RIGHT HOMES, RIGHT PLACES DRAFT LOCAL PLAN PUBLIC CONSULTATION We are seeking your views on the draft Local Plan, which will be the blueprint for development in Wokingham Borough in the years ahead. The draft Local Plan places climate change, the protection of countryside and of the environment, and local values at the heart of its strategic vision for the future. Among the key points set out in the plan are: • We are arguing for a lower housing requirement than that required by government policy. • The draft plan protects the Green Belt and our countryside, and concentrates development in only a few places across the borough, removing the need for large scale building elsewhere. • We are proposing a new Garden Town at Grazeley that would be designed and built to cutting-edge environmental standards with sustainable transport links into Reading and massive investment in facilities such as schools and community centres, sporting and health facilities and huge swathes of green space opened up for public use. The consultation on the draft Local Plan will run until 20 March 2020 and is available at www.wokingham.gov.uk/consultations. Please read this document and any of the more detailed information available by searching Local Plan Update on our website www.wokingham.gov.uk before giving us your views. THE DRAFT LOCAL PLAN » www.wokingham.gov.uk MAPS As these maps illustrate, by focussing on a new Garden Town at Grazeley, the draft Local Plan would allow us to These maps show all the land that was proposed for potential development (left) and only the land that is actually provide the homes we need by allocating only a few other being recommended for new homes and other development in the new Local Plan (right). sites for development in this local plan and beyond – with the vast majority of the borough protected. Map 1: Map 2: In order to have a regular supply of new homes and to The possibilities The preferred ensure the ongoing viability of our towns and villages, All sites promoted option some small housing allocations are therefore included in by developers, land The sites we are the draft Local Plan. owners and others for proposing for The additional small housing sites earmarked in the plan development in the development in the are: draft Local Plan draft Local Plan • 468 new homes in Wokingham town: 267 in existing major development areas, 101 by the train station and 100 in the town centre • 329 new homes in Winnersh parish, including 35 adjacent to the North Wokingham development area and 24 self-build homes • 160 new homes in Charvil parish • 150 new homes in Twyford parish • 155 new homes in Barkham parish, including 15 Gypsy and Traveller pitches There are an additional 99 new homes including 9 Gypsy and Traveller pitches spread across the parishes of Finchampstead, Hurst, Ruscombe, Shinfield and Sonning. WHY WE HAVE TO PRODUCE GRAZELEY GARDEN A NEW LOCAL PLAN TOWN PROPOSAL » www.wokingham.gov.uk There is a legal requirement for all GRAZELEY GARDEN TOWN local authorities to have planning policies in place to guide decisions INFRASTRUCTURE from the last local plan The draft Local Plan includes a proposed garden town on where development is supported, of substantial scale (approx. 15,000 homes) planned and where it is not. Wokingham from concept to completion with its own unique SCHOOLS identity on land within Wokingham Borough, West Borough Council’s current planning 7 Primary & 1 Secondary Berkshire District and Reading Borough. policies are still working to manage New primary schools at Montague Park, development, however they are Matthewsgreen and 1 more in Wokingham, The draft Local Plan does not set all the details intended to do this only to 2026. and 2 each in Shinfield and Arborfield but it envisages Grazeley Garden Town being an The new local plan – the Local Plan New secondary school in Arborfield infrastructure rich development which would, subject Update, will look further forward and to masterplanning, include: ensure that our planning policies MAJOR ROADS continue to be effective. • Two new secondary schools Arborfield Relief Road Without effective planning policies Shinfield Eastern Relief Road • Seven new primary schools there would be no control or North Wokingham Distributor Road influence over where and how South Wokingham Distributor Road • A health hub Winnersh Relief Road new housing and other types of • Improved access to the train stations at Green development take place. This could Park and Mortimer, and longer term a new station lead to housing being allowed PARKS & PLAY AREAS at Grazeley itself in poor locations, being of lower Total of 240 hectares of new public open space quality, and in places where (that’s the equivalent of about 330 football pitches) • Dedicated public transport links into Reading infrastructure cannot be improved 40 new children’s play parks town centre to help deal with the impacts such 12.5 hectares of community allotments as pressures on roads, schools Greenways network of 20 miles • Sport and leisure facilities and substantial green and community facilities. The lack space of control and coordination is also Wokingham Borough Council has jointly bid for likely to lead to more housebuilding COMMUNITY CENTRES 5 new community centres £252million of forward funding from the Government across the borough which is Arborfield • Shinfield Village that would, if successful, allow many of these facilities developer driven. Montague Park & Matthewsgreen in to be built at the start of the development – ahead of Having a new Local Plan will allow Wokingham • South Wokingham the housing. Wokingham Borough Council to plan Grazeley Garden Town would also be designed to what infrastructure is built alongside protect the environment, with eco-friendly homes in the new homes – and to ensure that a sustainable community that would have dedicated developers pay for these new roads, SPORTS FACILITIES public transport links into Reading town centre schools and other facilities. £45 million on new sports facilities and and to the south, as well as to local facilities and improvements to existing facilities employment opportunities. With Grazeley Garden Town able to provide almost all of the additional housing that is needed across the borough in the years up to 2036 and beyond, the AFFORDABLE HOUSING council would be better able to resist speculative Nearly 2,000 new affordable homes at low housing sites that have been put forward by rents and for shared ownership developers elsewhere. WHAT ELSE IS IN FREQUENTLY THE LOCAL PLAN? ASKED QUESTIONS » www.wokingham.gov.uk CLIMATE CHANGE: AFFORDABLE HOUSING Q. How many new homes are being planned Q. Who will pay for all the infrastructure and for in the draft Local Plan? facilities that need to be built with the new By declaring a Climate Emergency, the council has Providing affordable housing is a priority for A. About 6,500 – the rest of the homes are those homes? committed itself to leading the drive toward carbon the council and the draft Local Plan reflects already allocated in a previous local plan. neutrality. The draft Local Plan seeks to make a full this by requiring 35% affordable homes from all A. Almost all of the infrastructure and facilities contribution to this by: developments of five homes or more. This exceeds the Q. Where will the new homes go? would be paid for by developers through a community infrastructure levy for each house national level recommended by the Government which A. Grazeley Garden Town will provide 10,000 homes they build, currently set at £47,000 per house on • Locating the majority of new homes needed in suggests contributions from developments of 10 or within Wokingham Borough, but not all of them average. In addition to this, the council has jointly places that would reduce car dependency more homes. can be built in the timeframe of the draft Local bid for £252million of forward funding from the • Requiring all new major development to be carbon Plan. So, Grazeley Garden Town has the added Government that would, if successful, allow much neutral OTHER TOPICS advantage of futureproofing the borough for the of these facilities to be built at the start of the next local plan period. development – ahead of the housing. • Supporting renewable energy creation where The Local Plan Update sets out our vision and In the period to 2036 around 3,750 homes could Q. Will access to the countryside be lost due to impacts are acceptable a framework for how we will manage future be built at Grazeley Garden Town. However, to development in the borough. The plan contains ensure we meet Government requirements new development? VALUED LANDSCAPES policies covering issues including where development homes will also come from the sites listed on A. The Local Plan is about protecting open space by should go; transportation and particularly sustainable page three and redevelopment, where suitable, controlling development to specific areas. If this The draft Local Plan includes designation for and active transportation; the economy including jobs within our towns and villages. draft is approved it would bring vast new public places that have particular importance due to a and retail; housing including a mix of the type and size open space in and around Grazeley Garden Town In this plan period (up to 2036): combination of special features. Following an objective of homes and housing for older and vulnerable people; into public use. assessment, 11 places are designated as Valued architectural design, protecting our historic heritage • About 3,750 new homes at Grazeley Garden Q. The roads are already congested, so how Landscapes and six as having Urban Landscape Value and ensuring we build to sustainable standards; that Town will they cope with more traffic? in the draft plan.