Development plans for Sandleford must be one and united, vote councillors

It comes after the landowners of the Sandleford estate, Mark Norgate and the Sandleford Partnership, looked to put forward two separate planning applications on their prospective pieces of land.
The site was earmarked for a 2,000-home development in West Berkshire Council’s core strategy, approved in 2012, with a single planning application anticipated.
Of the dwellings, 1,000 must be completed by 2026 in line with the strategy.
In addition, 800 of the homes will be affordable.
However, last month it was revealed that landowners were working to put forward individual applications, Mr Norgate for 500 homes on his land at New Warren Farm, and the remaining 1,500 homes by the other five landowners, who together form the Sandleford Partnership, represented by agent, Mike Lawley at Cardiff-based firm Cooke and Arkwright.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News last month, Mr Norgate said: “The reason that nothing has come forward yet (in terms of a planning application) is that the two landowners involved with Sandleford Park were working on a single planning application together.
“For reasons that shall remain private we are no longer working together and therefore we had to make a re-adjustment and work on two separate planning applications.
“The other group has done a transaction with a developer and will probably be submitting plans in the next 12 months.”
However, at a meeting of West Berkshire Council last Thursday (December 11), members proposed to reword documentation on the Sandleford development to prevent multiple plans being submitted.
Addressing the meeting, executive portfolio holder for planning, Hilary Cole (Con, Chieveley) said: “The site was promoted as a single site and it has always been the intention that it will be developed as a whole.
“This will avoid piecemeal development of the site.”
Alan Law (Con, Basildon) said: “This is a major site that will help deliver not just homes in the area, but affordable homes.
“This is very important. It makes sense that we should have one big application.”
The proposal saw unanimous support from Tory councillors.
However, opposition Liberal Democrats abstained from the vote claiming that the documentation still failed to contain enough information on proposed accesses.
Alan Macro (Lib Dem, Theale) said: “This was adopted over a year ago.
“We really should be in a situation where we can say what accesses there will actually be.”
Ms Cole responded by saying: “There’s a commitment to fully exploring additional access routes on the site to manage the impact on the highways network as well as possible.
“Further work needs to be undertaken with regard to this.”
A seven-week public consultation was launched on Friday and will close on January 30.
The final amended SPD, taking into account public responses, will be put before full district council for adoption, at a date yet to be confirmed.
To take part in the consultation, visit www.westberks.gov.uk/sandleford