RESIDENTS AGAINST FIRLANDS SQUARE

WIN £500!

We are now concentrating on fund raising to be able to hire experts to present the case against the Firlands Square development when the developers next submit their application.

At the May Fayre on 12th May, we will have our draw, first prize £500, second prize a Fortnum and Mason Hamper worth, £150, and there will be other prizes too.

So don’t miss out, and help raise money for us too, buy tickets priced at £1 each by calling 983 2731 or emailing tickets@rafs.org.uk

Court Case

Henry Davidson Developments Ltd have brought a Court Case against West Berkshire Council to challenge the lawfulness of the West Berkshire Core Strategy. This case is due to be heard in June, and if successful could lead the way to a revised Core Strategy with a lot more houses than the present one.

The case appears to be based on a belief that the consultation carried out by West Berkshire Council with neighbouring Councils was not properly undertaken.

Even if West Berkshire Council’s view that they will win the case turns out to be correct, it is very likely that a further planning application will be made for the Firlands area. RAFS will be opposing this, and will be in touch with all residents when the next application is received by West Berkshire Council.

Residents Against Firlands Square are a group of local Burghfield residents who have got together to oppose the plan to develop Firlands Farm. We will go through the details of the next planning application to find the weaknesses in it, and will make our own objection to West Berkshire Council to highlight these. Successful objections to planning applications can not be based on “I don’t want it”, they have to have a sound basis in planning policy.

In an email on 10th September to Rob Duff of Pegasus, the case officer at West Berkshire planning department, Emma Fuller, sets out a number of reasons why the Firlands application would have been likely to have been refused even if it was not declared as invalid.

These include the development being contrary to the Core Strategy, premature because a Burghfield centre policy is still being developed, and because the land in question is a greenfield site outside the settlement boundary. Other issues identified include adverse impact on the landscape character, road safety and local transport infrastructure..

Firlands Farm Site

The green area is roughly the area covered by the Firlands Square application that has been recently deemed invalid. The area outllined in red is the whole development put forward by Pegasus to West Berkshire Council as being the Pegasus Development Framework.

More information showing how housing is the main part of the developers long term plan can be found here - westberks-consult.limehouse.co.uk/file/1287210 (this is a large file and can be slow to download)

As part of the supporting documentation on the West Berkshire planning portal, there is a letter from Thames Water noting that the 400 houses mentioned to them by Pegasus would be too much for the existing water supply.

Pegasus have proposed the entire Firlands site as being suitable for 350 houses, and suggested that this many houses are needed to support the “district centre” of Firlands Square. There is a submission to West Berkshire Council’s Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment which can be seen at www.westberks.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=24967&p=0