Major expansion plan for Wokingham to be approved
More than 1,600 homes will be built south of the railway line
Massive development plans for Wokingham featuring more than 1,600 homes and a major road are expected to be approved next week.
The plans form part of the South Wokingham Major Development, which would see the town expand south of the railway track for the first time.
The biggest aspect of the latest plan is the amount of new homes to be built. A total of 1,649 homes are due to be given the greenlight, and would be divided in two clusters.
Up to to 1,434 new homes are set for approval initially, with the new community including a primary school, community facilities, and nature parks.
A smaller, 215 home cluster would be built to the east of the development, on land next to Bigwood House. Plans for the 1,649 homes are just in the outline phase currently, so designs are yet to be drawn up.
These massive new communities will be linked to Wokingham by the South Wokingham Distributor Road, which also forms part of the current plans.
The South Wokingham Distributor Road is designed to run from Montague Park in the east to the Finchampstead Road roundabout in the west. The road would have two lanes, with one lane each running east and west.
Improvements would also be made to three roundabouts to link the site to Tesco Superstore and Mulberry Park. Construction of the road involves demolishing buildings 76A and 76B Finchampstead Road.
The plans for the road which are due to be decided are coloured in green and blue in the South Wokingham Distributor Road masterplan.
Finally, the council plans to convert land south of the Hilton St Anne’s Manor into nature park with walking routes, woodland glades, and open space for walking dogs.
The development site is currently made up of several fields south of the railway track. Typically, these fields would not be built on, but they have been earmarked for development as part of the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location (SDL).
Plans will be decided by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, May 18.
Montague Park and William Heelas Way were made as the first part of the development. A bridge over the railway line is currently being built to connect Montague Park with the 1,649 home developments planned. According to plans, the level crossing of the railway at Waterloo Road would be closed once the new bridge over the railway is opened.
If everything goes ahead, drivers living in the new development would be able to access Wokingham proper through William Heelas Way, Easthampstead Road and Finchampstead Road.
You can observe the plans by entering the application numbers below into the council’s planning portal:
191068 – up to 1,434 new homes, a primary school, a community facility, and nature parks
190914 – up to 215 new homes to the east of the development, adjacent to Bigwood
192928 – South Wokingham distributor road main section – from the Eastern Gateway to Finchampstead Road
203535 – Western Gateway – improved junction of Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane
190900 – St Anne’s SANG – a nature park of 7.83 hectares which will connect to Buckhurst Meadows
The applications above make up a phase of the South Wokingham Major Development, elements of which have already been completed.