Question:
Hatchwood Mill has 433 houses, with approximately 1,300 residents. It was granted planning permission in 2016, by an Extraordinary Planning Committee with 53 planning conditions, thereafter, included within a binding Section 106 agreement.
7 years later, with construction over, we continue to have serious issues including.
An unsafe central road through the estate not built to the approved plans.
An unsafe ditch which we cannot find on any planning application. A flood risk to neighbouring houses due to changes that weren't communicated in advance.
Unsafe Mown Amenity Grass areas, not cleared of construction rubble making them dangerous to play on. Five streetlights still not connected. SUDS drainage clogged with algae, bullrushes and willow. Thousands of dead and missing trees and plants.
A play park that’s still not built. Developers are planning to leave site and handover to a management company, leaving residents with the ongoing maintenance responsibility.
I’d like to ask the Executive Member for Planning what action does WBC intend to take to assure the residents of Winnersh, that Developers will be held responsible for their undertakings, and that matters will be delivered in the way that WBC, as the Local Planning Authority, first agreed back in 2016?
Minutes:
Question
Hatchwood Mill has 433 houses, with approximately 1,300 residents. It was granted planning permission in 2016, by an Extraordinary Planning Committee with 53 planning conditions, thereafter, included within a binding Section 106 agreement.
7 years later, with construction over, we continue to have serious issues including.
· An unsafe central road through the estate not built to the approved plans.
· An unsafe ditch which we cannot find on any planning application.
· A flood risk to neighbouring houses due to changes that weren't communicated in advance.
· Unsafe Mown Amenity Grass areas, not cleared of construction rubble making them dangerous to play on.
· Five streetlights still not connected.
· SUDS drainage clogged with algae, bullrushes and willow.
· Thousands of dead and missing trees and plants.
· A play park that’s still not built.
Developers are planning to leave site and handover to a management company, leaving residents with the ongoing maintenance responsibility.
I’d like to ask the Executive Member for Planning what action does WBC intend to take to assure the residents of Winnersh, that Developers will be held responsible for their undertakings, and that matters will be delivered in the way that WBC, as the Local Planning Authority, first agreed back in 2016?
Answer
Thank you for your question and I’m sorry that matters remain to be resolved on this site but let me assure you that our officers are continuing to work to resolve those issues that we have control over.
Matters on this site have a long and complex history and I’m very aware that some residents have not been happy with the developer during and post the construction phase for not fulfilling all of their planning and legal obligations in a timely manner.
My understanding is that many of the staff at the developers with responsibility for this site have moved on and I know it has not always been straightforward for our officers to maintain dialogue. We will be working on putting new relationships in place ,we are continuing to work through the various issues that you have raised- pursuing solutions with the developer.
Various teams, including Planning, Highways, Drainage, Legal and Green Infrastructure Services within the Council have been involved in dealing with these matters. They are ongoing and will continue to be pursued until resolution.
However, it is not for us to comment on any of the private contractual relationships between the residents, developer and management company in relation to the current and future maintenance of hard and soft landscaping, estate roads and the Neighbourhood Equipped Area of Play (NEAP), etc, however the planning permission enables the principal of future maintenance of public space etc. being undertaken by a management company and we would hope that would have been made clear to any residents purchasing properties on the site, by those conveyancing solicitors acting on behalf of purchasers, when buying properties on site.
Having spoken to officers, I’m also happy to arrange for any further meetings between residents, officers and the developer, with a view to getting those issues resolved as soon as possible. If you would like me to do so, I would do. Also, if you would like me to visit the site personally to see the issues that you have raised, I am very happy to do so.
Supplementary Question:
Will you commit to bringing officers to site from Planning, Enforcement, Drainage, Development Management and Highways as quickly as possible so that they can all see first hand the state that the development is in currently, and then work with us to get it sorted as quickly as possible?
Supplementary Answer:
Simple answer yes.