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Burghfield, Mortimer, Beech Hill & Wokefield Update
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Local news from Councillor Nick Carter |
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Welcome
Welcome to the latest update for residents in Burghfield, Mortimer, Beech Hill and Wokefield.
In this update
• Mortimer West End 350-home proposal
• Council Tax and West Berkshire budget
• Plans affecting Mortimer St John’s school site
• Community projects and fly tipping action |
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1: Mortimer West End 350-Home Proposal |
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Regulation 18 consultation ends
West Berkshire Council, myself as ward member, Stratfield Mortimer Parish Council and many residents responded to Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council’s "Regulation 18" consultation on its draft Local Plan, before it closed on 23 January.
The Local Plan, expected to be adopted in 2027, sets out where new housing and facilities are planned in Basingstoke & Deane by 2042. The proposal of most direct relevance here is the building of 350 homes at Mortimer West End, immediately adjoining the West Berkshire boundary. The site would rely heavily on West Berkshire services and infrastructure, including healthcare, schooling, transport, wastewater disposal and other community facilities. Some of the required services don't seem to exist.
Basingstoke & Deane has stated that, following its earlier inability to gain approval for its Plan, it has been obliged to accept the Government's higher housing requirements and consider previously ruled-out sites, Mortimer West End being one such.
We hosted a well-attended public meeting that sought to explain the planning process and outline the main issues, to help residents who wished to, to make informed representations.
Council Leader Jeff Brooks confirmed that West Berkshire Council's political leadership would lobby to fight the allocation.
In our technical response we raised concerns about cross-boundary infrastructure capacity, deliverability, environmental constraints and consistency with the stated spatial strategy. We also commented on other proposed sites close to the West Berkshire boundary and highlighted the importance of transparent evidence and proportionate infrastructure planning where development would affect neighbouring communities.
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council is now reviewing all consultation feedback and expects to publish a summary of responses and next steps in the summer.
Our political leadership, Council Leader Brooks and Portfolio Lead for Housing and Planning Gaines met Basingstoke & Deane's Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Cllr Koniecko again recently to press our position. Separately I have prepared a motion on the matter for debate/vote at West Berkshire Council, on 26 March. I will publish any further developments ahead of the next newsletter on the dedicated Mortimer West End web page below. |
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2: Council Sets Budget and Council Tax |
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At a long council meeting on 26 February, West Berkshire Council approved its budget for 2026/27 and set the council tax level for the coming year.
Key points for residents
• Council Tax will rise by 4.99%, the maximum allowed without a referendum (2.99% core increase plus 2% Adult Social Care precept).
• Social care costs remain the biggest pressure on the council’s finances.
• The council will rely on £30m of Exceptional Financial Support from government to balance its budget this year.
• The overall revenue budget will increase to £210.9m, mainly due to rising social care costs and inflation.
• Capital spending has been reduced, meaning fewer large new projects unless external funding is secured.
Exceptional Financial Support allows councils to spread certain costs over future years. West Berkshire is one of around 30 councils nationally currently relying on this mechanism.
The wider picture
Like most councils across the country, West Berkshire faces rising demand for services — particularly adult and children’s social care — while government funding has fallen over time.
Increasingly, local services are funded directly by residents. By 2028/29, around 84% of council service funding is expected to come from Council Tax, compared with around 70% historically. |
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3: Plans For Mortimer St' Johns' School and Dentist |
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Introduction
A long-anticipated proposal, identified through the Mortimer Neighbourhood Plan process, has just reached the planning application stage, with plans submitted to West Berkshire Council last month.
The site, at “Tower Farm”, was originally set aside in 2017 for a possible new school and NHS doctors’ surgery. Following further work, a Neighbourhood Plan steering group-led engagement exercise in 2022, identified a ‘preferred option’ for it. This proposed repurposing the land for: school outdoor sports & play facilities; school parking, space for a possible doctors’ surgery; a relocated Oaktree private dental practice; and about 20 retirement homes.
Subsequently, Mortimer Surgery confirmed that it would not take up the option to relocate/expand onto that site and so that allocation was removed from the plan.
The plan sees the school sports and play areas located directly adjacent to the existing school, as more practical than if the land were separated from it by the property. The plan includes the demolition of that property.
Under the plans, the residential element, now 32 properties, with a pavilion, aimed at over-55s, sits to the south of the new school facilities, and is intended partly to fund the purchase and demolition of Redwoods, and partly to contribute to local housing supply. The application has no affordable housing element, apparently owing to commercial viability issues.
Residents can view the plans HERE.
What is a Neighbourhood Plan?
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4: 20mph Speed Limit - Where Residents Want It |
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Lower Street, Mortimer
In line with the Council's 2023 pledge to introduce “20 mph where residents want it.”, and following my speed survey that identified a perceived speed problem along several local streets (you can still add your views here), the petition to seek a time-based speed limit reduction on the Lower Street, Mortimer, outside St Mary’s School is open. Please sign it if you agree with the request (even if you already did the speed survey). You can also record objection if you prefer. I will report back on possible next steps in a future newsletter.
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Goring Lane
The petition, instigated by Wokefield Parish Council, to reduce the speed limit from 50 to 40mph along a stretch of Goring Lane is open too. I'm told there have been many accidents, hospitalisations and even fatalities there. |
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Sensory Den Installed
A sensory den, jointly funded by a fund available to ward members, and the parish council is now installed on Mortimer Fairground. It replaces a skate roller area with equipment that offers inclusive play opportunities, particularly for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Other Ideas
Although the Wokefield safe walking route bid was not approved, as mentioned in the last newsletter, my colleague Cllr Gourlay, portfolio lead for transport, believes we’ll get the work done.
I'm keen to hear from parish councils and/or community groups with ideas for community capital projects of up to £8K in value. |
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6: Beech Hill Fly Tipping |
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CCTV Monitoring Installed
I'm pleased to say that the promised CCTV to deter fly tipping in Beech Hill is now in place. I'd like to thank Cllr Leadsom, in particular, and Beech Hill parish councillors generally for highlighting and campaigning for us to tackle this hotspot. We're looking at the possibility of deploying on other locations too, as costs and equipment allow. I continue to monitor the area and if you have particular areas of concern please get in touch. We are already aware of Drury Lane, Mortimer as a spot. |
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7: Bus Shelters Installed |
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Following the council's offer of free bus shelters to parish councils, these were installed recently in the agreed locations in Burghfield (The Cunning Man, Golf Course, The Close, Elm Drive, Amners Farm Road) and Mortimer (College Piece, Glenapp Grange, Stephens Road). |
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8: Information packs for new residents |
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Welcome To West Berks Cards |
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I have a stash of information packs aimed mainly at residents who are new to West Berkshire. Please get in touch if you'd like one of these postcard sized packs, and I'll aim to put some in various locations within the patch during the week commencing 9 March. |
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Newsletter Sign-Up
To receive future newsletters directly by email, simply sign up on MY HOMEPAGE. You can unsubscribe at any time. The homepage shows previous editions, FAQs and useful web links including about the Mortimer West End housing proposal. |
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Raise issues with us at our monthly drop-ins/'surgeries' each first Saturday (excluding March 7)
- 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". |
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Off The Record — Personal View
This newsletter aims to stay as factual and non-political as possible. This section is where I occasionally add personal commentary. |
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Protestors Campaign Against Skates Lane, Tadley site, outside Basingstoke & Deane Council Offices |
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350+ homes at Mortimer West End
Many residents have clearly taken the time to have their say on this proposal, mostly, but not all, strongly opposed to it. I and the council leadership continue to meet and lobby Basingstoke & Deane on this. MP Olivia Bailey's caseworker Malcolm, who I'd spoken to last year, emailed me this week, informing me that our MP will write shortly to Basingstoke & Deane. This seems a little late, but I've said to him I am happy to talk and re-run through the concerns as I and colleagues see them. I read with interest, and was very impressed by, objective research done by individuals, that they've shared with me, including my wife's. I think the council's technical response was strong and compelling, and note the strength of opinion in the parish council's submission.
I thank too everyone who took the time to sign the petition. A petition, like the sheer volume of responses to this consultation, carries weight, mainly political weight in potentially influencing the Basingstoke decision makers. But, there is no magic number of responses that will stop or even alter a proposal. If the proposal gets to the independent inspection stage it's unlikely a Planning Inspector will notice, still less take note of the volume of responses to the consultation. It primarily boils down to Planning issues coupled with political influence. It's perhaps worth noting that whilst residents here rightly have good grounds to object, we are but one of several "controversial" sites in this plan, and ultimately Basingstoke & Deane will probably only be able to remove such sites, if they can find alternatives. Colleagues are trying to help with this aspect. |
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Council Meeting Bingo
Not for a moment to downplay the financial challenge the forthcoming council tax rise may give residents, but if you plan to watch the (3hrs 40min) budget council meeting over the weekend - on YouTube HERE - you might like to have this handy Council Meeting Bingo card to hand, and see how many you get. |
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The Boat That Rocks
As the fundraising target for restoration of Ross Revenge, the record breaking cod trawler and home to Radio Caroline since 1983, passes £500,000, each month behind the scenes folks called John do work to "batten down the hatches" and making things, to help make the above-deck areas watertight for dry docking. It's now expected that the ship will go to its spiritual home of Grimsby for dry docking in the Autumn.
Meanwhile I'm delighted to join colleagues aboard her for this month's live Radio Caroline North broadcast. You can hear on online here, via the dedicated Radio Caroline app, on 648AM over much of the south and via smart speaker by calling up "Play Manx Radio AM". We're live from 10am Sat 7 until 9pm Sun 8 March.
Ding Ding! |
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John D preparing for dry-docking |
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