Question 6 If you have comments about anything in Questions 3 – 5, particularly if you have disagreed strongly or disagreed with anything.

318 responses were received. Utilising the ‘find ‘ facility, the comments about a specific theme can be searched.

No More Housing Mortimer stands in rural farmland which in quality approaches countryside that is officially designated as : 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' Building on farmland is such areas will always diminish the precious quality - views are lost and ambience diminished; the sense that we are indeed in such an environment. West Berkshire Council should only allocate housing in Mortimer on the basis of what the village can provide without using farmland. each village should be assessed on its own merits, not on a share-out basis. Doctor's Surgery It is essential to find another location for the surgery. It is too cramped a site, with constant parking problems on Victoria Road. If 7 a site is to be the focus of development it should include a relocation of the surgery. Commercial Housing Mix In order to maintain the character of the village it is not possible to accommodate the range of houses on the list. Mortimer has over the last 20 years attracted wealthy families. It also has a large retirement population. Due to the fact that Mortimer is rural the car will always be the most popular form of transport. Development of a commercial & retail centre with ample parking would be of benefit to the village but the developers should develop this as part of there planning application for110 homes. Development Site Traffic Your questions are heavily weighted to approving all developments in the village centre. It is totally unrealistic to place 110 homes, a new school and a doctors surgery in the centre of the village. The road infrastructure cannot cope with the traffic. Residents will still drive to their kids to school on the way to work as they do now. I assume the old school site would then be developed as housing, increasing the size of the village again. You say the bank and post office are the centre of the village. Both of these are under threat of closure Commercial Housing Mix Traffic To maintain the character of the village it is not possible to have a range of housing. Like it or not Mortimer's demographic is wealthy families and older residents. Development should cater for these groups. Relocation of schools and health services to the centre will only promote congestion. Any development of the village centre should focus on commercial, shopping etc. Better parking and accommodation of private vehicle transportation should feature in development plans. Rather than isolate drivers it must be realised that car transportation in rural areas will dominate Development Site Principle 3 I strongly disagree with the NDP 3rd Principle. To suggest development in the two identified areas will facilitate re structure of schools and surgery and parking is romance Traffic The road structure of Mortimer is very poor and does not allow form people parking - it is notable that huge improvements need to be made to the roads throughout Mortimer village before further development of any nature is allowed. Street lights? zebra crossings? visibility displays? traffic lights? poor parking? Too much THROUGH TRAFFIC.!!! No More Housing Traffic The centre of the village is already congested and is the last place to build new schools or surgery etc. Mortimer does not need any more large housing developments that will spoil its rural feel, putting more strain on an already inadequate infrastructure Housing Mix I do not see how you can make it possible for people to live their whole lives in the village if they so wish and also I'm not sure that this is desirable. A vibrant village has residents coming to live I it from everywhere with all views and ideas otherwise it doesn't develop. Many existing residents originally came from London suburbs. I don't think there is a problem with ribbon style developments. Development Site Doctor's Surgery Traffic If you have residential property in the centre of the village this will increase traffic because people drive to their houses. The optimum distance is between 500 - 800 m to encourage walking. The village needs to move closer to the station this is so important to people so developments between the centre of the village and the station should be considered. The doctors surgery is private and they will not fund a move and they provide a good service and are close to the village centre. c) too long a wait a) WI house too large for office requirements and upkeep not easy Parking St Mary's Don't Move There is no need to close a perfectly good school and move it to the centre of the village. It would be a dreadful waste of money. Provision for drop off only parking is required as the current parking together with the station parking causes traffic disruption and hazards. Parking Additional parking at the schools - St John's and St. Mary's is critical. It is bad already and can only get worse if the population of the village increases Principle 2 It would be a great shame if Mortimer merged into other villages nearby as it would lose its identity. St Mary's Don't Move I don't consider St. Mary's to be too far - it comes in handy being close to the St Marys Church the children walk to quite a few times for services and also a shorter walk to the train station when they've been on school trips Parking Any new development must provide "own" parking Parking for schools must be off main roads in village Development Site St Mary's If St Mary's junior school moves we would oppose any potential development (or other commercial development) on its site. Mir should remain green field site. St Mary's Don't Move I do not understand to relocate St Mary's - it is only a short walk. I say this as a mum of two girls who will walk to school No More Housing Mortimer is great as it is. Leave it as such. No development required. I strongly disagree with this proposal. You need to change the WBC requirements to move development away from Mortimer. Development Site Doctor's Surgery Any larger new developments should be between the centre of the village and the station to keep conjestion to the minimum. The doctors have no reason to relocate - have just gone through resideration and the schools are not full Development Site Doctor's Surgery Schools Mortimer has traditionally been a linear village - any development should be split on a number of sites and infill. Existing school are not full and theDoctor have no reason /requirement to relocate. Any larger new development should be between the village centre and the station to keep congestion in the centre of the village to a minimum Design Development Site Bringing development into the existing settlement boundary will only make the "village" feel enclosed and noisy. The beauty of the quiet community feel of the village will be lost. IT will become built up like a fringe city town and not at all nice to live in. Concentrate on community and social facilities such as welfare, GP provision, better transport links rather than excluding these aspects by "encouraging non-motorised transport". Not every one has the ability to walk and/or cycle and need good transport links Traffic You don't have to have everything in the centre of a village we have had schools, doctors in the same place for years. Why not concentrate on roads and parking. Development Site Any future residential development should be within the existing envelope boundary. We have already allowed a major breach of the envelope with Strawberry Fields development and this should not be allowed again. No More Housing We are a small parish village and wish to remain so. It is a priveledge to live here. Don't increase our size & Infrastructure so that we become q suburb like Tadley or Burghfield or a mini town! WE have all the infrastructure we need at present and homes from renting/flats - housing to Sh. housing. Can we not "REfuse" extra housing on the grounds that it will ruin our status as a RURAL VILLAGE? Development Site Schools We are a village let's keep it that way - new houses can be built on the outskirts of the village. Why not combine St John's School with St Mary's as there is plenty of land at St Marys that hardly used. St Mary's Don't Move The location of St Marys School should remain where it is Housing Mix I don't necessarily agree with a range of homes should be required in the village. Most starters generally live /buy houses in the larger towns and move out to the villages as they increase their income and want to have families. In a way this ensures a population of homeowners which takes pride in their home and village and are more likely to positively contribute towards village life. Doctor's Surgery Schools Facilites to support the existing and expanded community of Mortimer is imprtatn. However there is little evidence to support the need for the surgery to relocate. There is a need for improvements to the school, however sufficient funding for these improvements is required and such funding will not come from the development of 110 homes alone Doctor's Surgery Parking St Mary's Don't Move The surgery is already at the heart of the village. St. Mary's School is located in a place where children have to walk which is a good thing in the age of the Internet. Should parents want to drop off their infants there is more room for parking where the school (St Mary's ) is currently located Development Site Doctor's Surgery Schools I think the new schools and doctors surgery should be built along with any new houses otherwise where are all the children going to go to school if the schools and doctors are at capacity where will everyone go !!! Very concerned that Development Plan will turn Mortimer into a town. We moved here because we liked the prospect of living in a village and would like it to stay a village. Commercial Re q3 - rather than the extensive development of new business ventures within Mortimer itself, I would prefer to see more affordable and extensive public transport links with Reading and Tadley, including better ways of getting to Mortimer train station from the other side of the village. No More Housing This was once a semi-rural village that was peaceful and a lovely place to live. Now, because of development, already there is far too much traffic and a much noises place to live. I strongly disagree with any further developments. Doctor's Surgery St Mary's Re 5b The doctors surgery seems tooperate well. However it should only take Mortimer patients or those who live in hamlets with no surgery. Currently many Burghfield residents use our surgery when they could use their own. This adds pressure on appointments re 5c It makes complete sense to relocate St. Marys Junior SChool to the site behind St Johns. Combining the two schools together would put it in a central location, ease congestion, and allow pupils to remain at the same school throughout. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move While I accept that we need to take additional housing in Mortimer, I do not see the need to put them all in site 7, instead they should be shared amongst the various plots in the village. Access to site 7 has not been properly addressed and I can only presently see that this would have to be somewhere along Drury lane which would undoubtedly lead to increased car use and not increase walking/cycling in the area. In terms of a ribbon development, we already live in a ribbon of a village and none of the proposed sites exacerbate this to any extent. I would also question why the Kiln Lane site has not been taken into account - I've read the new statement and I don't see how (as Strawberry Fields is already in existence) this could contribute anything other than infilling the ribbon that we already have. St John's may be at capacity, but the school is still advertising for pupils. This trend in recent years has been due to the Strawberry Fields development, producing an influx of young families to the area, unless those families move out for new ones with infant school age children to move in it's a bubble that will move up through St Mary's and the Willink. St Mary's does not need to be in the centre of the village. We have coped with it being down the hill for 100 years and it in fact helps foster independence in our children as they learn to make their way up and down the hill independently. People live in the country for a quiet peaceful life, they do not expect a bustling metropolis with everything on tap. For example I did not return here expecting to be able to work within walking distance of my home. We already have an attractive village centre, so the NDP does not need to provide for it. Anti Being a resident of mortimer I strongly disagree with the proposals of over developing the green areas, your proposals of new homes on our rural retreats promoting walking and cycling already naturally exist.your builds will take away many a scenic view from the elderly retired and family's who have chosen mortimer moved here for a quality of life with the reassurance of a village style community for as long as "they wish" . Many have already experienced the overpopulation , mentality and estate style builds that take away the individuality of once "villages"..continuous building has the opposite effect of breaking a strong supportive community that makes us want to be here in the first place causing people to relocate having an effect on local businesses..St. John's school has plenty of spare space for recreational needs including the opposite common. Lastly I wonder if the people moving in not stereo typing as i know a certain number have to be allocated, will be as excited as the ones I heard outside a similar development in aldermaston recently, phone call drinking a beer "mum yeah it's great got a brand new house a bus picks the kids up and I can by my Fags just round the corner .. What a bonus they would be to the community of mortimer. Doctor's Surgery 5b - we need more doctor appointments! Will a new surgery provide this? May just be money wasted if more appts can be provided within current setting. Parking Principle 2 Main problems are parking/drop-off and safe cycle access. A more central location does not necessarily address these. St Mary's Don't Move The cost of such relocation and redevelopment is unwarranted. Children should be able to walk or cycle to school safely from other parts of the village. St Mary's Don't Move The cost of such relocation/ redevelopment is unwarranted. Children should be able to walk or cycle safely to St Mary's from other parts of the village. St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's is fine where it is and children should be able to walk / cycle safely to the school from the other parts of the village. The costs of relocation/ redevelopment is unwarranted. No More Housing The village is large enough now. Anything larger will destroy the rural nature of the village Schools Important to ensure planning to enhance capacity to ensure local kids can attend the village school. Capacity is already an issue. This needs to be addressed at both. Questions Lack Clarity I’m concerned that some questions appear to have been written in such a way that it’s frequently possible to agree with part of the statement, but disagree with other parts and therefore Reponses cannot be specific e.g. question 3b where I can agree that having a local school might have some bearing on the ability to live in the Parish but why would the availability of super fast broadband would be considered in the same statement? Some questions even appear as if they might have been written to elicit a specific response. e.g. question 5b which makes strong suggestions about trends but there is no indication of the source of that statement. The term 'existing village envelope' is used in question 4b but there is no definition of that term and therefore answers can only be based on individual assumptions of what that means. In question 4d what is considered 'sufficient'? Sufficient for a population 5000 is considerably different to that required for 50000. Questions Lack Clarity I’m concerned that some questions appear to have been written in such a way that it’s frequently possible to agree with part of the statement, but disagree with other parts and therefore Reponses cannot be specific e.g. question 3b where I can agree that having a local school might have some bearing on the ability to live in the Parish but why would the availability of super fast broadband would be considered in the same statement? Some questions even appear as if they might have been written to elicit a specific response. e.g. question 5b which makes strong suggestions about trends but there is no indication of the source of that statement. The term 'existing village envelope' is used in question 4b but there is no definition of that term and therefore answers can only be based on individual assumptions of what that means. In question 4d what is considered 'sufficient'? Sufficient for a population 5000 is considerably different to that required for 50000. St John's St Mary's School capacity is fundamental for families, with kids in the centre of the village Not getting places this year how will they cope with so many more homes. It's not just St. John's, there need to be a capacity junior school also. Schools It is my opinion that school capacity is being considered based on future population levels after building work, rather than current. I feel the school reflects the village in it's size and look. Development Site Whilst I agree that we don't want to extend the boundary of Mortimer, we must also ensure this doesn't come at a price of tightly compacting every space within the boundary. I didn't move here thinking I'd have everything on my doorstep and we have simple bus routes to Burghfield and Tadley, and a brief train journey to Reading for our convenience. Schools If there is no funding to move St Mary's to a site near St John's, why not move St John's to be near St Mary's? Parking needs to be provided for the station (the present situation is intolerable and dangerous). There is land available near St Mary's for this. A cycle path could be made along The Street. Children enjoy exercise and this will lead to a healthier village. This would reduce congestion in the village Development Site I don't think development should be too focused on the centre of the village if it leads to the centre becoming too busy and having too much traffic movement - i.e. becoming more like a small town. If some development was a little farther from the centre it would retain more of a village feel, and there would still be housing available for those who need to be near the centre. Doctor's Surgery Schools Both schools and doctors need extending not replacing as these were some of the charms that brought us to the village St Mary's Don't Move Having a totally separate junior school incl. its location, is good & healthy for children. It steadily supports their growing up journey to secondary school. In addition, the current St Mary's site is a superb site for a school & should be cherished. Doctor's Surgery Not sure about doctors surgery - it seems like it should be big enough for village of Mortimer - doesn't it serve homes outside of Mortimer though? To me it would make more sense to improve surgeries and GP's around Mortimer - Burghfield for instance, so this better serves neighbouring villages. Anti when i moved into Mortimer I paid a premium to buy a property here because of the rural location and low numbers of proprties available so why should others now get cheaper housing as surely that would not only de-value my property and other existing properties but also ruin the lovely rural feel of Mortimer. Also the schools have been OK for years so if don't move more people into the village then they can remain as and where they are! Parking Traffic consideration to road traffic is of MAJOR CONCERN. The Street traffic is much faster than 30mph. Any additional traffic will make it feel like the M4 and not a village. Parking at the railway station will also need serious consideration unless you intend The street to become a long car park. Parking Traffic Like many residents, my major worry is traffic. Both the volume constantly passing through (often over the speed limit), and is the parked cars which choke the street towards the station and around St Mary's JS. Any scheme which fails to address the massive and growing problem is going to fail in improving the quality of life for people in the village. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move 1. why on earth should St Mary's be relocated in centre of village!! if its not planned until after 2026 there wil be no space as houses will have been built. It's hardly now a stones throw from centre of village as it is! 2. Why does everything need to be in centre of village, we wont be able to move for schools, business and health centres. 3. Development needs to be spread evenly around the whole of Mortimer parish to minimise the impact and keep the rural village community. Development Site Principle 2 I have answered questions 3-5 in the context of providing 110 new homes. However, looking forward and the expectation that WBC will demand a further tranche be provided, which should be strongly resisted, if further developments have to be supplied then the development of homes near the station should be considered but in a manner that does not enable ribbon/infill development down The Street maintaining 4(e) and 4(f) that are essential parts of the vision of Mortimer. Commercial Post Office due to be closed - help required to keep it in the village Principle 3 given the amount of space centrally in the village I'm unclear how possible it will be to provide GP and school provision as well as houses? In principal I agree with the intent. Principle 1 I dont think everyone should be able to live the whole of their lives here even if that's what they wish. When we bought our first home it was in an area that we could afford and we moved to Mortimer when we could afford a house here. I don"t think we can provide enough affordable housing for absolutely everyone. Centre Design not against a bigger St Johns, nor about more homes or a bigger surgery but we must keep the centre of the village open. A huge attraction of the village is the sense of space at its heart. Development Site Principle 1 Prefer it to stay as it is. New settlements should not be at centre of village as this will alter character of village. Place them further away eg opposite Turner's Arms or down hill nearer to station if they must be built at all. Do not agree that all ages should be able to live in Mortimer. It is a superb village and you cannot expect to house everyone. It is something for people to aspire to and work hard to be in a position to buy a house in Mortimer. Schools There are other schools in the area and a lot of people from BurghfieldBarbados take their children to Mortimer schools Housing Mix Speaking as an older couple, there is very little suitable property for downsizing but still maintaining a detached house - eg. 2/3 bed detached. This means we will have to leave Mortimer on retirement , unless we can find something suitable. Housing Mix There is very little suitable property for downsizing eg. 2/3 bed detached close to village centre Design At present the school building and doctors surgery are individual buildings. If new ones are made this architecture will be lost I suspect the old buildings will be pulled down, and a "land developer" will use this space to become richer. Yhe school was last enlarged in 1869, so surely there is a preservation order on it? Principle 1 Principle 2 I like the concept, & enjoy the concept of the 'old fashioned' village community, his is lost once the village starts to spread towards other communities. Because it's seperate entity, it needs its own essential services, but cannot expect to have everything. Please make sure that any new buildings / developments for elderly of the village are used and maintained for locals - not as misused by the original car / elderly co plea of 'Windmill Court'. Development Site Doctor's Surgery Q4a) a site on hammonds Heath, with parking space off the road utilises the old school for surgery etc. c) doubt if this could be acheived Commercial Vision Ensure the village does not become a recreational siteut stays a working village. It is situated in a working farming landscape. So I would hope the walking and cycling would not extend to many unofficial "footpaths" etc Parking People find Mortimer attractive because of the rail links. Currently there is not a large enough car park at the railway station to cater for the current demand. (I have experienced not being able to find a space). Should our numbers increase, this must also be improved as part of the infrastructure. Design Development Site I like being within five minutes of open countryside at the heart of the village. It would be sad if we infilled all th is away. In the meantime, consider providing dedicated shuttle bus to / from St Mary's school to alleviate issues with car parking and safety of pupils old enough to get themselves to / from school Questions Lack Clarity I’m concerned that some questions appear to have been written in such a way that it’s frequently possible to agree with part of the statement, but disagree with other parts and therefore reponses cannot be specific eg question 3b where I can agree that having a local school might have some bearing on the ability to live in the Parish but why would the availability of superfast broadband would be considered in the same statement? Some questions even appear as if they might have been written to elicit a specific response. eg question 5b which makes strong suggestions about trends but there is no indication of the source of that statement. The term 'existing village envelope' is used in question 4b but there is no definition of that term and therefore answers can only be based on individual assumptions of what that means. In question 4d what is considered 'sufficient'? Sufficient for a population 5000 is considerably different to that required for 50000. St Mary's Don't Move I think ST Mary's School is ideally placed and moving the school is not necessary. There is land surrounding the school that may enable expansion without the need to reduce play area size. Development Site I think the village developments should be spread to maintain a village feel and avoid compact estate living. St Mary's Don't Move Q5 c). I don't feel the relocating of St Mary's is necessary. Economically it would be expensive and there really is no need. I walked down from the centre of the village with my son when he want to St Mary's and wasn't a problem. Design Development Site Doctor's Surgery Schools When planning new housing it would be better to position the houses in areas of lower housing density. This would help to keep the village "feel" as opposed to making it feel like a small housing estate. With regards to the health and education facilities, it would be preferable to reduce the intake from outside the Mortimer boundaries to allow them to operate within their original parameters. Continued expansion will only lead to further overuse. Parking The drop off & pick up times are so short that wasting space for a car park seems silly. If people in Burghfield didn't take up school spaces then more would be available for local residents Parking St Mary's Don't Move The school is fine where it is ... lots of play space for the children and lovely environment, very near the church. Need to address the parking problem as a priority. Doctor's Surgery Principle 1 Schools The particular interest in relocating the doctors surgery and St Mary's school is to remove the need for on road parking during surgery time and school play/ parents evening time so making the village easier to navigate and be safer. Doctor's Surgery St Mary's I believe that land should be preserved for St Mary's School to move behind St John's, eeven if this means that it is left fallow for many years. St John's School can one day share facilities and it shows that are serious. Unless we allocate space now, it will not happen in the future. With regard to the surgery, this sounds like a mini hospital! The existing surgery is fine as it is, it is just full of patients from Burghfield, who park there too! Burghfield needs a better surgery of its own. how on earth will that be possible? Design Doctor's Surgery St Mary's Important to maintain absence of street lighting to protect character of area. Decentralised health services may not be efficient or well resourced. Any development on former St Mary's school site should be in keeping with character and density of the area St Mary's Don't Move Q5. See no need to relocate St Mary's junior school. Appreciate parking is a problem but parents seem to convoy children in cars even when school located centrally in the village as at St John's infant school Parking Whilst I agree with the school and surgery I do not agree with the need for more parking. People should be encouraged out of their cars. Doctor's Surgery Safe cycle track including lighting, sufficiently wide pavement (too narrow) connecting top and bottom of village including station with cycle parking. Could improve fitness. Improve access to public transport. 20 minutes to Reading and Basingstoke - define which medical services actually require duplication and who will staff them. Opticians in Reading, basingstoke and Tadley already. Do the GPs require Xray service in the village. Possibly mobile chemotherapy or IV antibiotics for unwell, immobile patients - a chemo bus exists in Basingstoke. Stronger argument to say why we need these services in a village and who will fund them. Development Site Doctor's Surgery Principle 2 I disagree that the new developments should necessarily be at the centre of the village as it is right now. A second centre could be developed close to St Mary's schools and the railway station with a doctors surgery. This would spread the population more evenly and would strengthen the axis between the station and the green and also enable easy access to the station for the residents of the new development. Doctor's Surgery Traffic I strongly believe there should be another doctor / GP practice. Current practice is complacent and uncaring 'competition' would help. I think the schools work ok as they are although traffic worrying particularly speed down hill and we need traffic crossing near St johns St Mary's Site 3 would be an ideal location for a relocated St Mary's school St John's I don't believe keeping development in the centre site 7 will reduce people using cars. St. John's is already there and it doesn't stop parents driving their kids to school Parking St John's St Mary's St John's parking is fine. Outside play space should take better advantage of the tennis courts football pitch and open grass on the fairground. We live in a village, the doctors surgery is large and well equipped. There are two chemists. Further healthcare provision should be accessed via reading and basingstoke hospitals. Resolve the issue of parking at St Mary's. Offer free bus to transfer kids between top and bottom of village. Doctor's Surgery Mortimer adequately served by 2 hospitals in basingstoke and reading plus thatcham' s minor injuries unit. It has a good recently developed doctors surgery and 2 chemists. Further development will not serve Mortimer residents, but actually serve the surrounding villages which may take business from those centres causing the failure alternate village amenities Housing Mix Parking St Mary's St Mary's parking need to be safer and there is nothing affordable housing for young adults to live they have to move away Parking St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's should remain where it is and provided parking opposite and a proper crossing put in place Doctor's Surgery A new larger surgery with additional facilities, in a better location, is a good idea but I am doubtful whether the necessary money and extra staff would be forthcoming Design Development Site Land closest to the village centre (NDP area7) needs to be safeguarded for the development of essential services & facilities such as junior and primary schools and colleges, health care and leisure facilities, police and council offices, shops and car and bus parking to provide easy access for all residents. Schools Both schools must be large enough to accept all village children and allow for automatic transfer from the infant school to the junior school Schools Both schools must be large enough to accept all village children, and allow for automatic transfer from the infant school to the junior school Centre Design St Mary's Don't Move I disagree that St Mary's school should relocate to the village centre. If everything is centralised, the village will lose character and the village centre will become a compact unpleasant area. St Mary's Don't Move In principle I agree with most of what is said, however, I do not see the need for St Mary's to move. Is there no scope to expand or develop it on its current site? Traffic What will e done to the incoming and outgoing roads to the village especially The Street as the traffic and road noise has peaked at this point. With 110 new homes comes approx 220 new cars!! Doctor's Surgery Traffic The surgery can hardly cope as it is now. Developing the village further will only make things worse and increase he traffic issue Anti Housing Mix The proposed developments will overcrowd the village even with new proposed school and doctors surgery. Why spoil a lovely place to live. Will there be plenty of homes for young people who already live into the village but won't be able to afford them! Anti Housing Mix I feel proposed developments will ruin the life and substance of the village especially as the most of the homes will be executive homes which will not offer opportunities for young buyers to stay in their village Commercial Traffic The road infrastructure will struggle with the centralising schools/health etc. It's not just the local village we should consider but the infrastructure around us for example secondary education and where the 'local' children will be accepted if the schools are not able to take the numbers. The Post Office is currently under threat of services closing so no support is being offered to the services that really matter to some of the community, St John's A new purpose built St. John's would be great Anti Housing Mix Mortimer does not need this extra housing. It is a desirable village because of it's amenities, but the people who wish to move here, would have no intention of buying in the middle of a large housing estate - and certainly current owners wishing to downsize, similarly would not. Schools Both schools should be merged Commercial 3 c - I agree to have local employment, but object to large industrial parks, so keeping the village as a rural area Commercial 3c agreed strongly but not large industrial units or business park, possible usage of unused farm buildings (ie as is Butlers Farm) Commercial Ref q3 business development should be office or shop based or small business units - not industrial development Schools if you make st johns bigger and move st marys in to the centre of the village the traffic/congestion in the centre of the village will be too much. this will also mean people will have to move from the centre of the village to the outskirts to create space. Would have been good to keep the post office as it is Design St Mary's Not withstanding no near term priority for a junior school (5c) there must be a site for this identified BEFORE housing developments are permitted to fill identified site 7 Biased questionnaire You have constructed a set of questions that leads the respondent to answer in a particular way and therefore not exactly unbiased. You clearly have a determined agenda that you are trying to reinforce with a biased questionnaire. Development Site Principle 2 Building houses close to the centre of the village is important maintaining the village togetherness, not spreading out towards other villages. Commercial Design Doctor's Surgery St Mary's 3) The village is a rural, residential area and the provision of homes and services, rather than new businesses should be the priority of the NDP 5) Would need further clarification regarding the possible relocation of St Marys school and the future of the current school site in particular! 5)Medical services should not be de-centralised but should be concentrated in one place which is able to provide specialist skills. A developed doctor's surgery, as described above, would need to be MUCH bigger than currently, even before providing parking provision and would be inappropriate in the centre of the village Parking St Mary's Rather than relocation of St Mary's perhaps try making it more user friendly with the provision of parking areas and street pastors to walk children or accompany them on their journey from the village. St John's St John's is part of Mortimer's history. If St John's school is demolished and rebuilt it should remain St John's and a church school. Doctor's Surgery Schools The two schools are what make this village so appealing. If we make them larger, they will lose what makes them 'special' and turn them into just another large faceless school. With regards to your proposals for additional medical services, have you sought advice on the cost and commissioning of these services as I cannot see how a village (even with another 110 homes) would be financially viable for these services. Development Site With parking an issue at the schools and station new housing should be between the station and the centre of the village. Schools The 2 schools are distinct to the village and work well separately. Both are successful in terms of Ofsted and larger schools bring additional problems in terms of recruitment and maintaining the village school identity. St John's St Mary's Currently, St John's isn't up to full capacity (that I'm aware). St Mary's is where we require the support/development. I've 'disagree as such development is unlikely until 2026 Schools I think having a combined Infant and Junior School (or separate schools with shared facilities) within the heart of the village would be a godsend for local families and solve many of the parking/access issues at the current St Mary's - would this be something that any future developers could fund if given the contract to build? Centre Design St Mary's Don't Move I support the creation of a stronger feel of a village centre in Mortimer which I believe relocating St Mary's would go a long way towards creating. I am also concerend for the safety of children who travel to St Mary's by foot or cycle as the busy road and narrow pavements with very few safe crossing places make it precarious, in my view. Centre Design St Mary's Don't Move It would be great to create more of a "village centre" feel to Mortimer and I find it hard how this will be done without moving St. Mary's up to the centre. In addition to this, the main road is very busy at peak times and I am increasingly concerned as to the safety of the children walking / cycling to school given the traffic and relatively narrow pavements. Parking Parking provision should not be a priority, residents should be encouraged to walk/cycle. Commercial Development Site Principle 2 I am strongly of the opinion that developments need not be in the supposed centre of the village. On the contrary, I think having developments more spread out would help to maintain the rural nature of Mortimer, which is its prime attraction and what makes it a desirable place to live. Development at the East end of Mortimer, around the station, seems most logical to me, as there are many residents who commute by train, myself included, and having housing near the station would encourage more of these people to walk/cycle. Having no additional people driving to the station would also not worsen the problem of overcrowding in the station car park and the overflow that stretches along the road from the station. Local business in Mortimer is not a primary factor in these developments; residents have little need of more than what already exists. Without huge investments in developments of things like leisure complexes, clothes and electrical goods shops and other such buildings, there will be very little gain for Mortimer residents, who can find all of these services in nearby villages and the town of Reading, only a 12- minute train journey away. The only business-oriented development I feel would be beneficial is another grocery store at the East end of Mortimer, if a housing development is conducted there (both to ease the traffic through the village and for the convenience of the people living in the vicinity). However, though I am no expert on the subject, I find it difficult to see how another grocery store would get enough business to be sustainable unless there was substantial development on the East side of Mortimer. Doctor's Surgery Schools Before worrying about a new surgery or adding additional services, the service provided by the current surgery needs to improve. Better availability of appointments, and a rethink of the compulsory telephone consultation prior to being allowed to have an urgent appointment. If I wish for my child to be checked over by a doctor, that should be able to happen, not waiting 2 weeks for a routine appointment or to see if a Dr on the end of a phone deems it necessary. Increasing provisions in both schools are desperately needed, 32/33 in a class is too many and only benefits the "normal" child who is typical in all aspects of development. Parking St Mary's Don't Move Safe parking at St Mary's school needs to be addressed Development Site Principle 2 There are a few areas to develop housing, however I believe Mortimer is a commuter/ retirement village and with public transport being limited it will not suit everyone as a place to live. Keeping Mortimer small ensures that the centre is within a few minutes walk so it will encourage people to walk along with their children to school, doctors etc. Schools Despite issues with the two schools, they are part of Mortimer's heritage and hold a lot of sentimental value to Mortimer's community members, knocking them down would result in a loss of history and community Design St Mary's Don't Move Completely disagree with all facilities being in the centre of the village. The schools have been separate for years and is great for the children's learning curve to move from one school to another. The Post Office is already planned to close in the near future which is a real loss to some people who have lived in the village for many years. Try to maintain or improve bus services. Perhaps a hoppa bus looping through the village all day long facilitating movement for those who don't have cars / are older. Parking St John's Parking seems fine at St Johns, and there were spaces in my son's year as well as classmates coming from Burghfield. St John's should also be encouraged to use the common for sport / activities. I very much like the fact that the infant and junior schools are separate. Residents of Burghfield should be discouraged from using Mortimer surgery as they have their own facility, so it simply increases congestion within the surgery and on the roads. Parking St Mary's Don't Move Parking needs to be a priority at St Mary's Commercial How would Mortimer NDP help support local successful business? Especiall small startups that operate in the village? Anti Doctor's Surgery Schools 3a - people are prepared to travel to work and are very 'mobile' these days. This idea is not realistic. Teachers, doctors go where the work is don't want long journeys. 3c - the village will become too big (a town) in no time if we encourage businesses. It should meet need when required. 5 - again existing sites could be enlarged to meet growing demands. Anti Doctor's Surgery Schools 3a is nanny state social engineering 5. There facilities should grow as needed on existing sites St Mary's Don't Move I think St Mary's school is fine where it is currently. More should be done to encourage children / adults to walk down to the school, rather than drive eg a scheme which encorporates an 'escorted' walk to the school for those children who are not allowed to walk 'alone'. Or a shuttle bus to reduce parking outside the school at peak times Doctor's Surgery With the exception of parking, I feel the doctors surgery is already very adequate for the village in its size and offers more than other local surgeries - pharmacy, physio on site etc. Centre Design Doctor's Surgery Post office - where? Heart of the village - where? Cycle lanes or cycle provision too costly in terms of space and funding. Surgery - compulsory purchase of properties adjacent to current surgery to allow for expansion and parking. Optician not required. Anti Commercial Doctor's Surgery Schools Leave St Marys school where it is, there is space to expand in that area. Sort out parking at that end of the village; use of the parking field next to the church. I do not agree with increasing the amount of shared equity housing. I do not want to see more businesses move into the village, there is sufficient commercial enterprises already with good links to areas outside of the village for employment. The school and Doctors do not need to be in the Heart of the village e.g. they could be on the land on the opposite side of the road to the playing field adjacent to the Turners arms. Traffic The issue we have is the speed limit leading to the junior school currently this is 30 mph however most people are doing 40mph plus we need speed cameras and speed bumps on the street leading to and from the village centre as new houses will further increase the traffic and the speed Commercial Do not want to see more businesses in Mortimer, we are a village, Doctor's Surgery Schools I think it should be remembered that Mortimer is supposed to be a village and although certain extra facilities would be nice if funds were endless in reality it should not be expected. If residents want large schools and health facilities like x Rays, they would be better off living in a town or city. Centre Design Commercial I think the centre of the village is already attractive. I think there is enough business in the centre. I wouldn't like to see more houses turned into shops...i like the amount of employment opportunities already . St John's St John's currently advertising for more pupils in local ad magazines so is 5a correct? St Mary's Don't Move 5c St Mary's is ok where it is IF children can make their own way there, which means better traffic calming and pavements suitable for pedestrians and less confident cyclists. A good start would be enforcing existing speed limits. St Mary's Don't Move 5c) I am concerned at what might happen to the attractive School building if it were to become redundant as an educational establishment. If its future could be guaranteed against inappropriate development, or, worse, demolition, I would be a great deal happier. Doctor's Surgery St John's St Mary's Don't Move I do not consider St Mary's school to be located too far from the village centre. It is certainly walkable, which I did with my children for several years. Increasing the size of st john's school and doctors surgery in the centre of the village would make it feel cramped. and take away the spacious village feel. Anti None No More Housing No. 4 Stephens Firs green triangle, this area makes Stephens Firs feel open and children use it for playing and their parents can see where they are and that they are safe and also if you built on it it would make it feel closed and then the estate would, because closed in. We have lived here for 50 years and you have built houses round the back of the estate and enough building as been done in this area Schools St Mary's Don't Move Why does St Mary's Junior School have to be moved? Where it is at the moment is still classed as Mortimer. Can the two schools be classed as one school, this would be better for the pupils, parents also teachers. This suggestion for the future. St Mary's Don't Move Question 5c needs to be addressed sooner St Mary's Don't Move Affordability must underpin plans, to ensure realism eg no significant need to move junior school No More Housing Our small rural village has become too big. This all needs to STOP! No more housing, no more development. We will merge into Burghfield and Tadley at this rate!! Development Site Doctor's Surgery 1. I think the doctors surgery is well placed and central to the village. Do we need a larger surgery for increased population? 2. Protecting unused sites from future development seems a priority. If this is not completed this development plan is futile. No More Housing St Mary's Don't Move I think Mortimer is lovely as it is. More houses will ruin the village. I believe there was a few years ago an opportunity for St Mary's School to relocate to what is now the Strawberry Fields estate. I also believe this was rejected by Mortimer Parish Council. Where would it go, we are at capacity as it is! Doctor's Surgery It is not necessary for opticians to be part of the surgery. Thatcham hospital seems fine for extended services. Short wait for X-ray. I had to go there for out of hours doctors so unless gp's intend to open all hours better to use Thatcham. Principle 2 4c and f are questions of personal preference and relate to how much someone favours to retain the status quo. In my view they have nothing to do with the second principle. Development Site station development with car parking for station and school St John's how are you going to make St john's bigger? and where? Doctor's Surgery Please add an NHS dentist not just for under 18 year olds Principle 1 if property is 'available' in the village for residents who wish to stay in the village, that's fine but to make it 'a must have available' I think is impractical and probably unworkable Development Site Principle 2 2nd principle- i don't think new development necessarily needs to be near the centre of the village St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's school should be developed, and completed in full, before any house building is commenced. Traffic at the junction of Mortimer Lane and The Street it is very dangerous for traffic / pedestrians. There is nowhere to park safely. The exit for Mortimer Lane is hazardous. When there is a fatal accident perhaps something will be altered. Housing Mix St Mary's Don't Move Traffic 1. I believe st Mary's school should stay central to the viallage and the car park facing the Horse and Groom pub, extended, in order to allow more parking for everyone in the village / centre. 2 - I feel strongly that the (110 site 7) be considered , in order too reduce rush hour traffic flow, from the proposed sites directly filtering into the village. 3 - x 2 of my own adult children have had to leave the village to find accommodation elsewhere, so single person accommodation to residents living in the village - should (as suggested) be made available. Centre Design the ambition to improve the centre of the village without spoiling the concept of village life - requires more land available - how will this be achieved? If a new school is built behind the pub - could the old school original buildings be converted to private or small office spaces St Mary's Don't Move I don't believe it is necessary to move St Mary's school, however what does need to be considered is the parking and / or transport of pupils to the village safely, so as to alleviate the parking / traffic issue. Schools St John's regarding St Mary's and St John's schools. If the catchment area was more restricted to village children, such drastic measures would not be needed. Especially at St Mary's. Also, I disagree that St John's could not be relocated behind the present one. It appears to be a sensible idea and the old premises could be incorporated as parking or playground. Doctor's Surgery Schools a lot of rich parish people use the school and doctors surgery - this is impacting the capacity of both. I know people living in Reading using Doctor's Surgery Schools the least change possible with exception of relocating the schools and enlargement of the village medical is what I would prefer Development Site Develop houses near to the Station Housing Mix No More Housing Mortimer is a self contained village (increasingly rare these days) which will be spoiled by further development. My husband and I refute the need for further housing in Mortimer. Mortimer must not become another version of Tilehurst. Instead of building in Mortimer, further building expansion should be made on brown field sites in Reading, where there are already suitable locations and the infrastructure. This should be done before any green field sites in Mortimer are used by irresponsible developers for easy profit. Our green spaces are precious and we need to preserve them at all costs. Any “affordable” housing in Mortimer will inevitably end up as “un-affordable” housing due to schemes like the “right to buy”. Houses in Mortimer are already too expensive and further development will make them more expensive. A house should be a home – not an investment. Housing Mix No More Housing Mortimer is a self contained village (increasingly rare these days) which will be spoiled by further development. My wife and I refute the need for further housing in Mortimer. Mortimer must not become another version of Tilehurst. Instead of building in Mortimer, further building expansion should be made on brown field sites in Reading, where there are already suitable locations and the infrastructure. This should be done before any green field sites in Mortimer are used by irresponsible developers for easy profit. Our green spaces are precious and we need to preserve them at all costs. Any “affordable” housing in Mortimer will inevitably end up as “un-affordable” housing due to schemes like the “right to buy”. Houses in Mortimer are already too expensive and further development will make them more expensive. A house should be a home – not an investment. St Mary's Don't Move St. Mary's junior school is linked with st Mary's church. You can not move it away from the church. If more places are needed, build a NEW school, and call it Mortimer Primary St Mary's Don't Move Need to make better parking/drop off provision for st marys school and consider options to help keep kids walking to school safe ASAP. Mini bus? Design Housing Mix I propose a proportion of dedicated housing / services for the elderly near to the centre of the village to create an exemplary facilities for older residents. Doctor's Surgery Schools Why can't a joint primary and junior school be built,and the surgery put on the St. John's site.st Mary's and the surgery site can then be redeveloped? Doctor's Surgery Schools My main concern is that the schools and doctors surgery is improved if extra housing is provided in the village Schools re Q5 (a) & (c) there needs to be priority access to places at the schools for children resident in the village. Development Site Schools Why can't infant and junior school be built together,and the land it free's up have a surgery built on it,ie St. John's and then allow houses to be built on st.marys Mary's? Doctor's Surgery Schools If the village is to have more housing, there must be provision of larger schools and sufficient medical centre at the same time. Schools St Mary's Don't Move St Johns and St Mary's should be kept on separate sites as it is great that children can begin school life in a school that is not too overwhelming. If the schools join and get larger I would have looked elsewhere for a school with a village feel to it, if we are not careful Mortimer will feel suburban..... Burghfield residents should use their own doctors surgery rather than relying on Mortimer, if this happened Burghfield's facilities would improve and Mortimer might not be need a new surgery. As mentioned St Mary's should stay where it is otherwise it will become a housing estate but the footpaths should be widened mainly by cutting back massively overgrown and unkept hedges and trees. A minibus for school shuttle runs would alleviate parking issues and could possibly be part funded by residents? St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's junior school should not be relocated, as the current site provides a fantastic environment for a junior school, which could not be provided in the centre of the village. This move would also contribute to the increasing number of traditional school buildings being replaced with soulless modern structures built exclusively for practicality, whereas, as previously stated the current school provides a brilliant and unique environment. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move I do not believe that there is a need for St Mary's to be relocated, but for Mortimer to develop further down the Street. The thoughts behind this it that at present the School and Rail links seem segregated from the village, but increasing housing near to the school and train station will make the Street safer and bring these into the village. Doctor's Surgery Schools Our surgeries and schools are perfectly adequate for village needs Development Site Principle 2 I do not agree with te premise of every proposal being near and emanating from the current village centre. A netowrk, or criss-cross development has its merits and avoids hub transport movement, too. St Mary's Don't Move There needs to be consideration given in the short term to the ability of parents to drop off and possibly park at St. Marys - my children will hopefully attend the school in a couple of years and already i am concerned about the facility to park and drop off (we live the other end of the village and I work so cannot always have the luxury of walking) - it is just dangerous at present. Has anyone considered a 'walking bus' option for parents from the centre of the village. Centre Design Locating many services and homes within the vicinity of the village centre is likely to prove unachievable due to lack of space. The village needs to retain its identity as a village, not provide the services normally associated with a town or city. If residents wish to have those services locally, they always have the choice to live in a town or city. Commercial I think that Mortimer needs a larger corporation to relocate, and maybe a business part? As it's on the fringes of Reading and London, a more commercial outlook should be taken on the future development of Mortimer. I would say that a greater asset would be to harvest wood from the nearby woodland area, and turn it into a small scale airfield, to allow easier transportation fro business executives, that cannot get to mortimer at this present time due to appalling public transport links that only favor elderly residents who cannot invest in the future of Mortimer. Design Where I disagree above it is because to agree would tend to increase the urbanisation of the village. Urbanisation meaning the loss of village character by in-fill building, reduction in garden size by over-development, more driveways and patios covering ground. Also urbanisation means removal of trees, hedges and open areas between housing where children can play and bio-diversity is reduced due to denser human presence. I think limited lower density building on the margins of the village could retain a sense of open space without the risk of 'joining up with Burghfield Common' for example. This is achieved by establishing buffering wildlife sites quid pro quo of approving developments. Development Site Doctor's Surgery Housing Mix Schools West Berkshire should be pressured into giving priority to the immediate merger of St Mary's and St John's Schools on to a new site behind St. John's School, Well away from 'The Street' the new enlarged doctors surgery should be located there as well. The old site of St Mary's school should be given over entirely to the development of family houses of which at least one third should be affordable housing. The land should become part of a land swap agreement with land owners and developer to achieve this result. The only hosing on the central site should be bungalow for elderly long term residents of Mortimer who are downsizing and need to be within walking distance of amenities as they get older. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move If St Marys is moved - what will happen to the land the school is on? Would this ten make space for even further development which would be unfavourable Schools Disgraceful that siblings are separated at such an early age. Development Site Schools Every effort should be made to merge St. Mary's and St. John's School, away from the Street, on land behind St. John's in the center of the village and the land currently occupied by St. Mary's used for Private housing with appropriate planning gains for the village. St Mary's Don't Move how can you relocate st mary's when there is NO ROOM WHATSOEVER in the village.. leave it where it is but get some PARKING in place.. St John's St Mary's Don't Move Does not cover the question of whether St Johns and St Mary's should be combined - I do not think they should be. no comment Design The current set up is danger-ridden. We have 21st century development being planned with a 19th social century infrastructure. St Mary's Don't Move I strongly feel that relocation of St Mary's Junior School should be considered in the short term as it would have significant impact in the long term. Doctor's Surgery St John's Centralise catchment for st.johns that in turn will reduce car dependency The current nhs care in conjunction with main hospitals appears to work. Parking is sufficiently provided to ratio of doctors/patients as I can see. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move Traffic The centre of the village already has traffic problems without adding to them with the total development being option 7 Further development should be in keeping with the village and spread between other options where it will integrate with the village and not a very large housing estate. Two or three smaller developments would be much better. St Mary's junior school should stay where it is and where it belongs, next to St Mary's Church. Generations of villagers have been pupils at that school. Schools I feel as if there is an over-focus on schools which is blocking other uses i think it is more important to clear the pathways from shrubs/bushes/weeds, so the children can walk safely to school Schools The provision of sufficient school,places at all levels is vital to the successful sustainable development of the village Doctor's Surgery Not convinced about decentralised health services. Could be inefficient and poorly resourced. Principle 1 For the first principle, people who want to go to university can't spend their whole lives here and it wouldn't be possible to accommodate them, as the area is a desirable place to live and cannot be afforded on student finance. Centre Design St John's If you move St Johns school use existing area as village car park with lighting St John's Reference St. John's school . You say their open space is not sufficient and west Berks council supports this. Are you sure about this. There are many schools who have less play open space in west Berkshire. Doctor's Surgery The Surgery needs to be relocated and enlarged to better suit the needs of the Parish. If a suitable site can be found then the existing Surgery site could be allocated for housing Doctor's Surgery St Mary's rural villages should not have 'hospital' facilities - leave the school where it is, walking may be good the children one day. if people want large city facilities on their doorstep then they should move to the city Parking St Mary's Don't Move A car park or school bus to mast Mary's would suffice. Doctor's Surgery The doctors surgery currently has inadequate parking and is at capacity (based on how long it takes to get appointments) - the health requirements of an extended village needs to be a top priority. Doctor's Surgery St Mary's Don't Move The school is large enough for current needs and has appropriate space. moving it elsewhere would: 1. increase the space required for the new development 2. mean that the school site will be developed and lead to a ribbon style village Current Drs surgery seems well located and adequate for current needs. Arguement 1 given above also applies to moving the surgery. Any further, future development of the village must be kept to a minimum and developers should put 40% of projected profit into paying for the upgrading /enlarging of the current schools and medical centre. Schools Ideally look to combine the two primary schools into a single provision, with good access and outdoor space. Doctor's Surgery St Mary's Don't Move 5.b: Extra surgery space is obviously necessary as the village grows, but additional services should be limited to what is needed and appropriate within a village surgery. Accessible transport links should be maintained and improved in order to access existing services (e.g. drop in centres and opticians) in neighbouring towns. 5.c: Moving a school seems like a disruptive, expensive suggestion and I'm not clear what the benefits would be. Doctor's Surgery St Mary's Don't Move 5.b: surgery capacity obviously needs to grow along with village growth, but additional services should be added only as needed and we should ensure that accessible transport links to larger areas are available to enable use of services (e.g. Opticians) that already exist in those locations. 5.c: moving the school seems a lot of effort and I'm not quite clear what the benefits would be. Housing Mix Schools The schools can not accommodate any more children. Schools must be addressed before any housing plans. We have paid over the top prices to live in a village location, and people say build more houses so our kids can live here, sadly they can't afford to on a starters wage so maybe more renting or rentals buy houses wpuld be a good way to go. It always makes me cross when I see people in housing association houses being placed in the village who don't work, when there are hardworking people who can't afford to buy in the village a 3 bed house... So maybe some 3 bed affordable homes for those that work would be best as well...coming in around the 250,000 to 275,000 price range. Housing Mix The basic principle of allowing everyone born in the parish to live in the parish is a mathematical, and logical, impossibility. The parish should decide on a number of residences, in total and type, and then build towards these goals over time. St John's St John's School is part of the village history - the site/original buildings should remain but be extended to meet demands. What happened to the grass area that used to have the big shoe and fort to the rear of the back playground years ago, the back playground is tiny now in comparison yet there are more children? Could the site be extended to the rear? No need for parking at the school (possibly improved fairground parking could help but walking routes should be encouraged as a priority) Schools If the schools are within the heart of the village they shouldn't need extensive parking. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move I think the location of St Mary's is fine and we have to be realistic about the spread of the village. It would be preferable to connect with the lower end of the village and improve St Mary's where it is than try and squeeze everything in the top end of the village and crowd everyone in. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move I honestly think the location of Mortimer St Mary's is really fine, and we need to work on the connection between the two ends of the village rather than prioritising one end over the other. Development Site Please do not build on the small triangle in Stephen's Firs, thus destroying the open feel of the area, woodland and wildlife. There must be more suitable areas, less crowded Development Site Please do noy use the green at Stephen's Firs as we do not want just an estate that as nothing but houses on our estate but leave the green as it is to make a pleasant looking area Parking Schools for both schools, particularly St Mary's, parking must be improved as soon as possible St Mary's Don't Move Ref Q5 (c) I think St Mary's Junior School could be moved to rear of St John's School so at the moment if a parent has a child at each school it is difficult so the distance is so great for each child starting school at approx. same time Doctor's Surgery Schools Question 5b sounds like a hype project. How many people from Burghfield, Grazeley and Beech Hill use Mortimer Surgery? Could such a new centre be sited in Grazeley or Beech Hill Roads, and a 'voluntary bureau' style transport service be used - if necessary. Any changes should be done in consultation with neighbouring parishes. 5c Area 7 could be used for both primary schools, with vacated land used for housing Schools Can a and c be achieved at the same time? Is integrate the infants and juniors, allowing for smoother transitions from one to another for the children, and easier drop offs/collections for parents? St Mary's Don't Move c) The community will be subsidizing the CoE as it will benefit from the land sale. Doctor's Surgery I doubt if there is a move towards decentralised specialist health services when the trend is towards centres of excellence. We need good direct public transport to the local hospitals Parking St John's St Mary's Don't Move With regard to (a) new larger St John's School. This is essential not only for the education of the children but also to relieve parking congestion at school times. This is even more important for St Mary's. Parking outside is very dangerous. Parking at the surgery for an appointment is difficult and blocks traffic flow. Schools I think growth of the village would necessitate a new infants and junior school St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's School has sufficient space to cater for all its needs however, what is required is (a) construction of a car park for drop off and pick up of children (b) car park should be in field across the road from school (c) a pelican crossing and suitable signage to control traffic up and down the street Doctor's Surgery 5B NHS optician and dentist essential Commercial Development Site Doctor's Surgery I think with the restricted land available it will be impossible to keep housing, schools, a new doctors surgery with additional parking, for all these, near the centre of the village - where? An enlarged surgery does not need to include an optician, the inclusion of the pharmacy has had an impact on the other chemist in the village. No further business developments such as this, should not have a bad impact on current businesses Principle 2 Schools, health / welfare infrastructure not mentioned in the 2nd Principle Development Site Doctor's Surgery Relocation of existing surgery will provide additional land for housing Doctor's Surgery The doctors surgery should be extended so that it can cope with the amount of residents in the village. And not the neighbouring villages! St John's Why would st john's be moved it is possible to walk there from the village at the moment, and is a lovely building. Commercial Design The key element is that we retain a village atmosphere and environment. Thats what attracts people to our village, so we must retain this element. As soon as we allow our village to grow, covering more encompassing services or business we will loose a key part of our character and identity, with resultant loss of the currenty uniqueness and satisfaction of locals. Parking St Mary's Don't Move Better, safer parking at St Mary's would help in the short term Doctor's Surgery Schools The school and surgery don't need to be near the centre only close. Principle 2 NDP 2 - do not want to discourage car usage. Doctor's Surgery Schools A new Dr's surgery is essential to accommodate 110 houses with adequate parking away from the main roads. A new surgery should be big enough to have additional practitioners e.g. podiatry/physio/OT and other therapists. School/surgery should be together to reduce the need to drive to them esp. for low cost housing. Parking St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's is a good school, however if you do have two children in different schools the time allowance for drop off and pick ups is tight. A problem is the lack of parking, especially at St Mary's. Maybe this is something that could be addressed? Doctor's Surgery The centre of the village cannot accommodate everything. Decentralising health services whilst beneficial for villagers will only draw in a wider population who will access those services. The health centre should only expand in a limited way. Other centres such as Tadley or Theale would be better locations. Design St John's ReQu 5. St John's is walkable from anywhere in the village - pupils and parent should be encouraged to walk in fact example supervise walking trains, additional car parking is not the answer. Free transport to these facilities e.g. minibus - hospital cars would be a better option at a town location e.g. Reading. Re-location of St Mary's is not an immediate priority. Green space in the village is at a premium and should not all become car parking. Parking St Mary's Don't Move No reason to move St Mary's school as long as adequate parking and safe walking path is provided at existing site! Doctor's Surgery Mortimer surgery should be for Mortimer residents only Parking St Mary's Don't Move With regard to 5(c) Action is urgently needed to provide adequate car parking for St Mary's school. The present situation with cars parked along The Street is unsafe, in some part due to the stupidity of parents. One day there is going to be an accident. Doctor's Surgery Our doctors surgery should be accessible to all and provide enhanced services for local people of all ages enabling them to take charge of their own health and well being St Mary's Don't Move Relocation of St. Mary's means something would need to be knocked down to make room. Current boundaries won't allow that. If parking is resolved, there is space for expansion on the current site St John's Don't need extensive parking for St John as it should only be for Mortimer residents who will be local. Parking Feel it is unlikely to be possible to have all the services (schools, surgery etc.) in the centre or heart of the village as each requires considerable parking. Feel that parking spaces are very important to successful use of facilities (witness difficulties with station). So some services might be better placed towards the edge of the village but not too far out. Need to prioritise the 'de-carbonising' of Mortimer - climate change needs to be included. Development Site St Mary's Don't Move Qu 4. 'Ribbon style' development already exists. The 'old' Mortimer was originally down by the railway station. Q5 5. By implication, St Mary's Junior school should be developed when necessary in its existing position - there is space within the 'ribbon' Housing Mix Principle 1 Ref qu 3. It's wrong to assume everyone who is on their own or old or children moved out will want to downsize. Many or most people I know want to stay in their family home. Although good to have some reasonable priced housing I would not want a situation where affordable - cheap hosing is placed altogether and the area to become a 'trouble' spot - already in other areas of the village where cheap houses are there is more social problems. Doctor's Surgery 10 years in Mortimer and not once ever had an issue at the surgery with a need for appointments. See no need for a larger surgery where staff are not retained in the NHS or Gp Surgery and difficult to find anyhow Principle 3 Third NDP principle: this should also consider a plan to ensure Willink School has enough capacity for secondary pupils and footpath and cycle path through the woods is developed to ensure safe travel. Development Site I don't think having the development in the centre of the village will reduce people using cars. This is already proved at present. The majority of parents who take their children to St John's could quite easily walk. The same with the surgery. Anti The village is fin as it is - ANY development of any kind will spoil it forever. No social/affordable housing in Mortimer - go somewhere else ... Design St Mary's Don't Move As the centre of the village is already targeted to provide larger surgey, larger infant school...how are you going to place another primary there...? as there are also more houses in such a small area...? Parking St Mary's Don't Move MSM shouldn't be moved, just create a car park for families and consider other ways to get children from the village down to MSM. St Mary's Don't Move Moving St Mary's would destroy the historical importance of the school and its setting and surroundings . No More Housing Mortimer does not require further development, There is plenty of opportunity to develop near large towns, such as Reading and Basingstoke, without developing rural areas. St Mary's Don't Move I am concerned that if St Marys school moves to a new location, the schools historical roots will be lost and the connection with the church will be severed. The character of St Marys school is important to the village and forms part of its heritage. Development Site Doctor's Surgery Current surgery is adequate but parking is dangerous. Ribbon development is desirable choice. Design Need to keep character of village, so minimise new developments. Extend exciting facilities, not new ones. Don't want more monstrosities like Budgens, or new large schools / surgeries. St Mary's Don't Move I see no need to move MSM - the investment required is disproportionate to the benefit. Parking St Mary's Insufficient parking facilities at St. Mary's school, which make walking and driving to and from the school extremely dangerous should mean that moving this or providing sufficient parking facilities a priority way before 2026. St Mary's I feel that St Mary's Junior School maybe should be moved to nearer the centre of the village, but shorter term the issue of encouraging walking to school instead of many car journeys should be emphasised. Schools Traffic Putting both schools in the center of the village would increase traffic in the village during the school-run Design Doctor's Surgery Mortimer is a lovely village and new housing should fit in with the village. It has a good atmosphere but feel GP surgery needs to be bigger to meet current demands of people that live in Mortimer. Parking at the surgery is appalling. Development Site Concern the village will become too squashed up & over developed. Also, I was under the impression that the Post Office is closing down so being close to it is irrelevant. The outskirts of the village towards the train station are under developed. Questions Lack Clarity Schools Are we just talking of Mortimer Common, not West End or Stratfield Mortimer - too vague (see above - comments made Q4 - highlighted Post Office - I understand is closing end 2015! next to Q4 (a) & (b) & (f) Too vague is written. Next to Q5 (c) wrote Very poor - an integrated Infant / Junior school should be created NOW when changes are made, freeing up the jnr school site for residences near the station). There is nothing in this plan to ease access to the station for comments, whether a foot or bus, nor to relocate the Jnr School which causes access issues for pupils and traffic issues for everyone else at school times. If the field must be built on, surely it is time to have ONE village school. The increase in traffic in the heart of the village and continued necessity to access the station and Jnr School is a recipe for disaster - very disappointing! Development Site Principle 3 it is too optimistic to believe that sufficient land will be available to meet the criteria set out in the third principle. Alternative should be considering provision of additional sites to supplement existing parish No More Housing My preference is to maintain Mortimer as a village and not a small town. Therefore I believe it should cap the population as per current numbers Parking St Mary's Don't Move ST Mary's School is fine, its the parking/transport arrangements are what need sorting out. Development Site Extending the village envelope & developing on land that is more accessible, results in fewer building challenges, would be more practical and result in better homes. Additionally, it would also not concentrate congestion into the middle of the village and if the sites opposite the Turner's Arms were considered, it would not push traffic down tight narrow country lanes. Development Site Traffic Extending the village envelope & developing on land that is more accessible, results in fewer building challenges, would be more practical and would result in better homes. Additionally, it would also not concentrate congestion into the middle of the village and if the sites opposite the Turner's Arms were considered, it would not push traffic down tight narrow country lanes. St Mary's Don't Move I have never heard anything more ridiculous than moving St Mary's Housing Mix Moved in when I was 2 and more than anything i wish to live here in Mortimer till it is my time to exit the world of the living and for me that would mean more places for low income people to afford housing in the village with priority to those who live here already but are looking to move out from parents or are having parents close to end to be blunt! Doctor's Surgery Parking Schools I find the current doctors surgery very adequate for my needs. It is a very good size and fantastic that it can offer physiotherapy- I know residents in Earley for example often have to travel to Wokingham. The car parking facilities ate undoubtedly limited but I do not see a solution for that - it us what it is. I'm lucky that I am walking distance. Regarding schools a combined school would be ideal but I have concerns about the traffic pressure that might add to the top of the village. That said it is beyond chaotic outside St Mary's and there is a definite need to find a parking / drop off & collection solution for children attending school and commuters passing at those peak times. Doctor's Surgery Schools Just use existing space and expand doctors surgery - no need to relocate. Schools need parents to allow children to walk rather than drive and clutter roads - no further development necessary Development Site Principle 3 These facilities should be located where most people live to minimise the need for people to travel to them by car Development Site Principle 3 It would be beneficial to locate schools and services where most people live minimising the need for people to drive to these facilities. Parking Traffic with further development and therefore more traffic through the village there must be provision for: 1. Better / safer paths and crossing for walking to school 2. better parking at st marys (assuming pupil count would increase there) 3. Traffic crossing (pedestrian crossing) by st jonhs Parking St Mary's Traffic with further development and therefore more traffic through the village there must be permission for: 1. Better / safer paths and crossing for walking to school 2. Better parking at St Marys (assuming pupil count would increase there) 3. Traffic crossings (pedestrian crossing) by St Johns Parking St Mary's c) Parking is the main issue for St Marys. Parking St Mary's Don't Move Keep St Mary's where it is and maybe expand it to include St. John's? At least create a car park for St Mary's. Housing Mix Parking St Mary's Don't Move st marys junior school does not need to be relocated it just needs a large car park. the village needs affordable housing/ starter homes 2-3 bed houses not 5bed houses Parking Schools Traffic Both schools are lack of traffic space - both car traffic & foot passenger traffic Doctor's Surgery I think we need to remember we are a 'Village' not a town! Yes we need to be able to get a doctors appointment but do we need a new multi function health center in the 'Village'? Schools St John's St Mary's Don't Move St Mary's Junior school has potential for expansion - join the two schools together on the St Mary's site Principle 1 It's not necessarily beneficial either from the point of view of individuals or communities for people to live a whole life in the same place but Mortimer should allow for the needs of different ages Schools I would prefer that St John's and St Mary's were joined to make one primary school. Centre Design Commercial Housing Mix Parking The problem is, that Mortimer is being marketed as a "commuter" village. Now the only houses being built are 3-4 bed "executive" "luxury" houses, not aimed at local people, but incomers. They are aimed at people who want a country postcode, with all the amenities of a town. This is resulting in an over populated village, with the loss of village character and rural charm. The estate built at Strawberry Fields (on top of a lovely fruit farm which was a favourite place in my childhood) has created an enclave, of expensive suburban homes, not village properties. These houses are being constructed at the expense of green fields, gardens and the rural character of the village. Most front gardens are now being gravelled for cars (more villageness lost) and the village is being blighted by cars, parking and noisy neighbours blaring music out of garden offices. You want to encourage more footfall into village shops? Where are these customers going to park? The Café is a case in point: they recently underwent an enlargement and refurbishment of their seating area, and are now open 7 days a week. nearby residents now get no peace from customers making noise, dropping litter and double parking and causing obstructions. The owners of the café are unwilling to do anything about it. This property is NOT SUITABLE for this type of establishment. It was meant to be an office or a pop in and exit type shop. You want to encourage more people to work from home, with garden offices etc? This does not take into account the noise during the day that this creates. I work from home, as does my neighbour, yet he continually blares music out into the garden, with no respect for anyone else. As someone in their early 30's, who has grown up in the village, been to both St Johns, St Marys, and Willink, in my opinion this place has been ruined by the constant want to encourage commuters to move to this area. It appears as a resident, that you want to improve the village for those MOVING here, rather than the people who already live here, and have lived here for a long time. Doctor's Surgery Any opportunity not to have to travel and park at Royal Berks Hospital would be good. St John's A new St. John's School (and St. Mary's School if this is achieved) should be designed to allow for sharing of facilities eg. hall, with the community Doctor's Surgery Schools I think it would be a shame to have to enlarge either of the schools as it would take away that village school feel with small classes. However I understand this may be necessary to ensure that local residents are able to get a place at the local village school. I think the current doctor's surgery is excellent. Parking St Mary's Don't Move Personally I believe that St Mary's is fine where it is, it has room to expand as necessary but the car parking situation needs addressing to sort out the traffic issues at drop off and pick up times. Parking Schools St Mary's Don't Move Separate infant and Junior schools is beneficial. St Mary's is fine except for the parking issue. Development Site I am concerned that with the option of a) this will encourage more building and move us from a village to a small town. Schools School places at St Johns and St Marys are already struggling to meet the demand (not to mention Willink). Adding 110 homes will only increase that demand. Difficult to see how these schools will cope. Schools Traffic Would it cause further congestion to locate two large primary schools in the centre of the village? Development Site Principle 2 There is such a desperate shortage of housing that it houses need to be built wherever possible where there is least objection, without worrying about the shape, size or boundary of the village. Without housing, aspirational and hard working people can achieve little for themselves. Principle 1 Is super fast broadband really a priority in the village. More should be done for the schools rather than people complaining on Facebook that their broadband is slow. Schools Careful consideration should be given to capacity of both schools and effective progression for pupils. S106 money should pay for this Doctor's Surgery Principle 2 The doctors surgery needs to be sorted out before trying to add more housing and more people. There is no problem with making mortimer closer to other villages. St Mary's Don't Move The St Marys school site is great for the children and whilst I appreciate the walk to school is not ideal due to traffic my children were made more traffic aware after walking to school every day for a number of years .