CVAG has submitted a detailed response to the Wokingham Borough Council consultation on the local plan update.
Housing, there needs to be a reliable forecast of how many new homes are needed. This draft current local plan is based on 2014 national figures and a lot has changed since then, including Brexit, Crossrail, COVID and increase in working from home, all of which will influence housing needs. The government is very clear that local authorities should make their own assessment of local needs;
“It is for local authorities to determine precisely how many homes to plan for and where those homes are most appropriately located.”
We are disappointed that Wokingham Council have not followed this guidance. Without that the whole plan is fundamentally unsound.
Consequently the proposed 835 homes on green fields west of old wokingham road are probably not what is required and would unnecessarily add more traffic to the road from Crowthorne to Jennets park, which is already oversubscribed. A recent report identified Wokingham as the second most popular destination for families moving out of London. In which case somewhere North of the borough with access to Crossrail at Twyford would better suit the actual needs of the people moving to Wokingham.
We strongly object to the inclusion of Pinewood in this document which identifies new sites for development. This much valued recreational facility will become even more important as the 1800 homes in the Southern arc are constructed. Whilst the current council assures us it is safe, there is no guarantee that a future council would take the same view. That paragraph should be removed.
You can view the complete response here.