Land west of Edney's Hill Barkham Road Barkham

1. 1.The proposal represents inappropriate, unplanned development outside of development limits within the countryside and contrary to the spatial objectives of the development plan and to Policies CP1, CP9 and CP11 of the Core Strategy, Policy CC01 of the MDD Local Plan, Policy IRS1 of the Arborfield and Barkham Neighbourhood Plan and the NPPF.
2. 2.The proposed development would have an adverse impact on the landscape, character and appearance of the area by reason of the loss of an open green field in the countryside to an urbanising, poorly designed development, contrary to policies CP1, CP3 and CP11 of the Core Strategy, policies CC01, CC03 and TB21 of the MDD Local Plan, policies AD3 and IRS2 Arborfield and Barkham Neighbourhood Plan, Barkham Village Design Statement, the Wokingham Borough Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (2012), the Wokingham Borough Landscape Character Assessment and the NPPF. Public: Information that can be seen and used by everyone inside and outside the Council.
3. 3.The location of the proposed development is unsustainable in transport terms as the proposed development is not within suitable distances of day-to-day local facilities and amenities, including areas of public open space, by non-motorised transport modes, and will result in a high level of car dependency contrary to the sustainable goals in Section 8 and 9 of the NPPF, as well as policies CP1, CP2, CP3 and CP6 of the Core Strategy and TB08 of the MDD Local Plan.
4. 4.In the absence of adequate information regarding satisfactory access arrangements, visibility splays and turning area for vehicles entering/exiting the site, it has not been demonstrated that the proposal will not lead to a detrimental impact on both highways and pedestrian safety, and that the development can be adequately serviced in terms of waste provision. The proposal is contrary to policies CP1, CP3 and CP6 of the Core Strategy, policy CC04 of the MDD and the NPPF.
5. 5.The proposed balcony serving plot 11 would result in uninterrupted views across the proposed gardens of plots 6 and 7 and therefore the privacy for future occupiers would be compromised, contrary to policy CP3 of the Core Strategy and the Wokingham Borough Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (2012) and the NPPF.
6. 6.The applicant has failed to demonstrate that future occupiers of the proposed development would not be subject to adverse noise from the exisitng surrounding environment. The proposal is therefore contrary to policy CC06 of the MDD Local Plan, policy CP1 of the Core Strategy and the NPPF.
7. 7.The proposal fails to demonstrate that the development can be suitably accommodated within the site without impinging on root protection areas, resulting in adverse and unacceptable impacts on important trees. Furthermore, impact on exisitng trees has failed to be considered in relation to required highway visibility splays. As such, the proposal fails to comply with CC03 of the MDD Local Plan and NPPF.
8. 8.In the absence of a planning obligation to secure suitable avoidance and mitigation measure and access management monitoring arrangements, in terms that are satisfactory to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), the LPA is unable to satisfy itself that the proposals include adequate mitigation measures to prevent the proposed development from having an adverse effect on the integrity of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, in line with the requirements of Regulation 63 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 as amended and Article 6(3) of Directive 92/43/EEC. The proposal would be contrary to Policy NRM6 of the South East Plan, Policies CP8 and CP4 of the Core Strategy.
9. 9.By virtue of a lack of accurate information, an assessment of how 10% biodiversity net gain will be achieved is not possible and as such, the survey assessment is not acceptable and therefore the relevant date of pre-development biodiversity value is not agreed. As such, if granted planning permission, there is no guarantee if 10% biodiversity net gain will be achieved, hence would be contrary to Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021). Public: Information that can be seen and used by everyone inside and outside the Council.
10. 10.In the absence of a completed Legal Agreement, the schemes fails to make adequate provision for highways infrastructure, contrary to Policies CP1, CP3, CP4 and CP6 of the Core Strategy the NPPF.
11. 11.In the absence of a completed legal agreement, the scheme fails to make adequate provision towards primary medical care to accommodate for the increase in population as a result of the development.
12. 12.In the absence of a completed legal agreement, the scheme fails to make adequate provision for affordable housing, contrary to Policy CP5 of the Core Strategy and the NPPF.
13. 13.In the absence of a completed legal agreement, the proposal fails to secure opportunities for training, apprenticeships and other vocational initiatives to develop local employability skills contrary to policy TB12 of the MDD Local Plan.

From the council's decision notice.

Application type

Full

Scale / size

Large

Number of dwellings

16

Parish

Barkham

Date validated

22 July 2025

Consultation expiry

21 August 2025

Consultation start

22 July 2025

Consultation end

21 August 2025

Application expires

21 October 2025

Statutory period

91 days

Last advertised

31 July 2025

Advertisement expiry

21 August 2025

Appeal result

N

Planning Portal ID

PP-14023607

Documents

137