A Tale of Two More Stories (continued)

Last week’s Wokingham Today on page 36 tells a great story ‘Good Habits start young’, with the school run. It mentions 11 million local journeys over a year, of which almost half are on foot. It goes on to suggest that very few cycle and scoot.

It suggests that the health and social benefits of these activities can be profound, and it would help to reduce pollution around the schools.

A laudable aim which we all would support.

Why then does Wokingham Borough decide then to make sure that children within walking distance, even those living outside the gates of the new relocated Farley Hill Primary School at Arborfield Green, all have to drive their children to other schools all over the Borough and beyond to have their children educated, extra pollution and all?

On page 27 the excellent Cllr Gregor Murray deals with Climate Emergency and Planning. His understanding of Climate Emergency is very good, but he needs to be briefed on the intricacies of planning. What a pity the Executive member for Planning did not help him out here.

The Council has existing powers to refuse a planning application, and yes, the Planning Inspectorate can overrule, or not any planning decisions referred to them. He is right about solar panels but there are many other planning applications where trees are cut down, existing polluted roads have more pollution generating traffic added to them, to name but two,z where the Planning Department could refuse them if they wanted to.

They can and do use the iniquitous term ON BALANCE to approve such applications.

On balance also suggests that there are also reasons a planning application could be refused, but I cannot ever remember on balance being ever used to refuse anything. It appears that it’s the Planning Departments way of getting plans passed that might have been refused.

Quoting appeals lost having significant cost is a red herring and might even be deemed bullying, as possible cost to the Council is not a good planning reason to suggest refusing a planning application.

As a rule every time the Planning Department uses on balance to get a planning application through they are sticking the knife up to the hilt into the back of the Councils Climate Emergency aims and ambitions.

I have been campaigning for an independent public inquiry into the operation of Wokingham Borough’s Planning Department, but my efforts to date has fallen on deaf ears. It’s as if they don’t care. Am I surprised ? No. Cllr Gary Cowan. Independent

Borough Councillor for Arborfield at Wokingham

Borough Council.