Consultation planned over riverside space

WOKINGHAM Borough Council says that campaigners hoping to thwart development on a land of green space close to the start of the Kennet and Avon Canal should wait for a consultation planned for later this year.

SOAR – Save Our Ancient Riverside – is calling on the council to designate the Kennetmouth area as a Local Green Space, to ensure that it can’t be built on. The group successfully campaigned against the building of a single-track bus lane bridge over the area, and point out that similar schemes have been proposed in previous decades.

They want the issue settled once and for all, and have launched a petition calling for this. It has attracted nearly 2,500 signatures so far and this could be enough to trigger a debate if it was presented to a meeting of Wokingham Borough Council.

A spokesperson for Wokingham Borough Council said that the area SOAR refers to didn’t meet the criteria for designation as a Local Green Space under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The scheme allows communities to identify and protect green areas which are of particular importance to them.

Proposals must meet the criteria set out in national policy and guidance, and designation must be through a local plan or a neighbourhood plan.

The spokesperson added: “Since then, the council proactively invited nominations from parish and town councils and other groups. In response over 100 nominations have been received across the whole borough.

“Some nominations were for new areas; some were for areas already submitted but with different boundaries to those previously considered; and others provided additional information to areas already nominated.

“In the Kennet Mouth area, a wider area than the original nomination has now been suggested as well as additional information provided.

“The new wider area incorporates the open space and river frontage along the Thames and so incorporates a much larger area used for recreation and leisure, whereas the previous nomination covered only a narrow strip of land between the railway line and the river.

“This wider area is currently being assessed and if found to meet the criteria will be included in the revised draft local plan, which the council will consult on later this year.”

SOAR’s petition can be seen at change.org. Search for ‘Protect the Thames Path from future development’.