California Country Park, Nine Mile Ride, Finchampstead

CALIFORNIA COUNTRY PARK, NINE MILE RIDE, FINCHAMPSTEAD NEW WC AND CHANGING PLACES FACILITY PLANNING STATEMENT Contents 1 Introduction 2 Site location 3 Site history 4 The need Page 1 of 3 1. Introduction This planning application submission is made on behalf of Wokingham Borough Council for providing public WC and Changing Places facilities, to accommodate increased numbers of visitors and the needs of the Borough’s growing population, enhancing the visitor experience at the country park. 2. Site location The site is located on the A3430 Nine Mile Ride south-west of Finchampstead within the parish of Finchampstead, Berkshire (NGR SU 78474 65050). The site occupies approximately 3.4ha of a large country park (40ha) consisting of mainly wooded landscape with intermittent car parking areas and a cafe/restaurant. Adjacent to the site and within the country park the wooded landscape continues with Longmoor Lake and Longmoor Bog - a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The location can be seen on the site location plan accompanying this submission. The site is within an accessible location. Finchampstead Road to the east provides road links to Wokingham and, in turn, the M4. Bus services along Nine Mile Ride provide access to the site from the surrounding areas and there is a bus stop within 20metres from the main access point to the country park. Reading Buses provides a service every hour to Wokingham and Reading via Arborfield. This gives access to train services at both terminals - Reading and Wokingham. The site is well connected in public transport terms to allow alternatives to car travel to the site to be possible. The site is within walking distance to the neighbouring residential areas, such as Finchampstead, Barkham and including the new development of Arborfield via a bridle path to the north of the site. 3. Site history Prior to the establishment of California-in-England Holiday Camp in the 1930s, there appears to have been limited development within the area of California Country Park, with the only changes identified based on the quarrying of clay from the lake by the brickworks, with which the name California was first associated. After a closure over World War Two, the holiday camp was reopened and expanded to include chalets, which are still in use in the California Chalet and Touring Park on the east side of the lake. However, due to increasing competition the holiday camp was closed in the 1960s and abandoned until Wokingham Borough Council bought the land in 1973. The holiday camp was then converted into a country park and in 1980 was part designated as a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI). Page 2 of 3 4. The Need The site has been subject to a major redevelopment over the past year, see planning applications 182396 and 182397 and during this period it has become clear that improved WC facilities will be required to accommodate the needs of visitors to the site. It has been concluded that the WC’s should include disabled facilities and as an extension of this the provision of a changing places facility combined with the disabled will provide significant encouragement for all to be able to use the park. Page 3 of 3 .

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