Pathway plan

A NEW walkway could be constructed after a Path Creation Orderwas approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee.

Known as Greenway Route B, the path runs between Jubilee Avenue and Martins Drive and forms part of a route from Cantley Park toArborfield Cross, via Woosehill Meadows and Foxhill.

The committee heard that part of the land required is unregistered and the Council had been unable to establish who owned it.

It proposes to create a new path across the land, under Section 26 Highways Act 1980.

To make this happen, the order will be placed In Wokingham.Today and on site, inviting any objections. If none received the path can be created.

Cllr Simon Weeks (Con, Finchampstead South), the chair of the planning committee, said it was an important link for the greenways, which had been very popular with residents, particularly during covid.

Library approved

WORK to convert a disused school hall into a library took a step forward after the planning committee approved the plans.

In July 2019, Wokingham Borough Council’s ruling executive gave its backing to a proposal to convert the Old Polehampton Boys School into the community facility. It needed approval from the Charity Commission to convert the usage of the Grade II listed building.

This has now come through, and the planning committee was able to give the nod to the proposal, which would see the High Street based site, opposite The Duke of Wellington pub, converted to the library, which will include community facilities, a café, a police office and a parish council office.

The planning committee had given approval in 2016, but this expired in November last year.

Phase one will see the existing building refurnished to create the library space and build a single storey rear extension. The second phase will see a two-storey rear extension added.

To make the project happen, the existing toilet block will be removed and four trees felled.

The project was passed unanimously.

Cllr Stephen Conway (Lib Dem, Twyford) thanked a number of people for theirwork on making the project come together, including Dave Turner.

Cllr John Halsall (Con, Remenham, Wargrave and Ruscombe) said it would be a beautiful building in the village centre and he was delighted with the plans. “I am very grateful for the parish council’s support”.

Cllr Lindsay Ferris (Twyford, Lib Dem) said that Dave Turner and Twyford Together has been instrumental in making the project happen.

“It will provide a muchneeded community facility for Twyford and put a Grade II listed building back into the use,” he said.

Speaking again, Cllr Conway said that the site had been used as a library before and a plan to convert it had been mooted back in the 1960s. “I can testify to the strong community support,” he said.

Cllr Pauline Jorgensen wanted to know what would happen to the existing library site, but Cllr SimonWeeks said it was not relevant to this application. Officers said they weren’t sure at this stage.

New Scout hut

LODDON District Scouts will have a new meeting hall, complete with storage facilities,

offWaingels Road in Charvil.

It would be larger than the site that it replaces, and is located within ancient woodland. Officers felt that the site was well screened from the road bymature trees.

The proposal would see 17 trees removed, but 57 large and small trees would be planted in their place.

Cllr SimonWeeks said that it was an enhancement of

something that already existed and that it should be a straightforward application to approve as it would help younger residents as they emerge from lockdown, letting thembuild fires and roamin the woodland and “doing the other things that Scouts do”.

Cllr Gary Cowan (Ind, Arborfield) again raised the lack of information that councillors had received and calls for trees

to be planted specific to location.

Officers said that of the trees that would be planted include 10 English oaks, five squat pines and 10 small leaf lime trees. There would be also be hazel trees, hornbeams and these had been agreed with the council’s trees and landscaping department and that the officers were happywith the scheme.

Cllr Rachelle Shepherd Dubey (Lib Dem, Winnersh) said that it was a shame that the same couldn’t be done for other Scout troops, but Cllr Weeks said that the planning committee was not the place to discuss this

Cllr Pauline Jorgensen (Con, Hillside) said she was very much in favour of the application as it would be used by Scouts from across the borough.

CllrAndrewMickleburgh (Lib Dem, Hawkedon) said that the scheme had considerable merit, and called for an increase in the number of allocated parking space for bicycles. He also wanted solar panels to be considered for the application.

Cllr Weeks said that this was a heavily wooded site, which could cause problems for solar panels.

Cllr Carl Doran said that the treeswere “a good replacement” but they are small trees being planted and the committee needed to mindful of that.

The committee approved the

that

plans.

Bungalow change of use

THE FINAL application, from Wokingham Borough Council, was to change the use of a bungalow next to Highwood Primary School inWoodley, so it could be used for caring for vulnerable adults.

It would see a single storey extension added, which comprises an additional bedroom and a bathroom for carers. There would also be an internal sprinkler system installed.

The home was originally for the school’s caretaker, and the application came to the committee because it was a change of use.

Cllr Carl Doran said that there were no objections and the committee should “just get this through”, a view echoed by Cllr Stephen Conway, who said that the community would benefit from it.

Cllr Cowan again bemoaned the lack of pictures in the plans, and wanted to know the ages of the vulnerable adults who would stay in this place, raising concerns of their proximity to the school.

Cllr Weeks said that saying they were vulnerable adults was “probably as far as we could go in public”, for safeguarding reasons.

Cllr Rachelle ShepherdDuBey said it was the right