COMMITTEE REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES READING BOROUGH COUNCIL ITEM NO. 11 PLANNING APPLICATIONS COMMITTEE: 11th October 2017

Ward: Out of Borough App No.:171294/ADJ ( BC ref. 172209) Address: Road, , Wokingham Proposal: Construction of a 2.3km Relief Road (including shared use pathway) linking A327 Reading Road in the north and A327 Eversley Road in the south east. Includes two new roundabout junctions link to the existing road network along the A327, a new staggered priority junction at Swallowfield Road and a new shared-use (non- motorised user) bridge where Arborfield Footpath 17 intersects the proposed relief road. Applicant: Wokingham Borough Council Start date of Application: 27 July 2017

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That Wokingham Borough Council be informed that Reading Borough Council does not object to the application.

1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reading Borough Council (RBC) has been consulted on the above planning application by Wokingham Borough Council (WBC). The application site is wholly within Wokingham Borough.

2. PROPOSAL 2.1 The proposal is for full planning permission for a new relief road allowing traffic on the A327 to by-pass Arborfield Cross.

2.2 The planning statement explains that the road is needed to support the planned development of 3,500 new homes at in addition to those planned around , and by 2026.

SITE LOCATION PLAN

3. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY N/A

4. CONSULTATIONS

4.1 Wokingham Borough Council has carried out its own consultations as the determining authority.

4.2 RBC’s consultation responses are as follows:

RBC Transport Development Control:

4.3 Confirm no objection. Transport DC have reviewed the application and are satisfied that the assessment undertaken is acceptable and would not have a detrimental impact on the network within Reading.

5. RELEVANT PLANNING POLICY AND GUIDANCE

5.1 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (March 2012): Promoting Sustainable Transport paragraph 31 and 35

5.2 WBC will consider their planning application in relation to their adopted planning policies and supplementary planning guidance.

6. APPRAISAL

Legal Context 6.1 Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires that proposals be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Material considerations include relevant policies in the National Planning Policy framework (NPPF) - among them the 'presumption in favour of sustainable development'.

6.2 Whilst it does not fall to RBC to determine this planning application, the Council may make comments as a consultee. The main considerations are: • Transport considerations • Visual and Environmental Impact

Transport 6.3 The proposed road is some distance from the Borough boundary and any impacts would be indirect and subject to specialist technical transport assessment in terms of traffic flows, congestion etc. It is considered, based on this Council’s Transport Officer advice, that the proposal would not be harmful to Reading Borough in this regard.

Visual and Environmental 6.4 The proposal would have little visual impact on Reading Borough. Full environmental impact and ecological assessments have been submtted to WBC for consideration and there is no indication that the impacts would extend to within Reading Borough.

7. CONCLUSION

7.1 It is recommended that Wokingham Borough Council be informed that Reading Borough Council does not object to the proposal.

Case Officer: Steve Vigar

Full details are available to view on the Wokingham Borough website https://www.wokingham.gov.uk using reference 172209.