Wokingham Borough Council to Defend Judicial Review Over Arborfield Garrison Development

Wokingham Borough Council has announced it will robustly defend its position after Hampshire County Council served notice of its intention to seek a judicial review of the borough council’s decision to adopt supplementary planning documents relating to the development of Arborfield Garrison.

Wokingham Borough Council considers its core strategy, adopted after a public inquiry held before a government inspector, to safeguard and protect the interests not only of its own residents but also of those in North Hampshire and other surrounding areas. The core strategy outlines that 3,500 new homes will be built at Arborfield and it was agreed after an examination in public by a government inspector in 2010. The current legal action will not change this.

The core strategy recognises that improvements may be required on the A327 including potentially the part of the road that runs through North Hampshire. Specific details of any improvements will be resolved through planning application submissions, on which Hampshire County Council will be fully consulted. It is only at this stage that the traffic implications will be sufficiently understood and refined to assess the specific road works likely to be required. Any necessary works will be secured through a legally binding agreement with the developers. The recently adopted supplementary planning documents do not remove the need for this to happen.