A plan to build 53 homes off Old Forest Road has been given the go-ahead despite concerns about access for residents.
At a planning meeting in Wokingham last week, councillors voted in favour of the proposal by Elstree Land to construct the properties close to the M4/A329M junction.
But both residents and Wokingham town council were concerned about how new residents would access their homes.
The houses are expected to have good views over open space, with recessed balcony areas, and areas that jut out, to go along with a national design guide.
Whilst an update to Wokingham’s Local Plan stated that the preferred access to the site was along Old Forest Road, local residents and Wokingham town bouncil believe that road is too narrow, and objected to the scheme.
Cllr Imogen Shepherd-Dubey said that the application was making local residents worried.
Speaking on behalf of Wokingham town council, she argued that Old Forest Road, built as a country lane, didn’t have proper pavements, and its street lighting was inadequate.
She said: “We as the town council do have significant concerns about the access to and from this site for the incoming residents and the residents who are already living close to this location.
“Old Forest Road was built as a rural country lane, it does not have any proper pavements and its streetlighting is not what you’d expect for an urban location.
“We must insist that the road is improved for the new residents moving in and the children walking to the local schools.”
She said the pavements were barely wide enough for one person, yet they were likely to be used by parents to take their children to school.
However another speaker on behalf of the developer, Elstree Land, strongly supported the application and argued that it would be a ‘logical and highly sustainable’ extension to Wokingham.
She said that Old Forest Road was a: “safe and appropriate access in highway terms”.
“The owner does not own the land between the site and Toutley Road, and thus cannot secure a permanent access to the developer from there.”
She also noted that temporary access had been negotiated from Toutley Road for the period of construction, so trucks would access the site that way rather than along Old Forest Road.
Later on in the meeting, it was confirmed that the alternative access route, also referred to as a ‘ransom strip’ across from the new Toutley Road distributor road is owned by Wokingham council’s estates team.
Five trees with tree protection orders will be lost in the scheme, but they were justified on the grounds they were not the most important ones, and more trees will be planted than the ones that are lost.
The application was approved with the condition that a total of £237,000 of contributions should be paid towards NHS Capacity, green infrastructure and buses.
