Objections to School Road Development

In addition to the Millgate Homes plans for 25 new homes in School Road, the owners of Harlyn House have applied for outline planning permission to demolish the existing house and make a separate access onto the site for at least one and possibly three new homes.

HVS has objected to the Harlyn House development on the grounds of loss of trees, which would be felled to make way for the access, and lack of information about possible development potential.

Our objections to the Millgate Homes proposals focus on over-development of the site, the unsustainability of the development within the village, school capacity, and the threat to trees.

A total of 19 houses and 6 flats will create 68 bedrooms on this 2.05-acre site. There is very little space between the detached houses, and no open space around the terraced houses. There are just too many houses crammed in, and it would be out of character in School Road where old and new houses are set in their own gardens.

The Planning Inspector has rejected all major development in Hurst. "Hurst is not a locality that I have recommended for additional housing within the District," he states in his report. "In my opinion, the settlement does not have the range of facilities to enable sustainable development to be obtained." We don't have the services, facilities or foul and storm water infrastructure to take such a large number of new homes.

St Nicholas Primary School is already full, and there is no room for expansion. Children from this development would be given priority over children who live further away, although still within the parish. It would also increase the volume of traffic on roads to and from Wokingham and other nearby towns where parents may be able to secure places for their children.

School Road is exceptionally busy when children are being taken or picked up from St Nicholas Primary School. The road is reduced to single carriageway at these peak times, which also coincides with heavy use by commuters.

Hurst is renowned for the exceptional tree cover in residential areas, especially on School Road. The felling of more than 60 trees on this site will prove a disaster from a visual point of view and damage the environment. These trees currently take up much of the excess water in the soil, and their removal will mean more surface water and greater risk of flooding.