Community hall plans could unite three communities
The plans, submitted by Pat Harrison, seek to build three detached houses and a community hall on land adjacent to Sterling Cottage, Mill Lane, Aldermaston Wharf.
The applicant says that each house will be provided with a driveway for two vehicles while the new hall would have 10 spaces - two of which would be for disabled use.
The community hall would be situated within a short walking distance of around 300 properties in Padworth, Aldermaston and Beenham.
The proposed development also includes landscaping, new access points on to Mill Lane and the creation of a footpath and cycleway.
The site has previously had three applications for housing rejected in the last six years.
Speaking at a meeting of Aldermaston parish council last week, Mr Harrison said: “The actual development is in Padworth but hopefully this development can benefit all three areas in a positive way.
“Since the last time I applied there have been quite a lot of changes. The community has grown again and it’s dragged the Padworth village community into the Wharf area.
“Another thing is that Padworth parish council have said in their [parish] plan that it needs a small village community hall for local groups, which could take some pressure off of larger facilities.”
Mr Harrison was then questioned by parish councillor Angela Woodley over how much traffic the development would generate.
She said that additional heavy lorries would be travelling along the A340 after West Berkshire council approved plans for gravel extraction on the Wasing Estate earlier this year.
But Mr Harrison replied that the small amount of traffic generated from his development would “pale into insignificance” compared with the quarry.
He added that the development could help ease traffic on Mill Lane if a park and stride scheme was set up at the hall for children at the nearby Alderbridge Steiner Waldorf School.
Further objections over traffic have been raised by Mill Lane resident Bruce Jackson.
“The traffic turning on to the A340 from Mill lane is already dangerous, and adding more houses will only compound this. And the idea of a community hall there will make it a complete nightmare. With Alder Bridge and canal users already abusing the parking at the end of Mill Lane, adding in a hall will take it past breaking point,” he said.
Aldermaston parish councillors raised no objections to the use of the hall for community benefit but raised a few practical points with the plans.
The chairman, David Shirt, said that he had two issues with the application, mainly the number of car parking spaces and access to the site.
A decision is expected from West Berkshire council by October 18.