Decision details

The land at Cantley Recreation Grounds shaded red on the plan annexed to this Officer Decision Sheet is appropriated for planning purposes (Background paper 1).

The reasons for the decision to appropriate the land at Cantley Recreation Grounds for planning purposes are summarised here below and detailed in the Officer Report attached as Background paper 2 to this Decision Sheet.

Appropriation is the statutory procedure to change the purpose for which land is held from one statutory purpose to another provided that the land is no longer required for the purpose for which it was held immediately before the appropriation. The strip was previously covered with thick vegetation, did not comprise part of the playing pitches and located within an area of Wokingham in which there is a significant open space provision. The use of appropriation power needs to be justified by a clear ‘public interest’ case that overrides the individual rights of potential affected third party owners and occupiers of nearby properties. Here the provision of the Northern Distributor Road, which will facilitate the residential development including affordable housing within North Wokingham Strategic Development Location in accordance with the Core Strategy and Supplementary Planning Documents and is likely to bring substantial benefits for economic, social and environmental conditions in the area.

The option of doing nothing and not appropriating the land for planning purposes was not considered acceptable as it would put at risk the delivery of the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) and in particular that section of the NDR comprising part of planning permission under planning reference 161839 (Bell Farm). The hybrid planning application under reference 161839 sought full planning permission for the residential element and SANG and outline consent for the NDR. The route of the NDR was subject to wide consultation both as part of this application and the wider SDL consultations and the merits of the planning proposals were carefully considered.

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