Chapter 21 - Western Corridor and Blackwater Valley
Overview and Rationale
The Panel accepts the rationale for the sub-region and argues that, given the complex pattern of local government, the high economic potential of the area, the tight labour and housing markets, the proximity to Heathrow and west London, the pressure on environmentally constrained land and the demands on infrastructure especially transport, there is a very strong case for a sub-regional approach
to dealing with these issues. It does not propose any changes to the boundaries of the sub-region.
Core Strategy
The Panel recommends a core strategy policy for the sub-region up-front which:
Should be based on Policy WCBV1 (with the last sentence reworded to refer to ‘transport investment and development in the sub-region’) with Policy WCBV2, and paragraph 2.5 of the supporting text (which describes where development should be focused).
Should take account of:
balancing of economic growth with transport and environmental considerations
settlement structure including role of hubs
guidance on the accommodation of new development
Should recognise the strategic role of the greater Reading area as a focus for development and transport investment, and the need for a new planning and delivery vehicle for the greater Reading area.
Economy
The Panel considers that the sub-region’s unquantified approach to employment land is ‘regrettable’ and would be loathe to see the allocation for north Hants deleted.
It recommends that Policy WCBV4 should encourage employment land reviews to be undertaken jointly between authorities where appropriate and that the supporting text should be more explicit about the type of employment assessment that should be undertaken.
It is not convinced that it is possible to identify specific sources of strategic employment demand at this stage; however, it recommends that the supporting text should acknowledge that there may be some scope for greenfield release if a research-based science park linked to the University of Reading can be justified.
The Panel considers that the stronger priority given in the sub-regional strategy to retention of employment land than in regional policy RE2 is appropriate. Whilst it recommends Policy WCBV4 should emphasise making more efficient use of existing employment land, it feels that criteria (i) and (ii) of the existing policy are too restrictive as they overemphasise local considerations to the exclusion
of strategic. It therefore recommends that Policy WCBV4 be amended to give consideration to strategic needs and to generalise the need for a balance with labour supply.
The Panel is concerned about the scale of the projected mismatch between jobs and labour supply in the sub-region which is the highest in the South East. This imbalance is concentrated in the Thames Valley but is also apparent in the Blackwater Valley Districts adjoining the London Fringe.
The Panel recommends that Policy WCBV5 on Smart Growth be deleted from the sub-regional strategy and incorporated into the proposed new policy in the Regional Economy chapter. It considers that there are limits to the extent of adjustments that might be expected though smart growth mechanisms in the sub-region, and that:
It would be unwise to assume significantly higher productivity levels, but that there may be scope for making more productive use of the available labour supply through training and skills upgrading.
There may be scope for enhancing economic activity rates among certain groups, and some scope for additional labour force from people working later in life.
It is unwise to rely to any great extent on commuting adjustments.
Settlement Shaping
The Panel considers that there are areas where some alterations to the Green Belt boundary might be the most sustainable option for locating new housing and employment. However, it feels that national and regional policies provide sufficient guidance on the Green Belt and other nationally designated areas, and on the location of urban extensions.
The Panel acknowledges the uncertainty about waste water treatment at Basingstoke and recommends a footnote to the housing figures in Policy WCBV3 making them subject to phase 2 of the Water Cycle Study. It is reassured that further growth in the Blackwater Valley can almost certainly be accommodated.
The Panel agrees that there is not much evidence of any spare capacity on transport networks. It accepts that the heavy congestion on road (and some rail) will place greater emphasis on the need for effective local traffic management and demand management measures, and conclude that both transport investment and future development should be strongly related to the polycentric pattern of the hubs.
Overall Housing Level
The Panel considers that the overall level of housing provision for the WCBV is significantly too low because economic and demographic forecasts have been given insufficient weight, while too much weight has been given to avoiding greenfield development.
It therefore proposes increasing the total housing provision from 89,520 to 107,600 - which equates to an increase in annual average provision across the sub-region from 4,476dpa to 5,380dpa. In reaching this conclusion, the Panel has given particular weight to demographic factors and to the imbalance between economic forecasts and housing requirements.
The Panel does not question the basis of the existing distribution in the plan, but sets out their rationale for allocating the additional recommended housing, including past completion rates, New Growth Point (NGP) designations and identified potential. It recommends significant increases for all Berkshire authorities within the sub-region but particularly:
Reading - in recognition of its status as a regional hub, a RES diamond, an NGP and the ‘capital’ of the Thames Valley (1,800 additional dwellings).
West Berkshire - to provide an Strategic Development Area (SDA) to support the greater Reading area (to be called South Reading SDA) of 7,500 dwellings, all of which is additional to West Berkshire's current allocation.
Wokingham - the Panel concludes that land south of the M4 has potential to accommodate 2,500 houses and that other areas (eg north and south of Wokingham) could provide an additional 1,000. However, they also accept that a reduction of 1,500 should be made for Aborfield Garrison, giving an extra 2,000 overall dwellings (70 dpa).
Bracknell Forest - an additional 2,000 dwellings (100 dpa) with the acknowledgement that this will be challenging.
A summary of the district and sub-regional allocations are included in Annexes 1 and 2.
Implementation
The Panel recommends that Policy WCBV6 be deleted, and the provision of infrastructure be addressed in a new section on infrastructure and implementation. It is not convinced that all the transport schemes identified are of sub-regional significance.
The Panel identifies Crossrail, the Reading Area Bottleneck, Airtrack, the Great Western Main Line (GWML) improvements and journey time reliability measures on the M3 and M4 as of wider than sub-regional significance. It recommends:
Crossrail - Planning should start now for the extension to Reading.
Reading Station - Early implementation as essential in the planned growth of the greater Reading area.
Airtrack - If the scheme does not progress further, investigation should be undertaken of the ‘western connection’ link from the GWML onto the Heathrow rail spur.
It considers that there is a case for the Highways Agency to re-examine the options for increasing and managing the capacity of the M4 in the Thames Valley, taking account of the need to facilitate the planned growth of the greater Reading area.
It also recommends map T2 be amended to include a spoke linking High Wycombe to the Thames Valley at Maidenhead.
Institutional Arrangements
The Panel considers that there is a particular need for more effective coordination between local authorities in relation to the greater Reading area, transport planning, and the Blackwater Valley. It recommends:
A Greater Reading Development Partnership for the greater Reading area (‘a joint delivery vehicle with executive powers to provide strong and coordinated leadership’) to:
oversee a Growth Delivery Programme, to identify and manage the programme of work necessary for the growth agenda to be met; and
produce a joint Core Strategy or LDD to set out clear objectives and key policies on important spatial planning issues for greater Reading as a whole.
The extension of Berkshire's strategic transport group to include the three counties, TVEP and transport operators.
Joint working in the Blackwater Valley, with authorities working together on their respective Core Strategies and on the implementation of elements of the sub-regional strategy.
