of villagers are objecting to it.
The public has until tomorrow (Friday, January 13) to tell Wokingham Borough Council their views on giving planning permission for three homes at Walden Acres, Wokingham Road, Hurst.
