A CAMPAIGN group has said it will put forward Independent candidates in May’s local elections following Wokingham Borough Council’s decision not to debate its petition.
SOLVE (Save Our Loddon Valley) Hall Farm’s hopes of having a 4,500-home development reconsidered were dashed after the council decided not to raise their petition in full council, despite collecting more than 1,800 signatures.
The group was told that the council will not be debating the issue as it would “go against its constitution”.
A spokesperson for the group said: “First, there is our anger at the utter contempt shown to the hard work put in by the SOLVE Hall Farm members who pounded the streets at weekends collecting signatures.
“To hide behind weasel words like “predetermination” when the previous administration spent thousands of pounds of our money on posting letters to the entire population of Wokingham extolling the virtues of Hall Farm is almost unbelievable.”
It added that precedents indicated live planning matters should be debated in the Wokingham Council Chamber after gaining 1,500 signatories.
SOLVE also believes it should have been notified that the issue could not be heard by the council before it had spent time, effort and money on the petition.
“The simple fact of the matter is that you cannot, in a free country with a free press, simply shut down debate because you don’t want to hear what people are trying to tell you,” the statement continued.
“We have already moved on. We will be heard, and we will stop the 4,500 houses at Hall Farm.
“The Council for the Protection of Rural England has pointed out that there are millions of potential homes that could be built on brownfield sites across the country.
“Further, there are many thousands of homes that could be built on brownfield sites in Berkshire. Destroying our countryside is not necessary, not wanted and will not be tolerated any more. To quote an ex-adversary of ours: “Enough is enough”.”
SOLVE Hall Farm stated its plans to put forward Independent candidates in May’s local elections to further its cause, informing the council it would be “hearing from us at the ballot box”.
The majority of the Hall Farm site is owned by the University of Reading and is shared with the Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR), which conducts research in combating hunger, poverty and climate change.
The Arborfield local plan development will see the university sell 580 hectares of agricultural land.
SOLVE had penned an open letter to the university voicing their concerns and conducted two protests at its Whiteknights campus at the end of last year.
The group had been optimistic that their concerns would be debated in full council after handing over their petition to the leader of the council, Cllr Clive Jones, on December 21.
Resident Richard Ingham was heavily involved in the efforts to collect signatures. He said: “I feel the same as everyone, we’re very frustrated that we find ourselves in a situation that doesn’t make much sense really.
“I was in a debate that took place in January 2019 on a matter related to the South of Cutbush Lane planning application, near where I live. The claim by the council that we could not have a debate seemed strange because I had been in one, sitting in the public gallery.
“Are the council ready to listen to us? They are happy to listen to developers. They can make their case, they can talk to members of the Council. We can’t – that doesn’t seem fair.”
A Wokingham Borough Council spokesperson explained the petition had been accepted but, having sought legal advice, it was deemed that a full council debate would go against its constitution.
The spokesperson said: “Our councillors are required to take part in certain discussions, including live planning issues, without bias or any suggestion that they’ve already made up their minds before considering the facts.
“We’re currently updating our local plan, which will shape all kinds of development in the borough for years to come, and the possibility of development at Hall Farm could form part of these discussions.
“To ensure we’re operating democratically, councillors have a duty to remain open-minded throughout the process and make decisions based on the evidence in front of them.
“We recognise that residents put significant effort into organising the petition and know this will come as disappointing news, and we apologise that this issue wasn’t made clear to them sooner. However, our members have seen the petition so they’re aware of the local strength of feeling.”
