Burghfield, Mortimer, Beech Hill & Wokefield

View From Drury Lane, Mortimer

The Proposed Site Of the 350

Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council (BDBC) is preparing a new Local Plan setting out where in Hampshire, new housing, employment land and infrastructure is needed over the next 15–20 years.   The total number of homes in their Plan will be based on a Government calculation of local housing need, based on population growth and affordability. That number may be adjusted, up or down, to take account of how much housing can be delivered, to give a final number. Delivery considers land availability, infrastructure, and environmental limits. Such Local Plans form the legal basis for deciding future planning applications. West Berkshire adopted its new Plan in June, that's set to run until 2041. 

Following a call to landowners for sites for  housebuilding, BDBC identified land at West End Farm, Mortimer West End, for 350 homes. They reviewed this site along with all others at THIS meeting last month –page 119 HERE has further details on Mortimer West End. 

Although situated entirely in Hampshire, the possible development would dwarf the existing hamlet of Mortimer West End and effectively (but not literally) extend Mortimer, placing pressure on its services and facilities, whilst contributing no money towards expanding them. 

The likely next step is that BDBC will capture public, West Berkshire Council and parish council views on the overall direction and content of their Plan. They'll do this via a "Regulation 18" consultation, expected later this year.

Whilst the "Reg 18 consultation" is the first formal chance to comment/object, I felt it important to lodge an objection on residents' behalf beforehand. I did so last month, raising these concerns:

1. The impact of the proposed housing on our doctors’, schools, the dentist and other services - the proposed development would pay nothing towards improving these. 
2. The lack of public transport links between Basingstoke and the proposed site.
3.  The loss off agricultural land that the development would cause.
4. The impact on Mortimer West End through the approximately 20-fold increase in size of that hamlet.

I sent THIS email to Cllr Knieczko, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure at BDBC (copied to parish councils), who acknowledged and sympathised with the points raised. On 7 Oct, I wrote a similar email to the BDBC CEO. I've asked our council leader Jeff Brooks to consider his and/or our CEO Joseph Holmes' making an early general objection, ahead of a formal detailed Reg. 18 stage response.  

How can residents object if they wish to?

By taking each of these steps, the first two of which can be done now:

1. Send your views on the proposal, to Basingstoke & Deane Portfolio Lead Cllr Andy Konieczko HERE.  Whilst emails/letters sent now won’t formally “count” as a consultation response, they should add weight and put councillors under pressure.  
2. Sign the online petition and/or print the paper bundle and collect signatures for return to me by December.
3. Respond to the formal "Regulation 18" consultation once it's announced. I will keep you updated on this in my newsletter and social media.

FAQs?

Survey Findings

This council promised to introduce  "20 mph where residents want it". My recent speeding survey attracted over 350 responses. Most respondents think there is a speed problem in one or more local streets. If you've not had your say, you can still do so HERE.  I'll report on all the findings later this year.  #

My initial focus is The lower Street, Mortimer, outside St Mary's school. The school governors feel that a speed limit reduction here, would reduce the chance of an injury, and that it's better to be proactive than simply hope it never happens. A survey respondent commented "all urban roads where anyone walks would benefit from being 20mph. Research shows a dramatic reduction in accidents, injury and fatalities. It’s the norm in France". 

Here's a summary of The lower Street survey findings.   

Next Steps

If you agree we need a school drop-off/pick-up time speed limit reduction from 30 to 20mph outside St Mary's school, please sign this petition - even if you previously completed the survey. A petition with good take up will allow me to take a proposal to the speed limit review task group at the council.

There's a printable download version of the petition that you can use to collect paper signatures. Details of where to return it are on page 1. The pages are numbered 1 to 10. If 10 isn't enough please just print another pack.  

Since the West Berks Council petition system doesn't offer an "I don't want it" option - if you don't want it, please let me know directly.

The New Premises ..on a snowy day

Happening Now - Shelters

The council offered free supply of bus shelters to parish councils.  Following various exchanges on design choice  and location, these spots were agreed and are or will soon be installed:

Burghfield: The Cunning Man - north and southbound; Burghfield Golf Course - northbound; The Close - northbound; Elm Drive - northbound;  Amners Farm Road - northbound

Mortimer: College Piece - Reading-bound; Glenapp Grange; Stephens Road - Reading-bound.

One of the shelter designs

Happening Soon - Signage and Markings

Bus stop improvements are planned for the No. 2/2a route late this year. The work includes “No stopping except buses” signs and repainting of worn away road markings. I'm told every effort will be made to ensure that driveways and other accesses remain available while these works are carried out (it says here).

The White Lettering Is On Google Maps. The Bus Stop Is Marked In..Hang On.  Grey.

The Future - Bus to Mortimer St Mary's & Station?

Over 350 people filled in my earlier survey seeking to gauge demand for a No.2/2A route extension to Mortimer train station and/or St Mary's school, Mortimer. Hopefully all current/potential bus users completed this more general bus services survey too. 

The council commissioned at study into the practicality and cost of the route extension. The study team came up with two possible ways for a bus to turn round. The cost of creating the turning facility together with the loss making of running the service, led to the idea of first trialling an on-demand service. Thanks to the Bus Service Improvement Plan funding from the Department for Transport a feasibility study looked into bringing the Community Connect on-demand scheme here. Passengers would request travel via a mobile app, email or phone. Their requests would be matched to other passengers travelling at similar times to in the same direction. Bookings could be made up to 7 days in advance with as little as 30 minutes notice.  The team are due to review the Mortimer case this week, so more news soon.  

There's People in Burghfield Who'd Kill For These Lines

I aim to notify subscribers to my Facebook page HERE of future roadworks just ahead of their start. 

Fly Tippers Beware

Our Waste team has agreed to deploy CTTV to deter fly tipping in Beech Hill. We await details of when it will be installed. (no, the camera's not been nicked).

A Wee CCTV Camera

Ditch Clearance

The parish council reports that their writing to landowners asking them to clear ditches to ensure the Highway drain properly, is bearing fruit.   The templates that Beech Hill use for this are available to other parish councils too.  A spokesperson apparently said they weren't going to "die in a ditch about it" (but I might want to).

Goring Lane Speed Limit

Probably for more years than there's been talk of a car park for St Mary's School, Mortimer, or a footpath to Burghfield, there have been calls to cut the speed limit on Goring Lane, in Grazeley Green, for the sake of its residents and road users. There have been many  accidents, hospitalisations and even fatalities there. The parish council carried out a door to door petition, which I tabled on their behalf, to full council HERE.  We fell foul of the technicality that petitions need at least 50 signatories to trigger specific action - the 95%+ sign up by Grazeley Green residents fell slightly short of that hurdle.  Would you consider supporting this petition to get it over the line?  It should pop up on the list below by Friday 10 Oct, maybe a shade earlier. 

Walking Rural Roads Safely

The parish council alerted me to the challenges residents face walking along rural roads in Wokefield, where there is no pavement and no bus service.  Ironically some residents take their life in their hands try to reach to the Mereoak park-and-ride coaches. The council's routine verge cutting sets out only to ensure site lines for drivers, not safe refuges for pedestrians. Given that the council recently signed off a new “local transport plan”  which supports "active travel", it seemed to me to follow that this included ability to walk safely here without being run over. I spoke in the meeting and am working with staff to support Wokefield's initiative to create safe refuges for pedestrians. 

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Drop-In/Surgery

Raise issues with us at our monthly drop in/'surgeries' each first Saturday 

• Nick is at The Baobab, West End Road, Mortimer  from 10.00-11.00 
• Vic is at Burghfield Library in School Lane, from 10.00-11.30. 

Ask either of us about anything across the "patch".

My newsletter aims to be apolitical and opinion-free as far as possible.  This section is where I might, be more opionated. Feel free to skip over this bit, the moment it gets tedious, like you might do with....

Waste, Recycling and Bins

 We (Lib Dem group) stood for election on the promise of getting council operations to Net Zero emission by 2030 - cutting  waste and increasing recycling is a key part of this. Consultants (engaged by the previous administration, it turns out) suggested we move to a 3-weekly general waste collection as a "proven" way to achieve this. They actually suggested 4-weekly, before nipping out of our earshot.  West Berks is one of the worst 10% areas for total waste.  About 40% of black bin waste is recyclable food, which goes into landfill, producing methane that's harmful to the atmosphere.  We started roadside food collection here, before many other councils. Separating recycling materials at the roadside increases the recycling purity and yield.  

Several survey respondents pointed out that the number and type of recycling containers is inconvenient - not just the thing about remembering to trap the soft bag handles between the hard boxes - more fundamental concerns, such as where to store the containers.  Some would prefer a single wheelie bin for all of it. Like in Oxford. Or Basingstoke. That would make sorting  harder and probably give a lower yield. But staff/Stuart our Portfolio Lead are looking into it. I cannot say if/when it will change because it would certainly be costly to.  On the 3-week general waste collection itself, many I've spoken to support it, and some even find it frustrating when neighbours make little effort to recycle. But I hear the other feedback too, from those with large families, pets, babies or other reasons to find the change hard. I've said to colleagues that I don't think we should have implemented it. My online calendar doesn't claim to solve all woes but I hope it helps make it just a little easier. The council will review how this change goes and is open to ideas.  Some opposition councillors who voted against the 3-weekly black bin collection, argue that the Net Zero by 2030 target should apply not just to council operations but you and me. How we would achieve that, I'm not sure - it's not in the council's control.

We promised we would phase out the Green Bin charge as soon as we could, stating with those in greatest need. The state of the finance when we took over were a shock - by which I mean the assumptions used to cost out the adult social care and childrens' services bill seemed a tad unrealistic.  That cost makes up the lion's share of council spending - about 75%.  On the Green Bin charge itself, I felt "those in greatest need" should be judged using income level or benefit eligibility, not council tax band, which is not an accurate measure.  I apologise for what I think is an unfair pricing structure, that also penalises villages who tend to have larger gardens.

In better news, this council was delighted to announce HERE the proactive repayments to residents incorrectly charged CIL payments.

I mentioned Garth Hall once, I think I got away with it

Whilst talk of re-opening Garth Club in Mortimer, has gone on for less time that the Goring Lane speeding and the other two tales we covered earlier, it's been a while.  Nearly 15 years. Why put heavy tiles on the roof anyway?  It became a point of principal/bee in the bonnet for me, with my wife's invaluable advice, to try to sort this matter out, in line with the founder Miss Capron's wish, and the small matter of charity law. An authoritative source tells me that "significant progress has been made by the proposed new trustee which they will share shortly". I'll keep the Cava in the cupboard for now. 

The Baobab (& Radio Caroline) Continues

We may soon bid adieu or au revoir to Gavin and Rachel at the Baobab and welcome Clare.  One thing I won't forget in a hurry, apart from the warm welcome,  sage advice over the years and plain speaking, is that they are Radio Caroline listeners. Which should be not surprise as many people are. But it was a delight to talk about it a lot. Caroline is the one former pirate station that continued against the odds, "as a point of principal and to play great music".  I recently joined its monthly Caroline North broadcast from its boat, Ross Revenge, on the River Blackwater.  More HERE, Gavin and Rachel got a mention HERE and my radio show is HERE and HERE. 

I Am Your Automatic Companion

No self-respecting council newsletter can end without a pet story. The council is trialing "android" pets (other operating systems are available) for the lonely, those with learning difficulties or living with dementia.  I can't say where they're on trial or confirm whether this cat is called Robbie.