2011-07-14: Council's anger at university planning appeal

The University of Reading has been accused of wasting taxpayers’ money after opting to appeal failed plans to build a mini-town in Shinfield Get Reading

2011-07-11: University's 1,200 new homes plan at Shinfield rejected

Plans to build 1,200 new homes near the near the M4 in Berkshire have been rejected.. BBC News

2011-06-11: D-Day over 1,350 homes in Shinfield

University bosses could tonight learn whether or not plans to build 1,350 new homes on land it owns in Shinfield have been successful.. Get Wokingham

2011-05-29: Public meetings planned over mini-towns

Residents wanting to learn more about plans for 2,500 homes in Shinfield, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross can attend three public meetings being held next month. Get Wokingham

2011-02-15: New homes bid for Shinfield site

Plans for 126 new homes with accompanying recreational and community space in Shinfield have been filed with planning bosses. Get Wokingham

2010-11-25: Campaigners ‘dismayed’ at plans to sell Ryeish site

Residents in Shinfield are calling on Wokingham Borough Council’s executive to reject proposals to close the Ryeish Green Leisure Centre and dispose of the former school site. Get Wokingham

2010-11-25: Parents’ free school plan in place of Ryeish

Parents unhappy at the closure of a Wokingham school are discussing the possibility of taking their children’s secondary education into their own hands. Get Wokingham

2010-11-25: WOW plans for free school

DESPERATE parents are staking a claim to open a new secondary school to solve a long-running school places crisis in villages south of Reading.. The Reading Chronicle

2010-10-19: Government scraps Arborfield Garrison move

"THE MINISTRY of Defence today scrapped the closure of Arborfield Garrison and said training will stay at the base". The Garrison and surrounding land is earmarked in Wokingham Borough Council's core strategy as a strategic development location suitable for 3,500 homes. Local Berkshire

2010-10-17: Extraordinary meeting of the Council's Executive on 21 October 2010

These are to be considered at an Extraordinary meeting of the Council's Executive to be held at 19.30 on 21st October 2010. The reports and background papers are available on our website at

:http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/meetings/ http://www2.wokingham.gov.uk/environment/planning/news-and-information

An agenda has been release where Antony Atkins has asked the Executive Member for Planning the following question

Question
Community response to the Draft SPD for the South of the M4 SDL has shown strong and continuing hostility to, a) the exclusion of the wide, continuous SANG between Shinfield and Spencers Wood that was specified in the Core Strategy, and b) the concentration of almost all development in the south-west of Shinfield and the east of Spencers Wood, narrowing the supposed wide gap between the villages to a mere 150 metres.

Following the final round of public consultation on the SPD, will the Executive Member for Planning instruct the Masterplanning officers to publish their written justification for rejecting the consultation responses that raised these two issues?

Suzanne Madigan has asked the Executive Member Planning the following question:

Question
Could the Members please advise what changes have been made to the draft Supplementary Planning Documents following the last consultation exercise, specifically in for the SDL South of the M4?

2010-10-17: Ill wind is blowing for wind turbine protesters

"Plans to develop a wind farm on the borders of Arborfield, Shinfield and Earley are edging closer to reality after it was announced the project blueprints will be formally submitted this month." Get Wokingham

The council meetings you may like to attend for information, or to make your views known are;

Shinfield Parish Council - Full meet - 18th Oct (ie tonight) 7.30
Planning meet - 25th Oct 7.30
Full meet  - 15th Nov 7.30

all above meetings are to be held at Shinfield Parish Hall, School Green.  Please see details below of the Parish Clerk for more information.

WBC Planning Committee Meet - 10th Nov 7pm  at Shute End, Wokingham
WBC Executive Committee Meets - 28th October 7pm and 25th Nov 8pm

(the public are entitled to ask a question at these two Exec meetings if submitted a week ahead, and also a supplementary question, not previously submitted) they are at Shute End, Wokingham.

These details may be subject to change. Click here to latest news.

the Parish Clerk is available on 9888220, or clerk@shinfieldparish.gov.uk 
and WBC Planning is; 9746282, main switchboard 9746000

Call for more traffic info on homes plan

"Reading planners have objected strongly to plans by The University of Reading to build 1,200 houses in Shinfield." Get Readinge

Shinfield development plans 'beggar belief'

"READING has sent its strong objections to “unacceptable” proposals for a bypass and up to 1,200 homes close to its southern boundary." Reading Chronicle

2010-09-13: Dispute over bypass plans

"CROSS-BORDER disputes bubbling in the background have been thrust into the open over controversial plans for a bypass and thousands of homes.." Reading Chronicle

2010-08-10: Concerns over wind turbine safety

"Worried residents have asked the council how they will be protected from noise disturbance and other dangers if four wind turbines are built near their homes." GetWokingham

2010-08-10: No dramatic reduction for housing plan

"A final decision on whether the 12,500 homes planned for Wokingham by 2026 will be reduced is due to be made in September." GetWokingham

2010-07-20: Links to UoR planning applications

O/2010/1432 Hollow Lane South of Church Lane Hyde End Road Shinfield Reading

F/2010/1434 Land to the East of Hyde End Road Shinfield Reading

F/2010/1428 Cutbush Lane Arborfield Road & Shinfield Road Shinfield Reading

2010-07-19: Borough vulnerable to housing ‘loophole’

Residents desperate to fight excessive development on green gaps are facing an uphill struggle as the long wait to revisit unpopular housing targets could take  months. GetWokingham

2010-07-19: Fears uni proposals could shift ‘heart of village’

Villagers fear the very heart could be torn out of Shinfield if plans by The University of Reading for a 2,500 home mini-town are approved. GetReading

2010-07-08: Shinfield fears over Reading university's homes plan

"Residents have raised concerns over plans by the University of Reading for 1,200 new homes." BBC News

2010-07-05: UoR planning application

the University has submitted and application for the west Shinfield development, eastern relief road and SANG. The application is for 1,200 dwellings PLUS 150 sheltered - so 1,350 dwellings.

2010-06-19: ACT NOW! Stop Wokingham approving masterplans for 2,500 new homes in Shinfield Parish

Thank you for sending your letters to John Redwood and Eric Pickles. It seems John Redwood reply to everybody was

From: REDWOODJ@parliament.uk
Subject: RE: Wokingham Borough Council Strategic Development Location Masterplans
"have advised Councillors to reject these plans"

We have just been informed that the "The Strategic Development Locations Supplementary Planning Documents" (eg the 2,500 homes in Shinfield and other places) planed council meeting for 24 June has been withdrawn from the agenda. The reason being stated is as follows

"The new Secretary of State for Communities has announced his intention to abolish the Regional Spatial Strategies and return decision making on housing numbers to Local Authorities. We await further details of the changes to be made to the planning system and have put on hold the further progress of the Masterplans and Infrastructure documents for the Strategic Development Locations as a result. We also understand that the Secretary of State for Defence is unable to confirm the position on Arborfield Garrison until later in the year." Mark Cupit, Head of Development Management

While this is a step forwards in the right direction we need to watch what happens very closely.

2010-06-15: Plea to take chance to axe housing targets

" John Heggadon, chairman of Shinfield Parish Council's planning committee, said the council is considering a legal challenging to the masterplan for the site ..." Wokingham Times

2010-06-10: ACT NOW! Stop Wokingham approving masterplans for 2,500 new homes in Shinfield Parish

Please fill in this letter which states the Conservative and Liberal Democrat election manifestos, which promised to abolish the regional housing targets and send it to Eric Pickles (Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government) and John Redwood (MP for Wokingham)

Read more here.

2010-06-10: No going back for housing numbers

“Wokingham Times reports that Borough may have reached the “point of no return with future development plans”. SRAG calls for an urgent review of the situation given the new Government and their pledge to abolish regional housing targets. Why not write to your John Redwood (MP for Wokingham) and Eric Pickles (Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities) to express your concern using this letter.

2010-04-12: Science park approved despite concerns

"A science park for The University of Reading has taken the next step towards completion after access to the site was partly approved by planners." getWokingham

2010-04-03:University of Reading's new science park to go-ahead

"The University of Reading says its plans to build a new science and innovation park in a Berkshire village have been given the go-ahead." getWokingham

2010-03-22:Green campaigner steps up to be counted in General Election

"A Shinfield councillor is to stand as the first Green Party candidate for Wokingham MP in this year’s General Election." getWokingham

2010-03-15:Diocese submits plans for 175 homes in Shinfield

"Dozens of new homes could be built in Shinfield, after outline plans were submitted to Wokingham Borough Council.  The Diocese of Oxford has put together an application for up to 175 homes in Church Lane in Shinfield" getWokingham

2010-02-15:Science park plan on hold until visit

"Confusion over a bid to develop a new science park in Shinfield has prompted planning bosses to defer the decision for another month." getWokingham

2010-01-26:Housing plans face rethink under Tories

getwokingham has published the following article

"A Conservative win at the upcoming General Election could force a rethink on Wokingham’s plans for house building for the next 15 years."

"The Tory party has said it would take another look at housing numbers set for the south east by Labour if it takes over at Number 10 and wrote to every Tory council last year asking them not to approve any housing strategies in case it is able to change housing policy in the near future."

2010-01-26:UoR Science Park goes to Planning Committee 3rd Feb

The UoR Science Park will go to the Planning Committee on Wednesday 3rd February and it has been recommended for APPROVAL. You can read the the copy of the committee report here

2010-01-22:UoR Science Park to go to Planning Committee 3rd Feb

A possible date for the UoR Science Park to go to the public planning committee has been announced for the Wednesday 3rd February. Unfortunately we wont actually know until tuesday 26th Jan if this will actually happen.

2010-01-21:Wokingham chooses Option 2 despite being least favorite

The Wokingham Borough Council has updated it's Strategic Development Location (SDL), which include the "Draft S of M4 SDL SPD" and "S of M4 SPD earlier consultation information". Despite the consultation [process stating option 2 was the least favorite it seems this is the option WBC has chosen.

2010-01-03:Wokingham Official Summary of Comments Received on Science Park

We have received a document that summaries the comments received by the Wokingham Council Planning office against the Science Park. Please read and make sure all of your comments have been represented. We can still add more comments.