Howard Woollaston: Parish Matters – August 2024

Howard Woollaston
West Berkshire Councillor: Lambourn Ward

July/August 2024

Summer appears to have finally arrived at last and now and we will be complaining that it is just too hot!!

I wish all of you about to go on summer holidays a wonderful time. No longer having school age children to contend with, I will be away for two separate weeks in September and October when it is not quite so hot or expensive in the Med. Dates to be confirmed. You will still be able to contact me by email or mobile, but responses might take slightly longer.

Neighbourhood Development Plan & WBC Local Plan.

Until a week ago it looked like we were almost there. The Plan and the design guide together run to about 360 pages. Final opportunity for comment can be made at the last consultations as below.

Provisional schedule: (Dates and times to be confirmed)

17^th August: Documents ready; hard copies printed
30^th August: Regulation 14 Consultation launched. Responses analysed as received.
11^th September: Woodland St. Mary’s drop-in, at WPG meeting. 7 – 9 pm
14^th September: Eastbury drop-in, Church Gift Morning. 10 – 12 Noon
19^th September: Upper Lambourn drop-in, JCE. 5 – 7pm?
25^th September? Presentation to Lambourn Parish Council & public. 7.30pm
11^th October: Consultation closes. Any amendments to be considered.

We expect to submit it to West Berkshire Council very shortly after these meetings. It then needs to go through WBC Full Council and then off to the Planning Inspector before coming back to residents for a referendum to ratify it.

It then becomes a highly influential document for planning applications in the ward which knits in with the Local Plan policies of West Berkshire Council.

Now – All this was looking absolutely fine until the new Government’s recent housing requirements for West Berkshire as a whole. The proposed changes dictate the use of a different method to calculate Local Housing Need which results in West Berkshire having the highest percentage of increase in Berkshire – more than doubling the current annual local housing need figure.

The announcement from central Government coincides with the publication of the Inspectors interim findings of the Public Examination of West Berkshire’s Local Plan Review – an overarching set of policies which outlines how the district develops in the coming years ( when ratifies Lambourn’s NDP will become part of this ).

The Planning Inspectorate has just published its interim findings. These call for immediate modifications to the Plan from which the Council allocates housing development across the district.

The Inspector has not yet reached a conclusion on what the overall housing land supply should be, but notes that overall, there would be a significant shortfall in the supply of homes compared to the minimum requirement of 9,270 new homes for the period 2023 to 2041.

The Council must therefore move to increase the number of homes proposed at Northeast Thatcham and put forward additional sites to boost the housing land supply for the district.

Those of you who have followed my newsletter over the last 5 years, will know that is not as simple as it sounds. 70% of west Berkshire is in the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (previously the AONB) another chunk is undevelopable because of the Detailed Emergency Planning Zones around AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield and finally the Flood Plain issues around the River Kennet. All in all I fear a request for additional housing in Lambourn and other larger villages.

This is an evolving situation and it’s not yet clear what effect this will have on local housing requirements nor on Lambourn’s NDP .I will publicise more information when available as will Lambourn PC website , Lambourn.org and Penny Post .

Roads, Sewage and Flooding

Vicky Rieunier, Chair of the Parish Council, and I have agreed that we are more powerful working in concert than individually to address the various road, sewage and flood issues facing Lambourn and the surrounding villages. She is arranging a further meeting with Thames Water to get an update on their progress, and I have arranged for us both to meet Jon Winstanley, who is the most Senior Operational Director in West Berks for Highways and Flood issues.

The agenda for the latter meeting is as follows: –

Support for the Lambourn Flyer – a proposed volunteer bus service being proposed by Lambourn CIC
Gulley and Drain clearing – I think scheduled for November at present – can they be brought forward.
Proposed Parking charges in High Street Car Park – is it viable for only 30 spaces when most will be less than an hour and free. Any proposal for a season ticket?
Double yellow lines virtually disappeared.
Road damage in Upper Lambourn
Traffic/Parking enforcement
Take new streetlights back from PC to WBC
Hungerford Hill Speed indicator sign not working – hopefully just the solar panel out of line.
Speed Limits – what is pragmatic, achievable and enforceable?
Playgrounds
Three Posts Lane
Dog bins

Jon has already confirmed to me that road repairs are scheduled this Autumn from Market Square down to beyond the Newbury Street/Mill Lane junction covering the fire station and the whole of the High Street in Upper Lambourn from the B4000 to beyond Malt Shovel Lane to Drain Lane.

I will report feedback in next month’s newsletter.

Casework

Obviously, it never stops! Some of these have carried over from last month because of Council Officers on holiday. Current issues include: –

Planning Applications
Enforcement on unapproved development
Enforcement on unsightly dumping of rubbish
Illegal trail biking
Drug issues
Streetlights not repaired – only 3 left because of parts issues.
Special Educational Needs problems
Housing need in a number of cases caused by disability, anti-social behaviour, or poor repairs by Housing Associations.
Verges, trees and grass generally not cut back.

And the list goes on!

Get in touch.

I hope to see many of you at the carnival later this month. Whatever is concerning you please do get in touch on 07836 718100 or howard.woollaston1@westberks.gov.uk