The University Science Park O/2009/1027 plan will affect everyone from families, runners and dog walkers who enjoy the local countryside, to drivers who will have to queue on the congested roads…

The UoR Science Park will go to the Planning Committee on 7pm Wednesday 3rd February and it has been recommended for APPROVAL. You can read the the copy of the committee report here.  We don’t yet know the running order for the committee so for now it’s not possible to estimate the start time for this application. Hopefully next week the order for the agenda should have been fixed.

Here is a link to WBC website, with maps to the council offices at Shute End. 

 http://www.wokingham.gov.uk/council/contact-us/wokingham-maps/get-to-wokingham/

You can see the current list of comments lodged with Wokingham Council here.

I think the Science Park has stalled because the "Submission Core Strategy (August 2008)" states:

4.76 "The Council will work with the University of Reading (as the potential associated higher education institution) and relevant landowners to identify an appropriate site in the Site Allocations & Management DPD for the Science Park. Having regard to the scale of development, before any planning applications are submitted to the authority for the development of the Science Park, the following must have taken place:
a) Appropriate pre-application discussions;
b) Appropriate public consultation has been carried out (see Tier 1 of the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) (paragraphs 3.45 to 3.47)); and
c) The Development Management & Allocations DPD confirming the Science Park allocation and a subsequent Development Brief SPD (incorporating a masterplan) for the Science Park has been adopted.

When we questions the Planning Officer about point c) their response was

"There isn’t either a Development Management and Allocations DPD or Development Brief SPD for the science park."

While this seems the Science Park is in violation of the Wokingham council own planning document, it seems someone has changed the "must" to a "should" in the latest document "Submission Core Strategy including all Proposed Changes and amendments for SE Plan (Jul 2009)"

Following the link "Proposed Changes and Clarifications" you can down load the document "Approved final changes to the Core Strategy.pdf". This states the change from "must" to "should", with a reason I don't understand.

The more worrying item is D37 that changes the use of the Park from B1b to any use the University of Reading sees fit for it's Science Park.

So I think they are now waiting for May 2010 when the Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) will be adopted.
These contain the "South of the M4" details, eg the extra 2500 houses.

There should be also be a 106 section which is a legal thing, which is meant to assign a manager and steering group to the Science Park. It would be good to see if SRAG can get a member on this.

Your Village

• Loss of Village character.
• Erosion of green wedges between Villages.
• Lack of amenities to support further development e.g. problems with drains, sewage and flooding.

Transport

• More congestion at the Black Boy roundabout and whole area.
• 41,958 cars trying to get round the Black Boy roundabout

Knock On Effects

• Reduce house prices.
• Increased risk of crime.
• Green light for several thousand new homes being built on your doorstep.
• Opens door for link road through flood plain.

Historical Landmarks

• Lane End Farm (Grade II listed build) will be encircled within tarmac within a roundabout.

Pollution of Countryside

• Loss of ecological and natural habitat for wildlife
• Changing biodiversity
• Changing the character of the landscape
• Destruction of agricultural land
• Noise pollution.
• Reduced air quality
• Light pollution

Building work

• Construction will span approximately 25 years.
• Noise and disruption between 7am to 6pm Monday-Friday and 7am to 1pm Saturdays.
• 150 HGV and 270 light vehicle movements per day to construction site.
• Construction traffic and buses running along Cutbush lane.

Get involved by contacting chris@cutbushlane.com