The village of ARBORFIELD is set to be transformed in the next few years as one of the places identified by Wokingham council for major development.

Earlier in May, Wokingham Borough Council approved outline plans to build a new community with 1,649 homes, which will see Wokingham expand south  of the railway track for the first time.

But the town is not the only area in the borough that has been identified for major development. Now that the plans south of Wokingham have gone ahead, we’ve taken a look at the next biggest development to come to the borough: the transformation of Arborfield Garrison.

READ MORE: Fate of 1,600 home plan south of Wokingham decided

A total of 3,500 homes, an extension of the Hogwood Industrial Estate, new schools and more are set for Arborfield in the next few years, which all forms the Arborfield Garrison Major Development.

Plans for the scheme are mapped out on Wokingham council’s major development progress map, with areas going through planning stages coloured in yellow. The biggest part of the development is the area designated A7 on the map.

According to the development map, a total of 2,000 homes, a ‘district centre’ with a supermarket, commercial offices and apartments, a neighbourhood centre, and a three form entry primary school will all be built in this area.

Bracknell News: The Arborfield Garrison Major Development Progress Map. Credit: Wokingham Borough Council

The second biggest part of the development is the Hogwood section (A1), which includes plans for 1,500 homes, a new primary school, and an expansion of the Hogwood Industrial Estate. The development will also feature a neighbourhood centre, sports pitches and a pavilion. To serve this new community, Nine Mile Ride will be extended from its junction with Park Lane to link up with Bohunt School. 

Outline permission for the massive plans was granted in 2014 and 2015. Google Maps shows construction work and a rough yellow path flowing from Park Lane which will eventually be made into the Nine Mile Road Extension. Eventually, Nine Mile Ride will be linked up to the A327 Eversley Road.

Of the 3,500 homes contained in the development masterplan, 558 have already been built, and a further 348 are under construction. Fields to the south of the development area are being reserved as nature parks.

READ MORE: Brand new 3G sports pitch now open to Arborfield residents

Plans to build 140 homes at Reading FC’s old training ground at Hogwood were approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee on Wednesday, March 31. The team previously used Hogwood Park Training Ground in Park Lane, Arborfield, before moving to Bearwood Park Training Ground in July 2019.

Arborfield was identified for development since plans to close the Garrison were announced. The Garrison closed in 2015. Since then, five elements of the council’s masterplan for the area have been completed, most notably the construction of Bohunt School, which opened in 2016.

Other aspects of the development that have been completed are 223 homes in Nine Mile Ride, 133 new homes off Biggs Lane, and the construction of Arborfield Film Studios off Langley Common Road, all of which have built  by Crest Nicholson.

The designs for the new homes, schools, community centres and other facilities mentioned in the Arborfield Garrison Major Development scheme will be the subject of future planning applications to Wokingham Borough Council.