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Plans are to build homes on the old TRL site
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Crowthorne revolts over councils’ homes proposal

By Mike Pyle
October 26, 2010

More than 140 villagers have vowed to fight plans to build 3,500 houses, dumping their local councillors in the process. Mike Pyle reports.

People from Crowthorne say they will vote out their councillors at next year’s elections, appeal to their local MPs and have more in store in a bid to scupper plans to open up several swathes of their village to new housing.

To meet targets, Bracknell Forest Council has proposed that 1,150 houses could be built on the TRL site off Old Wokingham Road and a further 450 could be built on land left after the planned redevelopment of Broadmoor Hospital.

At the same time Wokingham Borough Council has suggested building 1,900 new homes in land south of Wokingham, around Wokingham Without.

Crowthorne Village Action Group (CVAG) and Wokingham Without Parish Council held a meeting at Hatch Ride School on Wednesday, October 13, in a bid to rally support against the proposals.

The meeting attracted 145 people and featured three presentations and a chance for people to put their questions and thoughts to the councillors and CVAG representatives.

Andy Holley from CVAG gave a talk on the history of the plans and explained what people can do if they do not want the development to happen.

He explained at this stage the plans are not set in stone and are only ‘preferred proposals’, but to stop them being finalised people need to register their objections quickly.

He said: “If you don’t like what you hear – take action as individuals.

“The council’s planning departments are supposed to listen to us, we pay their salaries.

“You have to make sure your voice is heard.”

He also suggested that people contact Bracknell MP Dr Phillip Lee to ask him to join the protest.

Crowthorne parish councillor Mike Withers gave a talk about the details of Bracknell Forest Council’s plans in its part of the village.

He said Bracknell Forest Council rejected a plan to build almost 1,000 houses on the old TRL site in 2008 because it would be detrimental to the infrastructure.

He added: “Now they’ve taken that and added more houses.

“The objections they spent money defending have apparently gone away.

“What has changed from 18 months ago to now?

“I’ve asked that question and all I get told is that it was the ‘wrong application at the wrong time’.”

The final presentation was from Wokingham Without parish councillor Ian Hardacre who explained that the parish council had already set out its stall to object to the plans and has hired a freelance consultant to help it with its fight.

He said: “We are against such large and oppressing development.

“We are deeply concerned about what has been put forward.

“What we’d finish up with is this urban sprawl between Bracknell, Crowthorne and Wokingham.

“We’re saying ‘no’ to any development in the area.

“We may not win but if we roll over and allow this to be built there is no going back.”

He also urged Crowthorne Parish Council to stand alongside it in objection. The parish council was set to decide its stance at a meeting on Tuesday night.

Bracknell Forest Council has planned presentations in Crowthorne during its consultation period from 10am to 1pm on Tuesday, November 23, and Saturday, November 27, and from 6pm to 9pm on Thursday, December 2.

At these meetings people will be able to register their objections to the plans.

People can also contact Dr Phillip Lee at phillip.lee@parliament.uk, Wokingham MP John Redwood at redwoodj@parliament.co.uk, their local borough councillors Jim Finnie and Bob Wade for Crowthorne and Pauline Helliar-Symons, Angus Ross and David Sleight for Wokingham Without. Councillors’ details are available through www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk and www.wokingham.gov.uk.

- You can join CVAG by visiting www.cvag.org.uk or join a Facebook group set up against the plans by searching Facebook for Crowthorne Fights Development.

In a lively debate questions from the floor were invited – and rebellion was in the air.

Paul Horgan, of White City, near the area of the Broadmoor estate earmarked for development, said: “If there are 1,600 new houses put into Crowthorne these will be sold for around about £320 million – that is serious money, a third of a billion pounds.

“There would be a profit of around £80 million for the developer.

“It’s a bit like having a goldmine in Crowthorne and letting them dig it up and take away the gold.

“But if I was the developer with the chance to walk away with £80 million I would fight like a dog to keep it and that’s why we have to be prepared to fight.

“All the councillors on Bracknell Forest Council stand for election each year.

“Would people in Crowthorne be prepared to discard their traditional allegiances and vote for an anti development candidate?”

Applause and several cries of “you should stand” followed his speech.

- Tell us what you think. Leave your comments below, write to The Standard, 8 Tessa Road, Reading RG1 8NS or email bracknellstandardeditorial@bracknellstandard.co.uk

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In addition to the profit the developer will gain it should also be remembered that the revenue coming in to the council from selling the land and council tax from the new home occupiers would be quite staggering. Councils are businesses no different to any other and they want revenue. What is interesting about these housing plans being forced through, despite justified protest, is that the UK's three largest housing developers donated £250,000 to the Conservative party between the months of July and September last year. George Osborne's promise to underwrite the deposit of 100,000 first time buyers is on condition that they buy a new house which works very well for the Developers who can pretty much build where they like so long as they 'donate' to the party. I hope everyone can see how corrupt this all is.

Chris Meaton
17/01/2012 at 09:11

"A controversial plan to build a mini-town on the TRL site between Bracknell and Crowthorne has been dismissed.

Developer Legal and General wanted to build 975 homes, a business park and more on the site off Wokingham Road.

But today a planning inspector threw out an appeal launched by the developer after the plan was rejected by Bracknell Forest Council.

The inspector took into account the effects the application could have on the environment, particularly the Thames Basin Special Protection Area (SPA), when making his decision.

He also took into account the traffic it would cause and the erosion of the gap between Crowthorne and Bracknell"

Bracknell Times, 09 June 2009.

One wonders what has changed. After spending both time and rate payers money initially objecting to the plans the BFBC and supporting the Planning Inspectors decision we now see a change of heart.

Shouldn't the BFBC concentrate on the redevelopment of the Bracknell Town Centre and ensure the promised local amenities are built in Jennetts Park before they destroy any more countryside??

Youngman, Bracknell\Crowthorne
04/11/2010 at 12:04

Beef is right. Its understandable that people don't want large scale development in their parishes but where are we to build the homes for our children? And let's not forget that the demand for new homes is coming from within. We are all living longer and, increasingly, living on our own. Sadly, families are dividing. That's where the demand is coming from. Its not the developers and its not our local councillors (they are just the ones getting the blame!), it is us - the demand is coming from within. That said, local people are right to be aggreived at the huge profits developers can make at our expense and we should fight to ensure that as much of that profit as possible is reinvested in our communities in decent schools, roads and community facilities.

LarryS
27/10/2010 at 12:52

Look at the state of that derelict building though; surely homes is a much better idea...

Sylver
26/10/2010 at 13:16

So hang on, Binfield don't want them and Crowthorne don't want them. Where are they going to go?

Having said that why don't they finish Jennets Park first?!