Historic airfield building saved from demolition .. for now
PLANS to demolish the historic Adwest building in Woodley have been rejected by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee.
The decision was made at the council’s planning committee meeting on Wednesday, June 8.
Under the proposal, five commercial buildings for light industrial work and storage as well as offices, car parking and a new access road would be built.
The reason for the refusal by councillors was that “the application fails to preserve the Miles Aircraft factory headquarters building”.
Although the plans have been rejected, the decision can still be appealed by the developer.
The proposal to demolish the former headquarters of Miles Aircraft, on Headley Road East, have been criticised by residents, aviation historians, a local MP and councillors from all political parties in the borough.
As well as protecting heritage, there were concerns over increased noise, traffic and fears the new commercial units would have a detrimental impact on air quality.
Earlier this year, a petition to save the site received more than 4,500 signatures.
Cllr Shirley Boyt, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, who led the campaign to save the building, was “delighted” with the decision.
She said: “I am absolutely delighted with the decision and glad the committee decided to reject the plans.
“We are almost certain the applicants will go to appeal so this
isn’t the end, there is a lot of hard work to do.
“We have to be ready with a plan for the building so it can be preserved and used to benefit the residents of Woodley.”
Cllr Boyt’s thoughts were shared by the Labour MP for Reading East, Matt Rodda, who sent a letter to the planning committee before the meeting calling for the building to be preserved.
Reacting to the decision, he said: “I’m really pleased and relieved that the planning application to demolish the Adwest building was turned down and I’m proud of the work Shirley, Julian Temple and other campaigners have done on this.
“It’s a great result for Woodley. “This is such an important part of
local heritage and it’s so important for local residents who would have had to suffer dreadful air pollution, noise and traffic problems.”
At the meeting, Cllr Keith Baker, Conservative councillor for Coronation, spoke strongly against the proposals, calling on the committee to show it “cared about Woodley”.
He said: “You need to consider the cumulative impact of this application on the immediate area.
“To date I haven’t seen a single response from an officer acknowledging that fact.
“The volume of HGV movements will be dictated by who actually leases each of those units.
“Some companies will have significantly more demand for HGV movements than others.”
Cllr Stephen Conway, Liberal Democrat councillor for Twyford, described the number of comments on the plans from the community as “vast”.
He added: “There are very few applications I have seen in many years on this committee that have excited so much interest and commitment from the public to preserve an historic building
“I think that, to me, carries very significant weight
“This is viewed in the community as a vital part of the built heritage of Woodley.”
Although many councillors expect the decision to be appealed, the developer has not confirmed if one has been submitted.
The developer has been contacted for comment.