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Why The HVS Was Started
Berkshire County Council in 1971 identified Sandford Farm and Whistley Court Farm as a
mineral extraction site. Subsequently Lea Farm was added to the site.
The vicar of St Nicholas Church, the Reverend Percy Trutwein, invited four people to
form a committee - Mr Arnold Hutchins (Chairman), Dr Jim Wagg (Vice Chairman), Mr
Dick Bugg (Treasurer), and myself (Publicity Officer) - to highlight the implications of
the proposal to extract the gravel from this site.
He advised us that the proposal would have a disastrous impact on Hurst and that the
Parish Council could not manage to oppose the application on their own - they needed
help from an independent pressure group. How right he was.
We named our group the Village Society (subsequently HVS). Every family in the village
joined the society. A local artist Elizabeth Chalmers designed a car sticker depicting a
gravel lorry with a big red cross through it & the slogan read, 'NO Gravel extraction from
Hurst'. Every car owner in the village displayed the sticker!
Sufficient funds were raised to instruct a barrister to represent us at the subsequent
appeal. The appeal lasted for two days, when Bruce Laughland QC, whose brother lived
in Islandstone Lane, represented us.
When the application was discussed, the Parish Council and the Village Society advised
that several conditions should be attached to the approval.
We required the land to be returned to farmland.
The proposed lakes would not have any noisy sports such as motor boats (today
we see that the sailing club only has a motor rescue boat for emergency use
only).
The activities permitted were all designed to create a quiet country park with a
wealth of wild life as we see it today.
This is only the beginning of the story. There is much more to relate of what happened in
our uphill battle over 36 years.
Cllr Annette Drake
Member for Hurst Ward
Why do you need to be a member of Hurst Village Society?
The Hurst Village Society was originally formed in 1971 to preserve and
enhance the rural character of the parish. It continues to play an important role
in working to maintain the integrity of the village.
But your support is vital and we urge you to sign up as a member of the Society.
You can complete the attached form and post or hand it to any committee
member.
Below are some excerpts from the Society's second News Letter, dated
13 July 1972, which contains familiar issues.
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The Hurst Village Society
News Letter No. 2
13th July, 1972
Gravel Extraction at Loddon Valley Park
Redlands Inns in April made a planning application to excavate 76.86 acres for
sand and gravel near Whistley Mill Farm. This area extends north-west from the
"Elephant and Castle". The Society instructed a firm of solicitors who objected on our
behalf to the planning authorities on the grounds that this would involve loss of good
agricultural land, it would destroy the visual amenities of the area and that the existing
roads were inadequate for the operation. Moreover, it was considered presumptuous to
put forward this application whilst the Loddon Valley scheme was still not formulated.
...
Berkshire County Council overruled Wokingham R.D.C and have permitted gravel
extraction either side of "High Chimneys" in Davis Street subject to the condition that
the gravel should be extracted and in-filled by 30th June last. No gravel working has yet
been commenced, unlike the Dinton Pastures Pit where the operators have recently been
again working on a Sunday contrary to their planning consents.
Hurst New Town
A certain Mr. Bull, who lives at a safe distance at Ewelme in Oxfordshire, has
applied to build 306 residential units and four shops on 19 acres of farm land between
Broadcommon Road and Islandstone Lane. The total development is stated to
comprise:-
a tower block of 11 storeys high;
a six storey block of maisonettes;
a five storey block of maisonettes;
270 lock-up garages;
one sewage works;
a sports pavilion
and a primary school.
A similar planning application was rejected ten years ago, and we urge everyone to
write to C.G. Cockayne, Esq., Clerk to the Council, Wokingham R.D.C, Shute End,
Wokingham, to object in the strongest terms to this application.
We feel that any new development in Hurst should be implemented only so
long as it forms part of an overall scheme for the village and that every resident in
Hurst should have the opportunity to take an active part in formulating any such
scheme (our emphasis). The Parish Council are currently preparing a plan for Hurst and
we understand that when the plan is published, an opportunity will be given for open
discussion.
Footpaths in Hurst
Mr. David Bowndes of the East Berks Ramblers Association and his volunteers
recently cleared and opened up the public footpath between Sandford Mill Lane and
Davis Street. There are over twenty footpaths in Hurst registered under the Countryside
and Parks Act and a number of these paths are in danger of being lost if action is not
taken immediately. We intend shortly to distribute to everyone in Hurst a detailed map
of the registered footpaths in the hope that they will all be signposted and cleared, but
we will need your support and help to do this.
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