MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY 13TH AUGUST 2019 IN THE ROSE ROOM, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH HALL, SWALLOWFIELD STREET, SWALLOWFIELD AT 7.30PM

Present: Cllr. J. Anderson (Chairman) Cllr. M. Binns Cllr. G. Collender Cllr. W. Dance Cllr. A. King Cllr. M. McDonald Cllr. J. Wheelwright

In attendance: Liz Halson, Clerk

Members of the public: 0

1029 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Cllr. C. Drew, Cllr. S. Lonorgan

1030 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None.

1031 MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

1031.1 It was PROPOSED and seconded that the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 9th July 2019 be approved. All in favour. 1

1032 CLERKS REPORT

1032.1 Updates on items from previous meetings

1032.2 963.2 Sports Pavilion – it was NOTED that Cllr. Anderson and the Clerk met with the solicitor to discuss issues with regard to the lease with Stratfield Saye.

1032.3 976.1 Boiler and new thermostats – it was NOTED that the boiler is now fully commissioned and is working correctly. Gas usage would be monitored over time.

1032.4 987.1.1 Flood Grant Money – it was NOTED that the remaining EA Flood grant money had been received from WBC. There is a strict set of criteria regarding how it can be spent.

1032.5 1023.4 Car Park – it was NOTED that two of the three contractors approached had confirmed that they would submit a proposal.

1032.6 1027.1 Swallowfield Parish Allotment Association (SPAA) – it was NOTED that minutes of the SPAA AGM had been received. Cllr. Binns attended the meeting.

1 JA

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Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Agenda Tuesday 13th August 2019

1033 PLANNING Chairman of Planning Committee: Cllr. J. Wheelwright

1033.1 Current applications – for details see page 2019/2011.

1033.1.1 170433 - Bridge Farm, Reading Road, , RG2 9H Object 1033.1.2 191648 - Trystings, Church Road, Farley Hill RG7 1TS No comment 1033.1.3 191860 - Crooksbury Basingstoke Road Riseley RG7 1QD No comment 1033.1.4 191590 - The Old School School Road Riseley RG7 1XN Not considered 1033.1.5 191756 – Charlton House, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QX Comment

1033.2 Results – for details see 2019/212.

1033.2.1 173726 Balcombe Nurseries Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield, RG7 1PY Approved 1033.2.2 190997 Twitchen, Odiham Road, Riseley RG7 1SD Approved 1033.2.3 191500 Lambs Farm Business Park, Basingstoke Road, RG7 1PQ Approved 1033.2.4 191115 Little Chesters, Sandpit Lane, Farley Hill RG7 1XJ Split 1033.2.5 191086 The Marshes School Lane Riseley RG7 1XT Approved

1033.3 Enforcements – it was NOTED that there are five open enforcement investigations.

1033.4 Consultations

1033.4.1 Public Rights of Way – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the council should respond as detailed in the document prepared by Cllr. Wheelwright. All in favour. 2

Arborfield & Neighbourhood Plan – it was AGREED that the plan was excellent and that the council should offer its full support. Cllr. Anderson explained that his only concern related to coordination with surrounding areas and suggested the following comment:

The policies in this Neighbourhood Plan reflect many of the issues felt to be important to residents in Swallowfield Parish. The Parish Council has no hesitation in supporting the aims, objectives and policies proposed in this Neighbourhood Plan. The draft plan does make reference to working with Highways and other agencies. However, Swallowfield Council wonders if there might be an opportunity to make coordination with neighbouring parish / town councils more explicit in policy terms to ensure a coherent approach on “cross-border” aspects.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would comment as detailed above. All in favour. 3

2 Clerk 3 Clerk

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1034 OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS

1034.1 Citizens Advice – it was PROPOSED and seconded that council make a contribution of £590 towards the running costs of Citizens Advice . The 2019/2020 budget includes a line to cover this grant. All in favour. 4

1034.2 Connecting Communities in (CCB) – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the council renew its annual membership of CCB at a cost of £32. All in favour. 5

1035 FINANCE (Budgets/investments/sinking fund/grants/risk assessments/insurance) Lead Councillor: Cllr. J. Anderson

1035.1 Accounts

1035.1.1 Month End Accounts – it was NOTED that the monthly accounts had been circulated. It was PROPOSED and seconded that these are accepted. All in favour.

1035.1.2 Bank Reconciliation Statements – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the Bank Reconciliation Statements be signed. All in favour. 6

1036 BILLS FOR PAYMENT

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the bills as listed below be APPROVED for payment. On-line payments would be authorised by Cllrs. Collender and Wheelwright. All in favour. 7

1 Deposit Refund 100.00 2 Deposit Refund 80.00 3 Deposit Refund 100.00 4 Deposit Refund 200.00 5 Deposit Refund 300.00 6 Deposit Refund 100.00 7 Deposit Refund 300.00 8 Deposit Refund 100.00 9 S Howorth 678.00 10 Nigel Jeffries 1,106.40 11 Wokingham & District CAB 590.00 12 Moorepay 55.80 13 Woodley Town Council 37.86 14 Xylem 348.84

4 RFO 5 RFO 6 JA 7 JA/GC

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15 Heartwood 1,578.00 16 D2D Distribution Ltd 504.00 17 Wokingham District Veteran Tree Association 100.00 18 CCB 32.00 19 Grundon 103.27 20 Grundon 148.58 21 GLS 70.80 22 Claire Connell 310.00 23 Molegone 55.00 24 Molegone 135.00 25 Lucas Plumbing 181.36 26 The Edwards Irish Partnership 85.01 27 Karen Luke 208.00 28 Creative Timberwork 2,137.00 29 Morton Pattison 1,800.00 30 E.ON 191.21 31 E.ON 97.14 32 HMRC PAYMENTS 596.49 33 CASTLE WATER 51.49 34 CASTLE WATER 54.05 35 BACS Charge 17.12 36 Payroll - June 5,069.79 37 Lloyds Bank 165.02 38 Wokingham Council 83.00 39 Southern Electric 204.75 40 Lucas Plumbing 2,421.91 41 Lucas Plumbing 5,956.72 42 Lindum 9,472.07 43 Lindum 19,619.47 44 Creative Timberwork 12,504.00

1037 PROPERTY (Fieldfare, Halls, Land) Lead Councillor: Cllr. J. Anderson

1037.1 Fieldfare – Development

1037.2 Drawings – it was NOTED that the “As Built” drawings had been received.

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1037.2.1 Payments – it was NOTED that following receipt of the final statement from the architect the final payment to the builder had been made and approved in accordance with resolution 526.4.1.

Lindum Construction Services Ltd Final payment £29,091.54

The final payment to the architect was approved on the bills list for this month. Edwards Irish Partnership Project Management £85.00

1037.2.2 Remaining Costs – it was NOTED that the following approximate costs are outstanding: Premier Signs Sign / Light for Parish Stores £2,500 plus VAT

1037.3 Fieldfare

1037.3.1 Waste water pumping station – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the council take out a 5 year maintenance contract with Xylem Water Solutions UK Ltd at a cost of £846 plus VAT per annum. All in favour. 8

1037.3.2 Car Parking – it was PROPOSED and seconded that wheel stops be installed on each of the parking bays at Fieldfare at a cost of approximately £600. All in favour. 9

1037.3.3 Commercial Lease – it was PROPOSED and seconded that members of the public be excluded during discussion of this item. All in favour.

1038 RESILIENCE (Flooding/ditches/rivers/Flood Resilience Group (FRG)) Lead Councillor: Cllr. A. King

1038.1 Spillway Project – the council are extremely grateful to Graham Stanley for the time and expertise he has put into working on this project. 10

1038.1.1 Construction Tender – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the council issue the construction tender as prepared by Morton:Pattison. All in favour. 11

1038.1.2 Tender List – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the tender be sent to the three contractors in the original list who had expressed an interest plus two other contractors who had been identified. All in favour. 12

1038.2 Flood Resilience Group (FRG) – it was NOTED that a working group led by Martin Moore had over the last few weeks been removing Himalayan Balsam from Parish Council land. The council would like to express its appreciation to those volunteers.

It was NOTED that the next meeting would take place on Thursday 26th September, 7:30pm in the Rose Room.

8 Clerk 9 Clerk 10 Clerk 11 Clerk/JA 12 Clerk

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1039 HALLS (Maintenance/website/involvement with users/Marketing and Entertainment Groups) Lead Councillor: Cllr. M. McDonald

1039.1 Stage track and curtains

1039.1.1 Rail – it was PROPOSED and seconded that Henley Theatre Services be engaged to repair the rail and winding mechanism at a cost of £464.29 plus VAT. All in favour. 13

1039.1.2 Curtains and border – it was PROPOSED and seconded that Henley Theatre Services be engaged to replace the stage curtains at a cost of £1,428.57 plus VAT. All in favour. 14

1039.2 Speakers – it was NOTED that the speakers in the main hall had all been damaged beyond repair due to excessive volume being pumped through them. The cost of replacement was £350 plus VAT. The council would like to express its gratitude to John King and Alun Payne for all their work to establish the problem, identify replacements and install the new equipment and to James Philips for assisting with the installation. 15

1039.3 Hall Hire Rates – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the hall hire rates be increased as detailed in the paper circulated by Cllr. Collender. All in favour. 16 17

1039.4 Hall Users – it was NOTED that there had been some issues with recent hall bookings. The Working Group had met to discuss how these could be resolved and to address how a repeat could be avoided. Items requiring immediate action had been addressed and a proposal would be prepared for dealing with others, particularly waste collection and cleaning following large parties. 18

1039.5 Hall Working Group – it was NOTED that this group had met with the Clerk, RFO and Caretaker to discuss various issues. A meeting of regular hall users had been organised for Wednesday 4th September, the Clerk, RFO and Caretaker would attend.

1040 ENVIRONMENT (The Marshes/Van Demans/Swallowfield Meadow/Community/Orchard/ Biodiversity/Footpaths/Waste/NAG/RCAG) Lead Councillor: Cllr. A. King

1040.1 Riseley Common Board Walk – it was NOTED that the boardwalk had now been replaced and Cllr. King expressed her delight with the look and quality. Cllr. King reported that the Riseley Commoners Working Group were planning to improve access along the path from School Road by removing nettles and she would be investigating options for signage.

1040.2 Fox’s Run – it was NOTED that the trees and small shrubs had been removed by the contractor and the Parish Warden had started to tidy up the remaining area. Cllr.

13 Clerk 14 Clerk 15 Clerk 16 Clerk to update website 17 RFO to inform regular users 18 Halls Working Group

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McDonald explained that the grounds maintenance contractor would be asked to treat the walkway with weedkiller in September as the council did not have a licence for such activity. 19 A plan for the next phase of work would be prepared. 20

1040.3 Grounds Maintenance – it was NOTED that the grounds maintenance contract comes to an end in March 2020. It was NOTED that the orchard needs more work in order for the trees to survive, volunteers had strimmed the area, but the ground is not conducive for the growth of apple trees. The council also discussed the idea of planting more trees around the parish. It was NOTED that an email had been received from a resident asking the council to consider biodiversity when preparing the tender for the maintenance contract.

A working group would be formed to prepare the tender and identify potential contractors. 21

1041 TRANSPORT (Road issues/speeding/public transport/police liaison) Lead Councillor: Cllr. J. Wheelwright

1041.1 Working Group – it was NOTED that the working group met on 31st July to discuss how to tackle speeding in the parish. Cllr. Wheelwright explained that the objective is to get speed limits lowered around the parish and possibly traffic calming measures in Swallowfield, all of which would involve gathering evidence of speed at various points.

1041.2 Speed monitoring devices – it was NOTED that Parish Council had agreed to lend their monitoring device to Swallowfield Parish Council for a period of two weeks during September. Insurance for the device would be covered under Swallowfield’s current insurance policy at no cost until the end of September. Volunteers siting the device would also be covered under this policy. 22

Cllr. Wheelwright also explained that he would also like to borrow the billboard device from Parish Council and that the Clerk was arranging meetings to discuss this. 23

1041.3 Consultations

1041.3.1 Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) – it was AGREED that councillors would review the document prepared by Cllr. Wheelwright and the council would consider its response at the September meeting. 24

1041.3.2 Parking Management Plan – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the council respond as detailed in the paper circulated by Cllr. Anderson. All in favour. 25 See page 2019/617.

19 Clerk 20 MM 21 AK 22 JW to agree dates 23 Clerk 24 All Councillors 25 Clerk

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1042 OUTSIDE ORGANISTIONS

1042.1 AWE – it was NOTED that Jeff Moss had stepped down as the council’s representative at the AWE meetings. The council expressed its thanks to Jeff for representing the council so well over many years. 26

It was AGREED that Cllr. Binns would take his place. 27

1043 CORRESPONDENCE

1043.1 Farley Estate – it was NOTED that an email had been received from Farley Estate explaining why trees are being cut down by Swallowfield Road.

The trees are being felled for three reasons:

• Safety – many of the trees at the roadside have been classified unsafe for passing traffic. • Ash dieback. 98% of the ash trees in this country are diseased and will die in the next 2-3 years. Once they die you cannot safely take them down and you cannot sell the wood. Therefore we have to fell them asap to get some money back for the timber and to prevent them becoming unsafe. Some of our woods are 100% ash! Luckily most are not, however they do have large amounts and this is why it looks a bit drastic. However if we do nothing, the ash will die and kill off the trees surrounding them at the same time. • Woodland maintenance. All woodlands require thinning and dead wooding, to enable the fresh, younger trees to flourish. Although it can look drastic at the time, the natural process would be a forest fire so this is a totally natural thing to encourage. The fresh growth will come back really quickly.

In 6-12 months these areas will look completely fine and people will get used to the slightly different profile of the woods.

The reason this is all happening suddenly is because normally we spread this work over years but last year the woodland contractor was killed in a freak accident and so we are behind by a year and trying to catch up.

1044 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of Swallowfield Parish Council would be held on Tuesday 10th September 2019 at 7.30 p.m. in the Rose Room, Swallowfield Parish Hall, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield.

[The meeting closed at 21:36]

26 Clerk to prepare a letter of thanks 27 Clerk to inform AWE

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1033 PLANNING

1033.1 Current Applications

Agenda App No Address Application Ref Full application for the proposed extraction and processing of approximately 3.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel from a site of 190ha, known as land south west of bridge farm, together with erection of an aggregates processing plant, ready mix concrete plant and the provision of associated ancillary infrastructure and parking for HGV'sand staff, with mixed restoration including importation of inert material to agriculture, lowland meadows and wetlands. Proposed temporary Bridge Farm, diversion of public footpath 20 for the duration of operations. 1033.1.1 170433 Reading Road, Arborfield, RG2 9HT Following discussion on the paper circulated by Cllr. Wheelwright it was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would object to this application. Cllr. Wheelwright would incorporate additional comments submitted by Cllr. Drew and this would form the Parish Council’s response. All in favour.

See page 2019/614 for the complete comments. Application for the proposed single storey extension plus insertion of 2no. rooflights to rear, proposed first floor extension plus 3no. rooflights to rear, insertion of first floor balcony to rear and Trystings, Church 4no. rooflights to front, internal alterations and changes to fenestration to existing dwelling. 1033.1.2 191648 Road, Farley Hill

RG7 1TS It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would not comment on this application. All in favour. Householder application for the proposed erection of a single storey front extension to form porch, single storey rear extension, 1no. rear dormer window, 13no. roof lights, changes to fenestration and internal alterations. The Old School

1033.1.3 191590 School Road Riseley The council did not consider this application as the only difference to the previous application is RG7 1XN the inclusion of a bat survey.

The council did not comment on the previous application.

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Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Agenda Tuesday 13th August 2019 Householder application for the proposed erection of a single storey side extension following demolition of existing garage, single storey rear extension plus changes to fenestration.

Charlton House, The council does not object to this application, however, believes that the layout and Swallowfield Street, 1033.1.4 191756 specification could lend itself to be turned into a self-contained annexe. The council would, Swallowfield RG7 therefore, ask that conditions be laid down to ensure that the use is adjunct to the occupation of 1QX Charlton House.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would respond as above. All in favour. Householder application for a single storey side extension forming new conservatory style building Crooksbury following demolition of existing. 1033.1.5 191860 Basingstoke Road Riseley RG7 1QD It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would not comment on this application. All in favour.

1033.2 Results

Agenda App Ref Address Application Result No Full application for the proposed erection of 5no dwellings with detached garages and a balancing pond. Balcombe Nurseries Basingstoke Road, The council did not object to this application but asked that the 1033.2.1 173726 Approved Swallowfield conditions set for application O/2014/1944 were applied. RG7 1PY Application 182370 which has a separate driveway for the detached house has not yet been determined and is the subject of an appeal. Householder application for the proposed erection of a part single Twitchen, Odiham part two story side extension, with internal alterations, changes to 1033.2.2 190997 Road, Riseley RG7 fenestrations, including 3no. roof lights. Approved 1SD The council agreed not to comment on this application.

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Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Agenda Tuesday 13th August 2019 Application to vary condition 2 of planning consent 182808 for the Lambs Farm Full planning application for the proposed erection of light Business Park, industrial units M2 and M3 with vehicle parking and ancillary works 1033.2.3 191500 Basingstoke Road, within existing Business Park. Condition 2 relates to approved Approved Swallowfield RG7 plans to allow improved access to adjacent units. 1PQ The council agreed not to comment on this application. Split Decision Potting shed would not be Proposed Lawful Development Certificate for the erection of 2no lawful - fails to meet criteria Little Chesters, detached outbuildings 1 - Potting shed 2 - Gym/games room being less than 2m from 1033.2.4 191115 Sandpit Lane, Farley curtilage boundary and height Hill RG7 1XJ The council could not comment on this application. in excess of 2.5m. Gym/games room - would be lawful. Householder application for the proposed erection of a detached The Marshes School double garage. 1033.2.5 191086 Lane Riseley RG7 Approved

1XT The council did not comment on this application.

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1033.1.1 170433 - Bridge Farm, Arborfield

Swallowfield Parish Council wishes to vigorously OBJECT to the proposals to develop the land south west of Bridge Farm for gravel extraction. We believe that the adversely impact the local environment, ecology and transport.

When the proposal was originally conceived in 2004 the Farley Farms Estate was in a rural environment dedicated to farming with relatively quiet roads and low density of housing. This has changed substantially over the last 15 years with a huge increase in new housing adjacent to the site, local traffic growth plus implementation of the strategic development housing locations south of the M4. The Farley Estate around Bridge Farm is now the remaining pocket of farmland that separates from the Arborfield and Swallowfield parishes. This proposal would remove that green gap and would join these centres with a brownfield mineral extraction site, enlarging Reading’s conurbation further south. This would remove these vibrant independent communities’ identities and will impact their local environment through traffic growth and dust. SPC is also concerned that a brownfield site in this prime location becomes an opportunity for further light industrial diversification as has happened at the Bramshill gravel pits with local HGV hardstanding and as a headquarters for a demolition company. Likewise, when the development was first being discussed, development of the local SDLs required substantial quantities of sand and gravel. These SDLs will be complete before this site becomes operational and the Bridge Farm is an inconvenient source for these materials in the likely locations for new SDLs at and /Twyford.

SPC notes CEMEX green credentials and the effort they have gone to putting in place proposals for minimising dust around Bridge Farm and the local roads. However, our experience of the Bramshill site is that dust is hugely prevalent within a mile of the site with sand and dust layering the verges and smothering local plant life. There would be a significant impact of this level of dust spillage on the health of the local population; there is no doubt that Bramshill PM10 and PM25 are both significantly higher than the projections in the Bridge Farm air quality assessment. The proposals to mitigate spilt dust by dousing or using road sweepers will lead to large traffic tailbacks even outside of the rush hour; this is demonstrated by the efforts at Bramshill.

The traffic assessment asserts that the level of vehicle movements from the Bramshill quarry travelling to the M3 and M4 via the A327 “without any highway related difficulty being recorded.” This is untrue and quantifiable. That stretch of the A327 has a high number of traffic incidents, in part as a result of the ingress/egress of slow-moving HGVs at the site.

This proposal will increase traffic congestion and traffic pollution significantly. The assessment shows there will be an additional 60,000 vehicle movements per year on the A327 of which 46,000 will be HGVs which is hugely significant. Using the data from the applicant’s survey this implies an increase of up to 50% in HGV traffic during rush hours with the implications for air quality, particularly of nitrogen oxides and particulates. The effect of these will be magnified by the traffic’s proximity to the new developments in Shinfield. Air quality requirements will become increasingly stringent in urban or semi- urban locations and placing a new source of traffic growth sited close to dense housing would be counterproductive and unavoidable once approval were given.

The environmental assessment provided looks at flora and fauna in isolation rather than considering the impact across the wildlife spectrum. The proposals will impact the local flora and fauna and its ability to move and propagate along the Loddon. Although the

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area has been heavily farmed and as the assessment notes as a consequence is “species impoverished”, they also note there are many traces of wildlife passing through the site. This green corridor for animals is hugely important and its loss will not only impact the immediate site but also the adjacent environments. The removal of improved grassland will be a substantial loss of habitat for foraging bats and migrating birds. There are no mitigations in the proposal for these impacts. Likewise, the lighting impact assessment only considers the impact on wildlife within the site – not the migration of animals across it – where it will be significant. Surveys of migrating birds across this site must be performed. The migration of nightjars is of particular concern. Without this assessment and appropriate mitigations in place this application cannot be approved. Also, to note, the site lies within 5km zone of the Thames Valley Heaths Special Protection Area and the environmental mitigations do not properly reflect this. The development will impact the SANG on Hyde End Road effectively rendering it useless; alternative arrangements must be provided.

Conditions The site is within 500m of the housing in , Shinfield and Swallowfield Park requiring significant investment in visual, noise, dust and air quality mitigations. If planning were to be approved significant conditions should be applied. These should include conditions to prevent extraction proceeding without full investment in noise and visual abatement through soil bunds. In operation there should be regular checks that the proposed on-site procedures are adhered to. Procedures to wheel wash and secure vehicles’ loads and those minimising unloading drop heights and low on-site speed limits must be implemented as proposed and maintained through the operational life of the plant. The site’s operational times must be enforced and must not commence before 8am. Regular noise surveys should be performed as well as maintenance of the essential components to minimise their operational noise. These should include daily inspection of the effectiveness of the bearings of the rollers on the extended conveyors. Regular assessment of the noise from gravel separation and crushing plant should also be performed.

Specific conditions on the type of inert material that can be used to backfill the site should also be applied to ensure that the site is returned to the current quality agricultural land and to ensure that there is no contamination of the local water courses.

Alternative provisions must be made to replace the Hyde End Road SANG. The access along Hyde End Road is narrow and will need to be widened to accommodate the traffic planned to access through the Hyde End Farm entrance. The swept path of the large HGVs will need careful assessment. Access along the road to Burleigh Lodge will need to be redesigned as this is a narrow road and used by horseboxes.

Should the application be approved every effort should be made to ensure that the local environment is protected. The Bramshill quarry demonstrates how failing to achieve this damages the local highways with the spill of materials onto the verges and regular spills on the road.

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1033.4.1 Rights Of Way Improvement Plan Consultation August 2019

Response agreed

Q1 Does the plan adequately identify and address the future needs of the public with regard to walking, cycling, horse riding, carriage driving and motor vehicle use of the rights of way network? Yes/No/Comments

Yes. The plan is comprehensive. SPC are particular pleased with the Greenways initiative linking the new SDLs with existing settlement, the focus on accessibility, the renewal and update of the rights of way – but also the consideration of change of access where appropriate.

Q2 Does the plan adequately identify and address improvements to be made to the network for those with mobility restrictions, visual impairments and other disabilities? Please see Statement of Action 1: Improving information (p.17) and Statement of Action 4: Access for all (p.25) Yes/No/Comments

Yes. The Access to All proposals are well thought through and comprehensive.

Q3 Does the fragmentation analysis (Appendix 3) adequately identify areas of potential improvement for walking, horse riding and cycling? Yes/No/Comments

Footpaths – Area G6. SPC have always supported a footpath along the length of the river Loddon which cuts through G6 as this is an important missing access route. We also note that a substantial part of G6 is under consultation as part of the Bridge Farm gravel extraction. If this application is approved please can we ensure that provision of the Loddon river path is a requirement of the restoration of this landscape? Bridlepaths – area H5 lies over Swallowfield. Cycleways – area C6 is Swallowfield

Q4 Do the proposed new routes (Appendix 4) adequately identify the routes needed to improve the network and meet the needs of the public? Yes/No/Comments

Yes. SPC actively support proposals ROWIP 2020 ID 42 and 43 which will make a huge different to walkers in the parish.

Q5 The first stage of the Greenways is to link the major new development areas of , Shinfield, North Wokingham and South Wokingham (Appendix 5). Phase 1 (California Way) has been completed and work is underway on Phase 2 (Wokingham to Arborfield). - Do you have any suggested additions to these routes? None - Do you have any comments or suggested changes to the other routes planned? None

Q6 Do you have any other comments on the draft plan or any other suggested changes? Comments

None

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1041.3.2 Parking Management Plan

Swallowfield Parish Council’s response to the request by the Executive Member for Highways and Transport for input to the development of the Parking Management Plan

Our response has been tailored to the Core Areas that were discussed at the meeting of the Community and Corporate O&S Committee.

• Park & Rides, how do they impact with the parking policies? Should they be Subsidised? Should they be sustainable? Locations? Amount of Parking Spaces?

Park and Rides are an excellent way to reduce urban traffic congestion and pollution so of significant value. This is especially the case when serving more rural communities where car ownership is higher due to limitations on public transport.

Subsidies would be beneficial to encourage take-up and they should always be better value than town centre parking. The subsidies could be justified by the environmental dividend.

The locations need to be carefully coordinated with plans for future transport and highways infrastructure such that there is ready and convenient access to those in the anticipated user catchment. By way of example, a problem with the Mereoak P&R is the difficulty to access it at peak times from the Swallowfield, Riseley and Farley Hill areas due to congestion and delays accessing the Swallowfield bypass at both ends during these times. This results in traffic diverting onto single track lanes which is wholly inappropriate. Capacity should provide for future expansion in their use.

• On Street Parking, Should the Permit Scheme be expanded? Should the Permit Scheme be Reduced? Visitors & Trade Parking? Town Centre Parking?

On street parking can impede traffic flow and cause problems on key routes but can also perform a useful traffic calming function in other cases. Thus it needs to be selective.

No view on parking permits. Housing developments should make proper provision for off street parking of occupiers and visitors. This should be geared to the level of expected car ownership in the location; residents of rural areas poorly served by public transport will have higher levels of car ownership.

Town centre parking should allow for very short stays being free so that if you are collecting a takeaway you don’t incur a disproportionate charge for a 5 minute stay; first 30 mins free?

Town centre parking should also be convenient for those who are elderly, frail or with disabilities and may be more dependent on private transport.

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• Civil Parking Enforcement, How is it targeted? School Parking? More Enforcement? Less enforcement? Use of Yellow Lines?

Parking enforcement should focus on those parking inconsiderately and thereby causing obstruction. It should also be geared towards revenue protection in designated car parks through failure to buy a ticket or overstaying. Technology has a possible role to play which would be more cost-effective. Yellow lines are fine in an urban context but are not as a rule ideal in rural village communities although they have been shown to be necessary outside schools.

• Parking Meters, Where do we want them? Where are they suitable? Times for Parking?

Depends very much on the area. They make sense where roadside parking is the most appropriate option and near to shops and facilities. They are only suitable in urban environments and can provide another source of revenue (perhaps to subsidise P&R).

• Off Street Parking, How many Spaces do we need? Are they in the right place? Disabled Spaces are they in the right place etc?

No view as we are not party to relevant statistics and analysis.

• Planning of New Developments and appropriate parking? The impact of new developments on parking policies? How parking policies impact congestion?

Developer plans and council policies need to take more account of the higher levels of car ownership in rural communities due in part to limitations on public transport and the lack of local amenities.

• Sustainability/The Future, Electric Cars charging points? Pollution impact?

Electric cars are the future but technology is still advancing rapidly. There is an ongoing battle in the automotive industry between battery and hydrogen fuel cell technology, the latter requiring hydrogen fuelling points rather than chargers. Also, even higher power chargers may become necessary to reduce charging times to an acceptable level which would render older lower power chargers redundant. Accordingly it would be prudent to exercise caution not to over-provision.

Swallowfield Parish Council 10th August 2019

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