New application to develop Bath Road Reservoir

#rdgnews - Thames Water have returned with a new application to redevelop the former Bath Rd reservoir site.

Changes include another reduction of the number of residential properties from 96 to max. 80 homes and a restriction on the overall height of development. Additionally the Grade-II listed pump house visible to the public will no longer be converted to offices, but luxury flats instead.

The sensitive site became a hot topic as campaigners were courted by politicians during the General Election period, and controversy grew when suggestions of collusion were made suggesting the then-ruling Labour party was encouraging over-development in order to fill council coffers while opposing it at ward level and tories appeared split over support for economic development or residents.

Locals were also angered by the tactics of developers to lodge their applications during periods when they may easily be overlooked (school holidays, prior to bank holidays etc).

A fresh application was submitted in March 2010 and rejected before an appeal was lodged.

A public inquiry into the issue came in November 2010 (when this blog was on hiatus) raising issues of the character and context of the proposals within the neighbourhood. These emphasised the impact of transport and the ecology of the area, particularly considering the limited access to the 5.4 acre site on a main arterial route and the additional pollution likely to be felt in an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) by additional traffic while removing a principle 'green lung' designated as a 'brownfield site'.


The appeal decision was issued at the end of 2010 upholding the earlier rejection, explaining that the coalition government had expressed it's intention within the new Localism Bill to revoke the previous regime's Regional Strategies policy promoting developments of this sort. But agreement on protection for the site failed to be secured in January 2011 when the then-lead councillor for economic development and transport on the coalition council, Conservative Cllr Richard Willis, expressed doubt over the legality of creating an official policy for a single location.

Immediately following local elections in 2009 RBC issued an order replacing 6 seperate AQMAs with one covering the whole town centre (map), but has since removed the Bath Road continuous monitoring site adjacent to the reservoir and created a specific gap in its' diffusion tube network around the site (despite, or perhaps as a consequence of, recently being pressured into re-installing monitoring equipment on the other side of the town centre). Subsequently the latest application for the site was lodged.
 
Spokesperson for the Save the Bath Road Reservoir Group Mel Woodward explained the proposals were an improvement but they've yet to see any details of the new plans. "We still have significant concerns around numbers, density, heights and lack of community amenities," she added,

"any development of the site would have a massive impact forever on the day-to-day lives of residents living in the vicinity, so we continue to represent residents' views and concerns about how this would be handled."

Reading West's Alok Sharma MP paid tribute to campaigners who have fought 'incredibly hard' over a number of years to see reductions in the density of development down by a third, but said this was not enough for residents, indicating Reading Borough Council should bear their wishes in mind when they make their new decision on the plans.

Only 20% of the site will be retained as open space under the new plans, as a spokesperson argued turning the whole site into a wildlife haven would have 'significant cost implications' for customers of Thames Water. In the past financial year the company made £600m operating profit on £1.6bn turnover (download TWUL 2011 financial statement 3.5Mb).

Thames Water's Head of Property, Marc Selby explained,

"Our revised planning application will take into account all the recommendations made by the Government’s planning inspector at the public inquiry last November and address some of the concerns expressed locally."

Thames Water has announced a consultation will be held from 2-6pm on Saturday 24th September at All Saint's Hall, Downshire Square, Reading.


Oranjepan asks:
Why does Reading no longer have any means of monitoring air pollution in the AQMA anywhere near the reservoir site? Who was responsible for the decision to remove monitoring stations?

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previous stories about the Bath Road reservoir

Reservoir Opposition Resurrected

Thames Water's plan to develop the Bath Road Reservoir for housing were rejected last year, but the company has indicated it will make a resubmission as the site remains in Reading's masterplan for redevelopment.

Local campaigners have written over 200 letters of objection. The Save the Bath Road Reservoir website states,

"We feel that the reservoir site is worthy of protection, and should be designated as a local nature reserve, a wildlife link, an educational resource for local schoolchildren or similar."

But group spokesperson Mel Woodward said, "If development does occur, we just want to make sure it is done sensitively."

The reservoir issue has turned into an election topic as Conservative housing spokesman Grant Shapps MP visited the town to show solidarity with local residents and set out his party's proposals.

Mr Shapps explained that the plan to build up to 100 homes on the 5.4 acre site was too many and said a compromise position was more preferable.

He added that his party proposed scrapping housing density targets which specify how many homes each local authority must build while providing incentives in order to encourage greater development. However he argued greater accountability was also needed to ensure local communities have more say in developments on their doorstep.

Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman was also in town recently to restate her opinion that more homes are needed in Reading, but that in her opinion the reservoir site is not appropriate:

"We have got to find places where we can build decent homes for people, but not actually with the green open spaces."

Meanwhile local campaigner Graham Griffiths expressed his anger at the biases in the planning process,

"The missing link is translating the support we've got from politicians into action on these particular local issues."

Oranjepan asks:
During election time politicians are obviously keen to latch onto popular local campaigns, but when push comes to shove and the election is over do local residents ever get exactly what we want?

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More on the campaign to save the Bath Road reservoir.

Water, Water Everywhere...

As autumnal rains cause hovoc on the transport system in the Thames basin (railways, roads), the bureaucratic issues behind the problems are starting to float to the surface.


Price Review
The up-coming five-yearly price review of water bills by industry watchdog Ofwat has declared that water and sewarage companies have been drastically overcharging customers.

According to Robin Pagnamenta in The Times, Thames Water is preparing to appeal to the Competition Commission against the regulator's decision to levy record fines and insist on price cuts of 4% when it had been expected to continue a trend of above-inflation price rises (a rise of 17% was reported imminent earlier this year).

Insiders suggest utility companies will argue that political influence had been exerted over the regulator by the Labour government.


Investment Plans
The company may be forced to suspend dividends and make a £1bn cash-call on shareholders to continue massive investment plans.

This is after the company announced record profits in June and CEO David Owens lamented "decades of under-investment have kept our bills artificially low," while still claiming the lowest average charges in the country.

Some suspect this dramatic and unexpected policy shift may be behind efforts to maximise income from other areas of the companies portfolio, such as the extensive property holdings acquired during privatisation.

In Reading local campaigners have mounted a high-profile effort to prevent development of the Bath Road reservoir site, which has gained widespread political backing.

And concern has grown over the possible relocation of Thames Water's call-centre from Swindon where 500 people are employed.


Flooding Bill
Meanwhile, Labour has trumpeted proposals in the forthcoming Flooding Bill which will remove liability from individual householders for repairs on private sewers, with these costs being added to general bills.

Rachel Eden claims the bill will improve the national situation and help prevent flooding in future.

Linda Fort recently investigated the efforts being undertaken to get the Environment Agency, Thames Water and Reading Borough Council to work together. She reports that the council has only started logging gully clearances in the borough's 17,000 drains since summer flooding caused widespread disruption in 2007.

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Update: The Environment Agency's Flood Risk manager Peter Quarmby says being flooded is worse - in monetary terms - than being burgled and argues that "people can do more to protect themselves."

But Mike McNamara says we should keep things in perspective - floods in Britain are nothing likeas bad as in some other parts of the world.

Rachel Eden visits Henley's Museum of River and Rowing and hopes there isn't more rain to come - one thing you can always be sure of.

The Lower Thames Flood Risk Management Strategy, which will see three flood diversion channels created over the next 15 years, has been adopted. A public consultation continues until December 5th.

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Interview with Thames Water CEO David Owens - RRL #31.

More information on the Thames Water price review.

More on the campaign to save the Bath Road reservoir.

Reservoir Repreive - The Reasons & The Risks

News that Reading Borough Council finally rejected the application by Thames Water to build as many as 100 new homes on the Bath Rd Reservoir came through last month, but efforts to stop the company from lodging an appeal against the planning decision were given a boost this week.

The 5.4 acre site had been described as a vital 'green lung' close to an Air Quailty Management Area in an area already notorious for heavy traffic.

Campaign co-ordinator Mel Woodward explained that publication of the full reasons why development is unsuitable for the location would prevent government planning processes from overruling the local council decision - which may result in "potentially similar or worse development."

The campaigners hope to preserve the natural state of the site and turn it into an educational resource where local schoolchildren can lead about the environment and our impact on it (copying the example of the Smallmead visitor centre).

In the end a list of 12 reasons were published.

Anna Roberts publishes the full list.

However she also picks up with deputy leader of RBC, Labour's Cllr Tony Page, who said that the reasons for refusal should be taken by the company as grounds to 're-engage with the community'.

He opened the way for new plans to be lodged, explaining that the council recognised that the site was one of a falling number of open spaces in the town, and that they "have always accepted there will be a need for sensitive development."

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More on the Bath Rd Reservoir campaign

Reservoir Development Reprieved

Local campaigners have won a second victory against large-scale developments within a week as the plans for the development of the Bath Rd reservoir site were unanimously rejected by RBC.

Over 400 letters from the public and a petition with 1,400 signatures showed the strength of feeling mobilised against the plans submitted by Thames Water, but while campaigners celebrate they are bracing themselves for another stage in the war of attrition with developers.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said they were disappointed and were now considering their position. This was the third application that has been defeated on the same location, but residents said they preferred to keep the green space open and use it as an educational resource rather than lose it forever to bricks and mortar.

The issue had quickly gained momentum as politicians on all sides recognised the massive impact which would be felt by an organised and motivated local community.

In the face of the overwhelming pressure Labour reversed their previous willingness to develop the site. Minster ward's Cllr Paul Gittings joined with Reading West MP Martin Salter and his prospective replacement Naz Sarkar to claim victory on behalf of the campaigners.

Jane Griffiths provides some scathing commentary on her former comrades-in-arms. She wholeheartedly contradicts Mr Salter's claim that he has be campaigning to save the site since 1996, while noting Mr Sarkar's attachment to the issue is only skin deep.

Meanwhile Conservative candidate Alok Sharma had attempted to mitigate public anger by negotiating for a planning application which involved fewer housing units, but it appears this moderate suggestion has also been ripped to shreds.

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Update: Independent Cllr Tony Jones recieves some criticism for calling the decision a 'humiliation' for Labour.


Oranjepan says:
This case (together with the KM Campaign) provides an interesting example of how community campaigns can be successful by linking together old and new media techniques with traditional campaign methods. The unrivalled breadth and depth of reach of such a strategy has clearly proven it's power over those with aspirations to represent the public.

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More on the Bath Rd Reservoir Campaign.

Campaign Update: Save The Bath Road Reservoir!

The summer recess is the typical time for planners to submit controversial planning applications, and so it proved again as Thames Water subsidiary Kennet Properties applied to build 96 homes on the 5.4 acre Bath Rd Reservoir site.

Meanwhile, Coley Park schoolchildren have become engaged in ongoing community-wide efforts to save the idyllic urban oasis and the architectural gem at it's heart.

Campaigner Mel Woodward expressed the dismay which hit him when he saw the application, "From what we have seen this new application is no different to the one that was withdrawn," adding that this proved they hadn't listened to local views, despite representations including Conservative PPC Alok Sharma.

Thames Water's Margaret Grey attempted to defend the decision, explaining that Reading's Labour council 'earmarked' the site for redevelopment as long ago as 1996 and the proposal would create new construction jobs and address the shortage of family homes in the borough.

She argued that the company had undertaken statutory consultation.

Significantly, she also stated that "We owe it to our customers to get the best price for this land," suggesting that shareholder profits would not be sacrificed as the company continued to maintain and update it's network.

The alternative, she explained would be to simply abandon site, "letting it deteriorate and become unsafe."

Petworth Court resident John Howes noted the uniqueness of the location,

"It has not been polluted by chemicals or earlier building and it forms a resting and feeding haven on an established wildlife corridor which runs along the adjoining railway line"

and completely dismissed the idea that it is 'a typical brownfield site'.

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Update: Labour party representatives have written to Reading Borough Council to ask for consultations to be extended into November from the current September 14th deadline.

Reading West MP Martin Salter said he was "not accusing anyone of seeking to rush this application through or avoid proper public scrutiny."

Oranjepan says:
This is a special location which requires a special solution.

Purely economic considerations will have a massively detrimental effect on the quality of life of future generations in this highly developed area. If Reading has aspirations to become a city, it is exactly this sort of location which requires imagination.

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History: Former Reservoir Is A Green Lung

'Former Reservoir Is A Green Lung'

A public meeting has been organised for 7.30pm on Wednesday 13th May in the Downshire Square Church Hall prior to a consultation on revised plans to develop the Bath Road reservoir site.

The plans for the 5.4 acres site will be exhibited in the same building on Thursday 14th & Saturday 16th May.

According to Thames Water, the reservoir will be made redundant later this year and the site is ideally located for additional housing needs.

Following rejection of an earlier plan for 120 homes, Kennet Properties are due in June to submit an application outlining proposals for 96 new homes.

Conservative candidate Alok Sharma explained his objections, "the ‘new’ plans will not be fundamentally different from those previously submitted and they clearly have not taken into account the view of the community."

Local campaigners said that over the course of 150 years in active service the reservoir has been isolated from human contact, in the process developing into a wildlife haven where deer, badgers, birds and numerous other species have made themselves a natural home.

They also claim the site is not viable and proposals to devlop it for housing contradicts the definition of sustainable development - not least because it will mean more cars so close to the air quality management area (AQMA) at the Bath Road/Tilehurst Road junction.

"Local people would very much like to see this site preserved and used as a community wide resource," according to the Save The Bath Road Reservoir Campaign coordinators, Mel Woodward, Sarah Hayter and Graham Griffiths.

The online petition is still open if you wish to register your opposition to the plans, but it is also important to make it a worthwhile exercise by participating in the consultation and making sure the developers know the views of residents.

For more information visit the Save the Bath Rd Reservoir campaign site.

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Update: We know where Adrian Windisch get's his news.