At a recent public meeting in Winnersh I presented some slides and spoke about the impact on our local communities that building close to 4,000 houses at Hall Farm/Loddon Valley would have. I represent those slides and my written notes here, as ever your comments are invited
NOTES
This proposed development would be a town the size of Winnersh Parish, constructed within the countryside where there is currently no existing infrastructure. This will mean that there will be no countryside separation between existing settlements creating an urban sprawl in the area.
The impact of this development will be felt in and around surrounding settlements. There isn't any existing public transport serving the development. The nearest railway stations, which are outside of normal walking distance, would be Winnersh Triangle (accessibility issues as the station has stepped access only) and Winnersh (No parking available).
Safe cycle routes to these stations are very poor and neither station has public bus services running to them from the development. Development is likely to generate excessive car traffic onto an already congested network.
We don't need a 'country park'. The Hall Farm estate is already criss-crossed with public footpaths, giving people the chance to enjoy the countryside, on both sides of the Loddon. Under the LPU most of that would disappear under concrete.
The projected Secondary school would not open till 2037, if it's delivered on time and as projected. The M4 bridge would funnel large volumes of traffic on to already congested traffic choke points at Shinfield (University roundabout) Lower Earley (Meldreth Way roundabout) and Winnersh (New road between Mill Lane and Hatch Farm Way).
None of these new roads would be built until near the end of the development. Possibly not until 2032 or beyond. Until then, a lot of the additional traffic generated by construction and occupation would continue to pour into Winnersh along the B3030 Mole Road.
Do we need these houses locally? Or are they for people moving into the borough from London, Slough and Reading? Why are we in the South of the borough being asked to take ANOTHER nearly 4,000 houses on top of the 3,500 at Arborfield garrison and 4,000 at Shinfield? 97% of new houses built over the past 15 years are in the South of the borough, just 3% in the North.
The homes currently being built in Wokingham would suffice to satisfy internal demand for housing. Government policy frames housing 'demand' to enforce high target housing numbers where house prices are high, This means just where the developers can make a killing.
SLIDES
Paul Stevens
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