Issue - meetings

172934

Meeting: 14/02/2018 - Planning Committee (Item 78)

78 Application No 172934 - 'Eastern Gateway' Land at Waterloo Road. Wokingham Without pdf icon PDF 900 KB

Recommendation:  Condtitional Approval

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Proposal:  Full application for construction of 420m single carriageway road (with a total width of 15m) and accompanying footways/ cycleways.  This route will connect the Montague Park residential development (William Heelas Way) to a new junction with Waterloo road, a 4-arm roundabout, via a new bridge over the Reading-Waterloo Railway Line (Second Phase of South Wokingham Distributor Road).

 

Applicant:  Wokingham Borough Council

 

The Committee received and reviewed a report about this application, set out in Agenda pages 75 to 132.

 

The Committee were advised that the Members’ Update included: 

 

·         A correction to highlight that a consultation response had been received from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue;

·         Two additional objections.

 

Jean Mulovi, Wokingham Borough Council, applicant, spoke in favour of the application.  She commented that the closure of the Waterloo Road level crossing required the stopping up of a section of Waterloo Road either side of the crossing.  An application had been made to the Department of Transport for a Stopping Up Order for a section of Waterloo Road.  An order could only be made if planning consent was granted.  Members were advised that the Waterloo Road railway crossing would only be closed once the Eastern Gateway was open to traffic.

 

A Member emphasised that it was important that people were aware that the Star Lane Crossing would not be closing.

 

In response to a Member question regarding HGVs accessing William Heelas Way, the Service Manager, Highways Development indicated that there was a piece of work to be undertaken around signage, which was separate to the planning application and was being dealt with by the Council’s Highways Department.

 

Members discussed shared cycleway/footways.  In response to a Member question the Service Manager, Highways Development commented that should the cycleway/footway become much busier in future the infrastructure to be provided could be altered with minor alterations to provide segregation of users if required. 

 

RESOLVED: That application 172934 be approved subject to the conditions set out in Agenda pages 76 to 85.