Parish Office, Street, Swallowfield RG7 1QX Clerk: Mrs. E. Halson

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF SWALLOWFIELD PARISH COUNCIL HELD ON TUESDAY 11TH OCTOBER 2016 IN THE ROSE ROOM, SWALLOWFIELD PARISH HALL, SWALLOWFIELD STREET, SWALLOWFIELD AT 7.30PM

Present: Cllr. P. Sampson Cllr. J. Anderson Cllr. G.E. Collender, Cllr. M. McDonald Cllr. R. Norris Cllr. J. Sant Cllr. J.Wheelwright

In attendance: Liz Halson, Parish Clerk

Members of the public: 3

361 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Cllr. Dance

362 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Cllr. Collender declared an interest in planning application 162498.

363 QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC NB: this is not a verbatim account of the questions and answers but information is provided to give a flavour of what was said.

363.1 RV – I am a resident of Lambs Lane and I am here to talk about planning application 162594. In 1998 there was a change of use granted and building began on the site of the old carriage museum. In 2006 an application was submitted to extend building beyond the original area. WBC turned this down as it was in the strategic gap, this decision was overturned by the inspector and 10 applications have been approved up to 2009 as it was demonstrated that development would create local employment. In 2012 the owner put in a pre-planning application for limited development to round off the site, a further seven applications have been approved and neighbours have not been consulted on all of them.

This latest application uses agricultural land on the opposite side of the service road. CP11 would not normally allow development. In 2014 the inspector examining the MDD DPD draft was not convinced that this location was suited to further business park expansion.

I believe that the site has reached the optimum size for the location. Three of the new buildings have yet to come into operation and I am concerned about the effect these will have on highway traffic.

I have supported 3 of the last 4 applications but this is a step too far.

JA – thank you for the research you have done, it has been useful and I did forward to all councillors prior to this meeting for their consideration.

2016/234 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

RV – I believe that Cllr. Munro has agreed to have the application ‘Listed’ if WBC is minded to approve the application.

Clerk – Cllr. Munro has already made the request.

363.2 PC – thank you to the Parish Council for their support for objections to the Trowes Lane application. Is there any indication of what decision WBC will make?

JA – no, but it would be going against its policies to approve the application.

PC – has any thought been given to what the PC will do if the application goes to appeal?

PS – developers are likely to wait for the outcome of the Stanbury Court appeal. The council will review its position as appropriate.

JA – during the last appeal for the Trowes Lane site the inspector took the view that the housing land supply issue could be ignored as the development was not significant enough so the arguments for this site will be different to Wyvols Field.

PS – thank you to all those who helped distribute leaflets.

364 CHAIRMAN’S ANNOUNCEMENTS

364.1 Casual Vacancy – it was NOTED that there is a casual vacancy for a Councillor, anyone interested should contact the Clerk.

364.2 Remembrance Sunday – it was NOTED that the Remembrance Sunday Service would take place on Sunday 13th November, 10:15am at the War Memorial. Cllrs. Norris and Sant volunteered to help with road closures.

364.3 Parish Carols – it was NOTED that Parish Christmas Carols would take place on Tuesday 20th December. It was PROPOSED that refreshments are provided at a cost of up to £150. All in favour. A collection for charity would be made. 1

365 MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

365.1 It was PROPOSED and seconded that the minutes of the Parish Council meeting held on 13th September 2016 be approved. All in favour.

365.2 Clerks report on matters arising and outstanding actions from last meeting.

365.2.1 Update on items from previous meetings

351.1 Tennis Club – Cllr. Sant had been invited to the AGM at very late notice and was prepared to attend, however, the meeting was cancelled and rescheduled, again with very little late notice so Cllr. Sant was unable to attend. The Clerk was not informed of either of the dates. Cllr. Sant had notified the tennis club chairman of the rent increase prior to the AGM taking place. A letter detailing the new rent had also been sent.

1 PS/JS

2016/235 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

358.5 Trees on Fox’s Run – further correspondence had been received from a resident requesting that more work is carried out. 2

331.2 Lease of the Calico Field – the solicitor had been instructed and the Calico Trust is collating the required paperwork.

310.1 Herrington Consultancy Hydrological Survey – the work commissioned is almost complete, however, the FRG have asked that the work is put on hold until the Environment Agency forward an assessment of a project list which the FRG compiled some time ago.

In order to secure the grant funding, the following timetable has been agreed.

1) Herrington’s to issue a progress report by close of business Friday 2) Herrington’s to issue a report detailing the problems identified during their analysis week commencing 24th October 3) Clerk to forward these reports to CCB as they are received. 4) Andy Keith and Geoff Stephens would meet with Herrington’s at their offices early November (w/c 31st October?) and take with them the EA data and a report of mitigation options produced by the EA 5) Herrington’s would then deliver their final report detailing proposed solutions based on their findings and the EA data. A date needs to be agreed for delivery.

The Clerk requested that any further dialogue between FRG and Herrington’s is directed through the Parish Office. 3

366 OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS

366.1 Standing Orders – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the revised Standing Orders, as circulated, were adopted. All in favour. 4

367 PLANNING Chairman of Planning Committee: Cllr. J. Anderson

367.1 Current applications

367.1.1 162594 – Lambs Farm Business Park, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield Full application for the proposed erection of a new business unit for use class B1(b) and (c) (Light, Industrial, Research and Development) and B8 (Storage and Distribution) use with ancillary office space as well as car and lorry parking with ancillary works adjoining existing Business Park.

The parish council was opposed to growth back in 1998, however once the principle for development had been established the council supported growth within the curtilage. This application now extends beyond that curtilage and as the whole business park is outside settlement limits the council feels that this latest application is a step too far.

2 Clerk to confirm the situation reported in the inspection and reiterate the council’s policy on tree maintenance 3 MM 4 Clerk to publish

2016/236 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

The council agreed that it strongly objects to the development as it opens the door to further expansion. The council felt that the development had reached a sensible scale for the location and further expansion would cause increasing conflict with other road users and the residential development around it. If Borough Council are is minded to approve the parish council would like to see improvements to the junction and access.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the Clerk and Cllr. Anderson be delegated responsibility to prepare a response using the information supplied by Mr. Vaughan. All in favour. 5

[Cllr. Collender left the meeting]

367.1.2 162498 – Land to the west of Trowes Lane, Swallowfield. Application for outline consent for the proposed erection of up to 20 dwellings with associated access, parking, open space and landscaping, access to be considered, all other matters reserved.

It was agreed that the draft comments circulated by Cllr. Anderson represented the views of the council and it was PROPOSED and seconded that these be submitted to Wokingham Borough Council. All in favour. Cllr. Collender did not vote.

[Cllr. Collender re-joined the meeting]

367.1.3 162430 – The Island House, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield RG7 1PT Householder application for the proposed erection of a part two storey part single storey rear extension following the demolition of existing single storey extension.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would not comment on this application. All in favour.

367.1.4 162512 – 3 Farley Court, Church Road, Farley Hill RG7 1TT Listed building consent for proposed erection of new sash window to front of dwelling to replace current pivoted window.

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would not comment on this application. All in favour.

367.2 Results

367.2.1 160059 - The Birches Castle Road Farley Hill RG7 1UL Householder application for the proposed raising of roof to enlarge first floor accommodation to include a rear balcony area, single storey front & side extensions and erection of detached garage to front of dwelling. Approved

The council had no comment.

367.2.2 161256 – Mill House Hotel, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield RG7 1PY Application to vary condition 2 of planning consent F/1999/69762 to allow siting of the functions marquee from 1st January to 31st December in any calendar year. Refused

5 Clerk/JA

2016/237 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

The council supported the application as the business provided local employment. However, WBC felt that the scale and position of the marquee would result in excessive encroachment and expansion of development away from existing buildings and adversely harm the open character of the country side.

367.2.3 161668 – Lambs Farm Business Park, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield Full application for the proposed erection of a new business unit for use class B1(b) and (c) (Light, Industrial, Research and Development) and B8 (Storage and Distribution) use with ancillary office space as well as car and lorry parking with ancillary works adjoining existing Business Park. Approved

The council had no comment.

367.2.4 161813 – Mill House Hotel, Basingstoke Road, Swallowfield RG7 1PY Full planning application for the proposed erection of a gazebo. Approved

The council supported the application as the business provided local employment.

367.2.5 162098 – Coles Cottage, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield RH7 1QX Householder application for the proposed erection of a part two storey, part single storey rear extension and detached garage with first floor storage following the demolition of existing detached garage. Approved The council had no comment.

367.2.6 162169 – Land at Cow City, Church Lane, Farley Hill RG7 1UP Full application for the proposed erection of 2no detached dwellings following the demolition of existing agricultural barn. Rejected The council objected as outside current settlement boundaries.

367.2.7 162444 – The Old Cottage, Bunglers Hill, Farley Hill RG7 1TN 161186 Application for submission of details to comply with the following conditions of planning consent 161186 (20/07/2016) 3. External Materials 4. Handmade Clay Roof Tiles 5. Landscaping. Approved

The council had no comment.

367.3 Notifications

367.3.1 162742 – Land adjacent to Loddon Court Farm Cottages, Lambs Lane, Swallowfield Screening opinion application for an Environmental Impact Assessment for a residential development of up to 125 dwellings, Suitable Accessible Natural Green Space (SANGS) and associated infrastructure.

This site is not in the development plan but has been put forward in the ‘call for sites’. It takes development further to the west of the settlement limit on the Beech Hill Road so is not in keeping with WBC’s infrastructure plans to develop the settlement to the east and north. The council cannot comment on this type of application but will monitor future applications.

367.4 Enforcements

367.4.1 Planning enforcement notifications – 2 planning enforcement notifications have been issued.

367.4.2 Planning enforcement closure – 1 has been closed (No breach)

2016/238 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

367.5 Wokingham Borough Council, CIL Consultation – this related to clarifications to existing policy on where CIL should be spent. It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council would not comment. All in favour.

368 FINANCE (Budgets/investments/sinking fund/grants/risk assessments/insurance) Lead Councillor: Cllr. P. Sampson

368.1 Accounts Update – it was NOTED that the accounts had been circulated.

368.2 Bank Reconciliation Statements – it was PROPOSED and seconded that the bank reconciliation statements were APPROVED. All in favour. 6

368.3 VAT – it was NOTED that following a review of the council’s accounting practice and advice from the internal auditor it had been necessary to make an adjustment to the quarterly VAT return of £3,008.93 relating to VAT owed from the last four years. Details for prior years were being collated as these could not be adjusted through the quarterly returns process.

368.4 Internal Audit – it was NOTED that the Internal Auditor would visit the office on Friday 11th November to begin the review process for 2016/17.

368.5 Unity Trust pre-paid Card – it was NOTED that this card had been deactivated and the outstanding balance of £84.08 had been transferred to the Unity Trust Current account. In addition, Unity Trust had refunded the £6 set up fee.

368.6 Unity Trust Charge Card – it was NOTED that the Clerk had received this card. A monthly statement would be presented to the council and payments would appear on the Bills List.

368.7 Budget 2017/18 – it was NOTED that Cllr. Sampson requested that all items for inclusion in the 2017/18 budget be received by 31st October 2016.

369 BILLS FOR PAYMENT

It was PROPOSED and seconded that the bills as listed below would be APPROVED for payment. All in favour.

On-line payments would be authorised by Cllrs. Collender and Wheelwright. 7 Cheques would be signed by Cllrs. McDonald and Norris. 8 9

1 Nigel Jeffries - Grounds maintenance for September 681.60 2 Grundon - Parish Hall bins for September 89.90 3 Grundon - Riseley Hall bins for September 109.86 4 Rub-a-dub-scrub - Hall cleaning for September 235.42 5 Mazars - External Audit 1560.00

6 PS 7 CG/JW 8 MM/RN 9 RFO to issue payments

2016/239 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

6 Westronics - Annual fire alarm/emergency lighting service 323.83 7 Moorepay - Payroll costs for September 26.72 8 Came & Co - Local Council Insurance 01.10.16 - 30.09.17 6663.76 9 R Lewendon - Deposit refund 100.00 10 D & B tracks & Blinds - New blind for Davies Room 142.86 11 Molegone - 2 x moles on Swallowfield rec 70.00 12 F. Morris - Deposit refund 300.00 13 Premier Office Supplies - Paper 80.70 14 J. Hlond-Lewicka - Deposit refund 100.00 15 J. Garmston - Repair fencing around Swallowfield play area 764.00 16 SSE Enterprise - Street lighting maint charge for Sept quarter 63.53 17 M. Alazani - Deposit refund 100.00 18 Ricoh - Reconciliation charge 01.06.16 - 31.08.16 25.94 19 WBC - Printing costs of flood plans 9.00 20 John Dollin - Newsletter 909.00 21 GLS - Batteries, mop heads, paper towels 96.97 22 Lucas Plumbing - Replace taps in gents toilets 205.85 23 D2D Distribution - Parish Newsletter 222.00 24 Town Council - Pitch remarking, reimbursed by club 79.20 25 Payroll - September 3562.89 26 Pension - September 1076.72 27 Tax & Ni - September 685.29 28 BACS charge 17.12 29 Thames Water - Post Office 01.10.16 - 31.03.17 209.19 30 Lloyds Bank - Monthly fee for Clerks corporate card 3.00 31 ICO - Data protection renewal 35.00 32 British Gas - Electricity at the Tennis Club, reimbursed by club 316.39 33 BT - Office phone & fax 181.74 34 BT - Booking line phone 85.50 35 SSE - Street lighting 28.06.16 - 22.09.16 131.97

370 PROPERTY (Fieldfayre, The Marshes House) Lead Councillor: Cllr. J. Anderson

370.1 Update – it was NOTED that Cllr. Anderson had circulated an update. Cllr. Anderson explained that once the detailed costings had been received the finance tracking spreadsheet would be updated so that figures could be produced for the DCLG application for loan authorisation. It was expected that the detailed costings would be received at the end of October. 10

10 Clerk to warn BALC representative that the application was imminent.

2016/240 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

371 RECREATION (Play areas/skateboard park/recreation grounds/football pitches/mpg court) Lead Councillor: Cllr. J. Sant

371.1 Quarterly Playground Inspection – it was NOTED that the quarterly playground inspection had been carried out. The report had been reviewed and most of the items highlighted for attention had been dealt with. The outstanding items which required more investigation would be dealt with as appropriate.

371.2 Multi Use Games Arena (MUGA)

371.2.1 Opening of the (MUGA) – it was NOTED that the official opening of the MUGA had to be abandoned due to extreme weather conditions. It was PROPOSED and seconded that the council write a letter expressing their gratitude to Will Carling for agreeing to perform the opening. All in favour. 11 Cllr. Sampson thanked Cllr. Sant for organising the event, which was memorable.

371.2.2 Spencers Wood Football Club – it was PROPOSED and seconded that Spencers Wood Football Club be given permission for exclusive use of the MUGA, for training sessions 3 hrs a week (Wednesday 6-8pm, Thursday 6-7pm) for a few weeks during the autumn/winter for a monthly fee of £50 plus VAT. This arrangement would be reviewed on an annual basis. All in favour. 12

372 ENVIRONMENT & RURAL AFFAIRS (The Marshes/Van Demans/Swallowfield Meadow/Community/Orchard/ Biodiversity/Footpaths/Waste/NAG/RCAG) Lead Councillor: Cllr. P. Sampson

372.1 Trees at Riseley Common – it was NOTED that an inspection of willow trees on Riseley Common had concluded that they are dead, possibly due to a localised bacteria or parasite. The trees need to be removed to prevent damage to a neighbouring property should they fall. Contractors had been asked to quote for the work.

372.2 NAG – it was NOTED that the next meeting, originally scheduled for 9th November would now be held on Wednesday 23rd November 2016, 8pm at Parish Hall. The council would not be able to send a representative as it had a meeting with Andy Couldrick and Keith Baker scheduled for that evening. 13

373 HUMAN RESOURCES (Appraisals/recruitment/staff training) Lead Councillor: Cllr. G. Collender

373.1 RFO – it was NOTED that the RFO had handed in her resignation but had offered to stay in post until a replacement could be found. It was AGREED that the HR Working group would meet with the Clerk to discuss the council’s requirements for a replacement and a job specification and advert. 14

11 Clerk 12 Clerk 13 Clerk to send apologies 14 HR Working Group / Clerk

2016/241 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

374 COMMUNICATION (Newsletter/Website/Annual Report/Media) Lead Councillor: Cllr. G. Collender

374.1 Loddon Reach Advert – it was AGREED that the space would not just be used to advertise the Rose Room so an advert for party bookings in the Main Hall would be created, this would be submitted every other month. It was PROPOSED and seconded that the Parish Council continues to place an advert in the Loddon Reach magazine for the Rose Room at a cost of £438.00 for 10 issues. 15 16 All in favour.

374.2 Winter Newsletter – it was NOTED that copy deadline was 25th November 2016.

375 RESILIENCE (Flooding/ditches/rivers/Flood Resilience Group (FRG)) Lead Councillor: Cllr. M. McDonald

375.1 FRG – it was NOTED that the next meeting would be held on Wednesday 19th October at 7:30pm in the Rose Room.

Cllr. McDonald stated that there are concerns that since the loss of the previous chair the FRG were finding it hard to sustain the excellent work it had previously undertaken since its formation in 2007 ie. leading in the management of parish ditches/balancing ponds, preparing responses to the many planning applications being made around the village, liaising with WBC drainage teams and other external organisations. Some members of FRG had expressed disappointment that the Parish Warden was not undertaking more work associated with ditch clearance. 17

376 HALLS (Maintenance/liaison with users and entertainment groups) Lead Councillor: Cllr. M. McDonald

376.1 Swallowfield Parish Hall and Riseley Memorial Hall – it was PROPOSED that a Refurbishment and Demolition Asbestos Survey is carried out for Swallowfield Parish Hall and Riseley Memorial Hall at a cost of up to £550 plus VAT. 18

376.2 Swallowfield Parish Office – it was NOTED that the office ceiling and carpet had suffered some damage following a leak during the extreme weather experienced on Thursday 15th September. Contractors had been asked to quote and the insurance company had been informed, however, a claim may affect the claim record. 19

376.3 Riseley Village Tea Room (RVTR) – it was NOTED that a meeting was held on Monday 10th October 2016. Cllrs. McDonald and Sampson attended. Cllr. McDonald had reported maintenance issues to the Clerk, painting of the back door and an overflow issue from the tennis club toilets. 20 Cllr. Sampson reported that the Tea Room would organise a meeting between themselves, the Tennis Club and the council to discuss security measures, including CCTV and bollards/gates.

15 Clerk to inform Loddon Reach 16 Clerk to create a new advert for the Main Hall 17 MM to explain to FRG that the Parish Warden was carry out work as expected 18 Clerk to commission survey 19 Clerk to investigate the situation. 20 Clerk to follow up

2016/242 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

377 BOROUGH/PARISH MEETINGS

377.1 Borough Parish Liaison Group – it was NOTED that this meeting took place on Monday 10th October 2016. Cllr. Sampson was unable to attend due to other council meetings.

377.2 Wokingham Borough Council: Our 21 Century Programme – it was NOTED that the meeting of the Parish Council with Keith Baker, Leader of the Borough Council and Andy Couldrick, Chief Executive of the Council had been re-arranged for Wednesday 23rd November, 7pm.

377.3 Budget Engagement Sessions – it was NOTED that Wokingham Borough Council had arranged a number of “Budget Engagement Sessions” where staff would answer questions. Residents could also comment in an on-line survey.

377.4 Garrison Community Forum – it was NOTED that a meeting took place on 10th October 17pm at Henry Street Garden Centre, Arborfield. Cllr Wheelwright would circulate notes. 21

377.5 Environment – it was NOTED that Cllr. Sampson and the Clerk met with Cllr. Ross, Executive Member for Environment, WBC.

377.6 Planning – it was NOTED that Cllr. Anderson and the Clerk met with a Senior Officer in the WBC Planning team to discuss the approach the Parish Council should take to the proposed cross border development in Riseley.

377.7 Training – it was NOTED that the clerk attended a meeting with the Learning & Development Manager at WBC to understand how Swallowfield Parish Council could access on-line training modules through the “Traded Services” model.

378 OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS

378.1 Community Council for – it was NOTED that the council had been invited to attend the AGM 2016 on Wednesday 26th October, Garden Room, Wasing Park, Aldermaston, 5:45pm for refreshments, meeting starts at 6pm.

379 REPORTS/CORRESPONDENCE

379.1 Vandalism – it was NOTED that a letter had been received from the parents of the individual responsible for vandalising the fencing and gates at Swallowfield Recreation Ground notifying the Parish Council that they would not be making a financial contribution towards the repairs as they regarded it to be the responsibility of their son. It stated that he would be in touch with the council. To date, nothing had been received.

379.2 CAB – it was NOTED that a letter of thanks had been received from Wokingham CAB following the recent grant donation.

379.3 Wokingham Without Parish Council (WWPC) – it was NOTED that a copy of a letter to WBC outlining WWPC concerns about proposed boundary reviews had been

21 JW to circulate notes

2016/243 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

received.

379.4 Shinfield Eastern Relief Road – it was NOTED that Hochtief had notified the council that WBC had temporarily withdrawn the Section 50 Licence required to carry out work on a public highway due to some items which were not considered acceptable. They were working closely with WBC to resolve the issues and would resume work as soon as possible. In the meantime, activities were continuing away from the public highway interface areas. It is understood that the work had now restarted.

379.5 Shinfield Voluntary Car Service – it was NOTED that Shinfield Voluntary Car Service had appointed a new General Manager has been appointed, Mrs Stevie Horton and it was NOTED that the service was looking to recruit new drivers, particularly in the parish of Swallowfield. Cllr. Sampson commented that he had previously met with the organisation and that they offered an excellent community service. He urged anyone interested to make contact with them.

379.6 Parish Flag – it was NOTED that a number of emails had been received from a resident requesting that the Parish Council consider the adoption of a parish flag. 22

380 URGENT MATTERS AND/OR ITEMS FOR NEXT AGENDA

380.1 Soffits and facias

380.2 Tennis club

380.3 Leak in the hall

381 DATE OF NEXT MEETING

Tuesday 8th November 2016 at 7.30 p.m. in the Rose Room, Swallowfield Parish Hall, Swallowfield Street, Swallowfield.

[The meeting closed at 21:03]

22 JS to make contact

2016/244 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

Appendix

348.1.6 Agreed response to application 162498

Swallowfield Parish Council STRONGLY OBJECTS to this proposal which is blatantly contrary to Wokingham Borough Council’s (WBC’s) planning policies.

1. Housing Land Supply and Site Allocation The fundamental issue is the opportunistic nature of the application which should be seen as part of a campaign by developers to challenge an alleged shortage of local housing supply. The site is neither allocated nor on the reserve list for housing development. There are clearly other sites in the Borough that could be developed that would have far less of an adverse impact; this site ranks close to the bottom of the pile in WBC’s sustainability assessment of potential sites. This application is clearly predicated on an assertion that WBC has insufficient housing land supply to deliver its housing requirements and therefore it is argued that it would be legitimate to waive some of the fundamental planning principles and policies that underpin WBC’s Core Strategy. The Parish Council believes, backed by assurances from WBC, that the supply of developable housing land meets and indeed exceeds the requirements of the NPPF. This being the case, it seems entirely appropriate that this application is determined by adherence to the currently adopted plans and policies which point to refusal and should be assessed in the broader context of its adverse impact on WBC’s spatial strategy and associated infrastructure plans.

Having geographically scattered sites in locations such as this where it is not planned means that Wokingham Borough Council, the Environment Agency and Thames Water are unable to plan co-ordinated infrastructure enhancements that will provide any mitigation whatsoever to their effects. This causes real harm to local communities that have no option but to put up with the considerable effects that such a development would bring about.

Making an exception and approving this application would open the floodgates to similar ad hoc developments without the associated infrastructure mitigation. WBC must defend its position or risk a serious and harmful impact on the communities for which it is responsible.

2. Appeal Decision in February 2000 This site was the subject of an appeal (reference T/APP/X0360/A/99/1030082/P2) in February 2000. The appellant sought to justify a development of 13 houses and the main issues addressed by the appeal were: a) the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of this part of Swallowfield and the surrounding rural area, including the openness of the gap between the village and Riseley; b) the sustainability of the proposal, with particular regard to the likely level of demand for car travel; c) the weight to be attached to any other material consideration, such as agricultural land classification, positive contributions to policy objectives and housing land availability. The Inspector found unfavourably against all of these three main issues and dismissed the appeal. He also concluded that the site was too small for the availability of land supply to be a determining factor despite disagreement on this matter. These particular issues are no different to those that apply today and although this appeal was determined against policies of the day and in the old Local Plan, these same policies are reflected in the current day policies contained in the adopted Core Strategy and MDD DPD. Accordingly the Inspector’s conclusion to dismiss the appeal remains as valid today. The Inspector’s reasons and other justifications for refusal are contained in the following paragraphs.

2016/245 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

3. Unplanned Development in Open Countryside outside Settlement Limits

This site is in open countryside outside the settlement boundary for Swallowfield and the site has not been allocated for development in the Managing Development Delivery DPD. Crucially, the then owner of the site made representations during the examination of the MDD DPD by a Planning Inspector, arguing that the site should be allocated in the plan but the arguments were not upheld by the Inspector. Policy CP11 – Proposals outside Development Limits (including countryside) – states that “In order to protect the separate identity of settlements and maintain the quality of the environment, proposals outside of development limits will not normally be permitted…” The proposal does not meet the relevant exception criteria. The Core Strategy (para. 3.32) states that ”Outside of settlements, in order to reflect the poor access to facilities and services, development is most likely to be related to agriculture, open recreation or burial grounds.” The Core Strategy (para. 3.31) states that “The Managing Development Delivery DPD will consider the opportunities for small scale allocations/additions to these settlements, having regard to the range and accessibility of facilities and services available which would contribute towards sustainable communities. Unless significant enhancements occur in the plan period, it is unlikely that the proportion of development within these settlements will continue in line with that observed since 2001 (see Appendix 3).” Appendix 3 shows that net dwelling completions for Swallowfield was just one small dwelling for the period in question. Since then, the village has seen the addition of 38 new homes in the Bellway Homes “The Willows” development which was on brownfield land within the settlement boundary; this is despite the absence of any sustainability enhancements. Consequently, the village has already had to accommodate significantly more than its intended allocation of new homes. During the Core Strategy period to date new housing already developed or approved and including this new proposal is too great a proportion for such a small community to assimilate and far exceeds the acceptable scale envisaged by the Core Strategy (para. 4.52 – Limited Development Location of Swallowfield). The development would harm the character and open appearance of the field. Screening would not in itself be sufficient to mitigate its effect and should not be used for this purpose because it could too easily be applied in other situations. The development would be harmful to the gap between settlements because of its visual effect when viewed from the south and having regard to its sensitivity given the existing ribbon development along the B3349. The site is on good quality agricultural land which policy seeks to preserve in agricultural use. While the site is relatively small, it forms part of a larger field that is perfectly viable for agriculture as are many of the neighbouring fields cultivated by Valley Produce.

4. Very Poor Sustainability Credentials a) Car Ownership The Borough is acknowledged to have a high proportion of car ownership on average and, being in a rural location that is poorly served by public transport and a significant distance from many essential amenities and facilities, car ownership in Swallowfield is very much at the top end of the scale. Residents are forced to rely on their cars for most journeys as this is the only possible mode of travel. b) Schools The Core Strategy envisages that primary school should be within walking distance or easy and safe cycling distance. The Primary School in Spencers Wood is already over capacity with temporary buildings and no room to expand just to serve pupils from the immediate neighbourhood of Spencers Wood yet alone further afield. Demand will increase from this area as further planned development takes place. Pupils from Swallowfield attend Farley Hill Primary School which is the next nearest. Neither school

2016/246 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

can be said by any stretch of the imagination to be within walking or safe cycling distance for a primary aged child. Farley Hill Primary School also has pressure on spaces. There are no plans for additional primary schools within easy reach from Swallowfield. Currently secondary school pupils on the whole attend Yateley School but in future will attend the Bohunt School in the Arborfield SDL. There is no plan for public or school transport provision to the Bohunt School from Swallowfield. c) Distance from Amenities, Retail Centres and Areas of Employment Swallowfield is a considerable distance from existing or planned town-based facilities such as: - retail centres and supermarkets - sports facilities such as swimming pool, gym or sports hall - entertainment facilities - meaningful areas of employment.

These facilities are located in , Wokingham and Reading. Travel to Lower Earley or Wokingham by bus is not an available option so journeys to these locations involve car travel.

Opportunities for local employment are very poor. Riseley Business Park has considerable vacant space and is planning to convert to apartments using permitted development rights that have already been approved. Other businesses are generally small scale and unlikely to provide suitable employment opportunities. d) Public Transport and Travel Public transport provision is extremely limited and people are reliant on the car for almost all journeys. This means that the village has an extremely high level of car ownership, at the top of the scale when compared with the average assumed for the Borough as a whole. Parking provision on the proposed development will not meet the need, especially due to the high housing and population density on the development.

The bus service for Swallowfield is limited to just one bus per hour to Reading. The buses are sometimes delayed and take an unacceptably long time to reach the centre of Reading during rush hour and so are not suitable for commuting.

The Basingstoke Road is extremely congested in the morning rush hour and the 3 mile journey to the M4 J11 can easily exceed 30 minutes. The junction improvements at and M4 J11 were implemented some time ago and no further enhancements are planned so this situation will worsen as the nearby SDLs are completed, adding to the volume of traffic. Users of the Mereoak Park & Ride are forced to use the single track country lanes from the Beech Hill Road through to as a means of avoiding the congestion.

5. Highways The proposed access is far from satisfactory funnelling onto such a narrow lane. It is not an unreasonable assumption in this area that there would be an average of 2.5 cars per dwelling which means 50 cars for the development as a whole generating 100 or more traffic movements per day, most at peak times. The lane is not designed to cope with the estimated numbers of additional traffic movements that would arise and this additional traffic will come into conflict with traffic emerging from the existing Foxborough development. Furthermore, the “no left turn” restriction into Charlton Lane for heavier vehicles travelling south on the Basingstoke Road means that this section of Trowes Lane is used as the alternative route by very large lorries accessing businesses and Valley Produce’s Springalls Farm packing facility further south along the lane.

2016/247 Swallowfield Parish Council Meeting, Minutes Tuesday 11th October 2016

Sight lines are poor and the narrow verge means there may be little scope for improvement. In the past, Highways expressed concern about the additional traffic created as a result of an older development of just seven houses on Trowes Lane that skirt the eastern boundary of the proposed site, imposing a planning restriction limiting the number of access points for reasons of safety. The access to a further 20 houses will create further safety concerns.

The development will add significantly to the amount of traffic passing through and out of the village, particularly onto the Basingstoke Road (B3349) which can be very busy at peak times. Whilst the road network may technically be able to cope, that is ignoring the adverse impact on residents.

6. Flood Risk The area in the centre of the village which encompasses the access road to the site has flooded on a number of occasions causing serious damage to property and it is important that flood risk mitigation measures on the site do not exacerbate the situation off site as water is channelled towards the flood plain. Some of the water courses (ditches and culverts) are not adequate to cope with flood conditions. According to our local Flood Resilience Group which has reviewed the Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) there are some significant shortcomings in the analysis and conclusions which call into question the proposed technical solutions and their viability. If the application was to be approved, it should be conditional on the shortcomings in the FRA being resolved and viable solutions proposed to the satisfaction of WBC.

Sewers in the village frequently surcharge with flood water during heavy rainfall and the toilets backed up in the properties bordering the site on Trowes Lane (e.g. “Brambles” and neighbouring properties) during the 2007 flood suggesting that the assertion in the FRA that this effect wouldn’t affect the site is incorrect. The pumping station next to the parish hall also fails on frequent occasions requiring a constant stream of tankers for days on end and three- way traffic control at the mini roundabout by the war memorial. It is therefore with utter disbelief to read that Thames Water claim to have no problems with the additional waste water that will be produced by the development. Other development proposals in the area have opted for a package treatment solution.

7. Visual Character and Urbanising Effect – permanently destroying the valued character of the village The loss of hedgerow necessary to provide a sufficient visibility splay would be urbanising and harm the rural character of the lane. The introduction of yet more modern housing will permanently alter the character of a long- established village as the old centre of the village and its Conservation Area become ever more surrounded by modern developments. Once again, the community is faced with a cul-de-sac development on the perimeter of the village. This is out of character with the heart of the village which is centred on The Street and Swallowfield Street.

Conclusion

This development proposal runs completely contrary to a host of planning policies. The grounds for refusing this application are both overwhelming and incontrovertible.

Accordingly, Swallowfield Parish Council strongly believes and asserts that Wokingham Borough Council should REFUSE this application.

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