Earley Town Council leader ‘pleased’ to see Lidl plan rejected

THE LEADER of Earley Town Council said he is very pleased that the plan to build a Lidl and 43 homes has been rejected.

Cllr Clive Jones, who is also leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wokingham, said that he would like to see Swallows Meadow returned to its former glory.

The site off Meldreth Way was subject to extensive tree felling in November last year, with some residents dubbing it “environmental destruction” at the time.

Cllr Jones said that the land was designated as amenity open space in the 1970s and should be maintained as such.

“Once you build on green space, it’s gone, and it’s gone forever,” he said. “There’s no getting it back.”

Cllr Jones said that he was pleased Wokingham Borough Council’s planning team fund many “substantial reasons” why the land should not be built on.

There is also an application to establish public rights of way on the land, Cllr Jones said.

This, he continued, is because there is evidence of regular use by walkers for around 40 years.

Cllr Jones said that he would like to see the land given to the borough council, and said that surrounding land is already in its ownership.

From there, he would then like to see Swallows Meadow “re-wilded” and trees planted on the land, to replace those that were chopped down last year.

“It will take four of five years for the land to recover,” he added. “Let’s help by properly planting trees at the Bassett Close end.”

On Wednesday, December 8, the plan was considered by the council’s planning committee at a meeting.

It was rejected due to the loss of countryside and the impact the development would have on neighbours and local roads.

The plan was deemed “unacceptable in principle” and was refused unanimously by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee.

During the meeting, speeches were made by Liberal Democrat ward councillors who have opposed the plan, neighbour Malcolm Gaudreau, and the developer Andy Jansons.

Mr Gaudreau said: “Swallows Meadow has always been an open green space, which was rich in plant and animal life.

“It has always been used by vast amounts of people for recreation over the 34 years that I’ve lived here.”

During the meeting, Cllr Jones said: “I live nearby the proposed development, it’s in my ward, my constituents never expected a development in the countryside which is their backyard.

“Views are not sacrosanct in planning law, but the proposal is overbearing.

“The store is a large high mass which will dominate the views of houses around the area.

“It will cause unacceptable noise throughout the day.”

Mr Jansons, the applicant, attempted to convince the committee to defer their decision so that “technical issues” such as the impact the plan could have on local roads could be addressed.

Responding to concerns about noise levels, he pointed out that the council’s environmental health officer has raised no objections to the plan.

But planning officer Senjuti Manna argued that deferral would be pointless, as she said the scheme was “unacceptable in principle”.

She did acknowledge that the Lidl store would bring economic benefits and employment, and 17 of the homes – 40% of the scheme – would be affordable.

But the benefits were outweighed by the loss of the countryside and the impact the development would have on neighbours.

During the committee’s deliberations, Cllr Carl Doran, Independent councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, said: “The site is clearly part of a green corridor. Here we’ve got a long green corridor that goes all the way from Showcase Cinema to Shinfield.

“Once we fill in one little bit of it, the rest is going to go.”

Cllr Doran added this was one of the most controversial applications he has ever determined.

Although 662 people showed support for the plan, Cllr Pauline Jorgensen (Conservative, Hillside) pointed out that several of these supporters come from further afield.

Cllr Jorgensen said: “Either they’ve got no reason to be interested in this store, or they’re going to drive there from Reading, Guildford and Wokingham and gum the whole place up with additional traffic.”

The plan was refused in a unanimous vote of six Conservatives and two Independent councillors present at the meeting.

The developers have six months to appeal the decision.

After the meeting, Cllr David Hare, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hawkedon, said: “We’ve won the first battle, but we haven’t won the war.

“It will go to appeal, we’ve got to make sure people come out again and object to it, and give good planning reasons to object to it, because that is the only way we can have the appeal turned down.”

Cllr Jones echoed this sentiment, and said Earley Town Council would fight any appeal lodged.