The South Wokingham Strategic Development Location
Planning Background
You may be aware of the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location (SDL) proposals. The site was allocated for development by the Council in 2010 to deliver 2,500 homes, alongside a range of community facilities, a local centre, school, and open spaces including Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG). This development, once complete, will follow the route of the new South Wokingham Distributor Road (SWDR), which will provide an alternative route from London Road in the north to Finchampstead Road in the west, bypassing Wokingham town centre. The road is part built and Homes England funding has been secured by the Council who aim to open the road in 2026.
Wokingham Borough Council (like all Local Authorities) must review its Local Plan for the area and plan for housing, open space, SANG (mitigation for recreational impacts on the Thames Basin Heaths) and jobs for the period up to 2040.
To address its future housing needs the Council’s draft Local Plan proposes that further homes should be provided within the boundaries of the existing South Wokingham SDL. Provision of SANG on alternative land to that envisaged in the original masterplan means that additional land within the original SDL is now available for other purposes.
Concept Masterplan
The SDL Extension is envisaged to deliver a mixed-use community that will deliver:
- Up to 1,030 homes, (850 units within Priors Farm and 180 units within Pearces Farm), with a mixture of market and affordable homes, including starter homes, townhouses, terraces, flats, maisonettes, detached and semi-detached properties.
- Community facilities, including a Neighbourhood Centre set in a Market Square with shops and commercial uses and the potential for educational uses and a mobility hub.
- A network of multifunctional public open spaces including, play areas, allotments and associated infrastructure and landscaping.
- New and enhanced cycle and pedestrian routes connecting with the wider network of routes locally.
- A large Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) designed as a parkland with recreational paths, areas of native planting and naturalistic play spaces accessible to all.
- Biodiversity enhancements, particularly through the protection and enhancement of existing features, additional new planting and the introduction of meaningful open spaces.
- Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs) features providing opportunities for the creation of new habitats and sustainable management of surface water drainage. The plan below showcases the illustrative masterplan for the site.
Vision
The SDL Extension will be an attractive and inclusive new neighbourhood offering a diverse range of uses, streets and homes to cater to the needs of the local population.
Additionally, a well managed network of open spaces will present opportunities for play, relaxation, recreation, and contact with nature.
It will promote sustainable and healthy living, encouraging active travel by providing the necessary infrastructure to support it.
The scheme will be energy efficient and a harmonious response to its location and surroundings, with a particular emphasis on integrating positively with the existing historic and landscape features.