Search
paulstevens24
Dec 31, 20245 min read
The ‘Tory plan’ to build on Hall Farm
Last autumn, Wokingham Borough Council approved the Local Plan proposal to build nearly 4,000 dwellings on countryside between Arborfield...
388 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Dec 19, 20245 min read
Clive Jones gets off the fence (at last).
Our M.P. for Wokingham has deigned to speak at long last after many years of silence on the matter of building houses at Hall Farm, and...
288 views1 comment
paulstevens24
Nov 30, 20245 min read
Lib Dem majority in the balance
Candidates have been announced for the upcoming by-election in the Wokingham Borough of Shinfield, the results of which could give the...
212 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Nov 20, 20245 min read
Hall Farm, not a problem for us?
The Hall Farm site, threatened with massive housing development in the Council’s Local Plan, lies within Shinfield and Arborfield. So...
645 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Nov 4, 20245 min read
Why inspectors reject local plans.
In recent years, quite a number of councils’ local plans have been found unsound or in need of main modifications by planning...
229 views1 comment
paulstevens24
Oct 20, 20244 min read
WBC shows how to make the schools crisis worse
WBC’s submission Local Plan (p. 35) provides for 11,968 new dwellings over the plan period 2024-2040. But will there be enough school...
370 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Oct 13, 20248 min read
Objecting to the LPU
The Local Plan Update (LPU) passed at the last full council meeting of Wokingham Borough is on its way to the next stage, the Regulation...
195 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Oct 3, 20245 min read
Towards a more sustainable local plan.
Back in 2019 a few local Parish Councillors and concerned local residents worked together to create the Arborfield and Barkham...
162 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Sep 23, 20243 min read
‘Wild statements’ on Hall Farm?
They say the Internet never forgets. Thanks to the Wayback machine, something we put on the Internet will stay there. Even when, as...
1,008 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Sep 15, 20242 min read
How our politicians let us down.
Grenfell Tower, and the disastrous fire that took so many lives back in June 2017 was just another example of how our politicians,...
183 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Sep 8, 20244 min read
Two tier planning for Wokingham?
A recent article published in both the Reading Chronicle and Wokingham Today highlights plans for 230 homes at Riverways Farm between...
805 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Aug 13, 20244 min read
When will those houses be built?
I’ve never had a soft spot for the construction industry. I’ve seen a bit too much of it around our villages. In this blog piece, though,...
185 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Aug 1, 20246 min read
WHY I’m a NIMBY!
Some context: It is 3.48 in the morning and I cannot sleep. I get up, make a cup of tea and fire up my laptop. Funnily enough the day...
2,206 views3 comments
paulstevens24
Jul 17, 20244 min read
University: ‘Do as I say, not as I do’
Do we know about the British university that flaunts itself as environmentally sustainable and a world leader in delivering ‘carbon...
303 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Jul 6, 20243 min read
The Alternative to Hall Farm
“The houses have to be built somewhere” is a common response that we have heard over the past few years as we have campaigned against the...
664 views2 comments
paulstevens24
Jul 3, 20243 min read
Housing top concern in Wokingham!
We have been pointing out for three years now that housing is a major concern for Wokingham voters, now the BBC have picked up on it and...
349 views5 comments
paulstevens24
Jun 24, 20244 min read
Time to get off the fence regarding the Local Plan!
Updated 26/06/24 Word is leaking out about the long-awaited Local Plan for Wokingham Borough and it looks like it will be even worse than...
932 views0 comments
paulstevens24
Jun 8, 20245 min read
Before the Flood
Not long ago, WBC's planning honchos approved building a supermarket in Winnersh on a site a few hundred yards from the River Loddon,...
388 views0 comments
paulstevens24
May 19, 20243 min read
Green belt or grey belt - another option for WBC?
We’re told WBC will soon produce its Local Growth Plan update, probably just around the time of the school holidays, when many people...
412 views0 comments
paulstevens24
May 2, 20244 min read
In the interest of fairness
Having just come back from opening up our local village hall for polling, can I wish all those taking part a successful day? Clearly not...
232 views1 comment