New facilities, including sports pitches, allotments and yet more housing will be coming to a major development in commuting distance to Reading, Wokingham and Bracknell.
Hogwood Farm previously served as farmland before being redeveloped, and is situated between Finchampstead and Arborfield.
The former agricultural land has been turned into a housing development called Finchwood Park at the end of Nine Mile Ride.
The old farm is part of the Arborfield Garrison Strategic Development Location that is part of Wokingham Borough Council’s Local Plan, which will contain 3,500 homes.
The Finchwood Park development of 1,500 homes was approved in 2018, with the aim of also providing new community facilities.
It was initially envisaged that the council would pay for these facilities using contributions from housebuilders.
However, an arrangement has been made that will see the facilities built by the developer Cala Homes, on the provision that the company can build 48 more new homes there.
This arrangement was discussed at a council planning meeting.
John Richards, a group planning director at Cala Homes stated that the development will provide new pitches, a council-run pavilion, a BMX track, sport and leisure facilities and 83 allotment spaces.
These facilities will be funded through section 106 developer contributions, which the council will obtain from Cala Homes.
Councillor Sam Akhtar (Conservative, Thames) expressed concerns that the construction of the 48 new homes would take precedence over the community facilities.
Answering that, planning officer Nick Chancellor said: “Were planning permission to be granted, it would be subject to a section 106 agreement, and a modification to the original S106 agreement for Finchwood Park as well, and that would include triggers which essentially mean that the sports facilities have to be delivered hand in hand with the residential development.
“The residential development won’t be able to be fully occupied until the sports facilities are in place, so we do have that guarantee that it will come.”
Speaking in the debate cllr Wayne Smith (Conservative, Thames) said: “I don’t think we’ve got any choice, because if we don’t approve this, they won’t get their sports facilities.
“So what choice have we got? They’ve got to have the facilities they signed up to when they buy these houses, so what choice do we have?”
Cllr Martijn Andrea (Liberal Democrats, Twyford, Ruscombe & Hurst), chair of the committee, was free to approve or refuse the plans.
Ultimately, the changes were approved at the planning meeting on Wednesday, July 9.
The houses will be made up of 16 two-bed, three three-bed and 29 four-bed homes.
You can view the approved applications by typing references 242653, 242696 and 242811 into the council’s planning portal.
