A CAMPAIGN group has raised concerns over the Royal Berkshire Hospital’s potential move to a greenfield site its members are looking to preserve.
Save Our Loddon Valley Environment (SOLVE), a resident-led initiative whose primary goal is to stave off the delivery of a 4,500-home development at Arborfield’s Hall Farm, has commented on the pressure a hospital relocation could put on the area.
The Royal Berkshire Hospital was one of 40 new hospitals commissioned by Boris Johnson. Initially set to be delivered by 2030, talks have prolonged between the hospital trust and Department of Health due to funding and improvement decisions.
An announcement has not been made whether to relocate the hospital or to renovate its current site.
SOLVE Hall Farm member Paul Stevens said: “I think there is an opportunity here for a really innovative new hospital, my worry is the lack of infrastructure.
“Could a new geothermal power station be built here to service not just the hospital but also some of the surrounding area? What about sewage and water?
“With 4,500 houses proposed nearby at Hall Farm how will these systems cope? What would the impact of the move be on the community and area?”
He suggested that a move to Earley’s Thames Valley Park would be a more appropriate location, citing easier access by public transport, while Thames Valley Science Park, another proposed site, would require significant work.
A lack of existing and planned infrastructure in Arborfield and Shinfield are of particular concern to Mr Stevens.
“What we are not hearing about is things like access to a train station, buses and roads that can cope with the increased traffic a new hospital would generate,” he explained.
“I would welcome discussion on the topic, and would potentially be in favour if these issues can be resolved, ahead of any plans to start building.”
He added that the delay in decision making “concerned SOLVE Hall Farm more” due to increased levels of speculative planning applications.
He said: “The delay in the Local Plan Update (LPU) concerns SOLVE Hall Farm more, as we have been consulted but now cannot get decisions. For example, the perceived lack of a five year land supply is leading to a lot of speculative planning applications in the area.
“Do we have the support to stop it? I don’t think so. I am not sure we necessarily would object to it.
“We are open to being convinced but the arguments in favour of building here are not being effectively communicated. I would also continue to argue that building near a river that floods regularly in a worsening climate emergency is not good planning.”
Cllr Lindsay Ferris, executive member for planning and local plan, said the council had considered the impact of a hospital at Hall Farm in broader terms and that it wasn’t actively promoting the site for hospital use in its Local Plan Update: Revised Growth Strategy.
Cllr Ferris explained: “We’re aware that the Royal Berkshire Hospital is exploring its options for the future, including the possibility of relocation.
“This would ultimately depend on many factors and nothing has substantially changed since our previous statement on this.
“If a relocation or a move of some facilities to Hall Farm were proposed at some point, it would require, among other things, a business case to be developed by the hospital, agreement by the University of Reading as landowner to promote the site for this purpose, and a decision on funding availability by the Government.
He added that the council will soon be updating its Local Plan, its long-term strategy for managing developments across the borough including a potential hospital relocation.
“We’re still liaising with a range of site promoters and other interested parties, including the university, in progressing our Local Plan Update to ensure our borough remains protected from inappropriate, speculative development, by planning the new development we need in the most suitable locations,” Cllr Ferris said.
Interested parties can engage with the hospital trust’s New Hospital Programme public events, consultations and monthly updates.
