Millions in developer contributions invested in Wokingham

That’s almost three times the £32.6 million raised in the previous financial year.

Developer contributions are funds put forward from companies behind major developments in the area, paid to the council to invest in infrastructure and services within the community.

While the council administration has argued that housing targets for the borough are too high, these developer contributions have been invested in improvements throughout the area.

Councillor Lindsay Ferris (Liberal Democrats, Twyford) executive member for planning, said: “We stand by our belief that the Government is forcing our communities to take far too many homes, and we’ll continue our lobbying to change this.

“Until then, however, we have to accept the required number or we could lose our planning powers – so we’re doing all we can to make a flawed system work in our favour.

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“By having developers build or pay for community infrastructure, we can ensure people have what they need on their doorsteps and aren’t isolated or forced to travel too far for their day-to-day needs.

“We will continue to work closely with developers to ensure they meet their commitments towards improving infrastructure, and new affordable homes to meet our community’s needs when they develop in our area.”

Here are some of the projects the money has helped fund:

Places to live and grow up 

An artist's impression of what one of the four-storey apartment blocks at Gorse Ride, Finchampstead will look like

The council has invested £14.5 million on the Gorse Ride estate redevelopment in Finchampstead, which involves building more than 240 ‘quality, energy efficient’ homes.

The latest phase of the project involves building 46 affordable homes in Arnett Avenue and more clearance work.

Almost £2.5 million went into St Cecilia’s Church of England Primary School in north Wokingham, where pupils from Years 3-6 are being taught.

Around £1.6 million went into relocating Farley Hill Primary School to the Arborfield major development, with 240 additional school and nursery places  funded through S106 agreements.

Then Wokingham Borough mayor Cllr Keith Baker opens the new Farley Hill Primary School at the Arborfield major development in September. Credit: Wokingham Borough Council

Quality of life improvements

The council spent £2.4 million on the Wokingham town centre regeneration, most of which went into the Carnival Hub which was opened last July.

The hub serves as both a leisure centre with pools and a gym, a library and a performance venue.

Nearly £1 million was spent on an  interactive play area at Cantley Park in Wokingham, which opened in March 2022, while more than £600,000 went towards greenways including a new route through nearby Woosehill Meadows. About £300,000 went towards a new community centre at Shinfield, which opened in November 2021.

New roads

The South Wokingham Distributor Road masterplan. Credit: Wokingham Borough Council

More than £27 million was spent on new roads and active travel measures.

That included £12.7 million to the Nine Mile Ride Extension at Arborfield Garrison which opened last November and comes with a shared cycle and footpath.

It is also connected to the vehicle free greenway to Finchampstead.

Meanwhile, £4.6 million went to the North Wokingham Distributor Road, which was completed last Spring.

The road has five nature parks next to it, with more than 2,000 trees planted in these.

Furthermore, £5.5 million went into the South Wokingham Distributor Road, and £790,000 was invested in the Winnersh Relief Road which opened in 2021.

Figures

Of the £92.3 million raised, £81.9 million of the 2021/22 total came through so-called Section 106 agreements, which mostly cover things like affordable housing and improvements on site.

The remaining £10.4 million came from the Community Infrastructure Levy, a compulsory charge on developments.

But not all of that amount has been spent – £65 million was spent in 2021/22, a decrease from £84 million in 2020/21.

Remaining funds will be invested in the year’s to come.

The council administration has called on neighbours to repsond to the government’s proposals to change national planning policy, which could result in reduced housing targets.

You can respond to it by searching for “reforms to national planning policy” on the government website.