Below is the information from KEG:

“A planning application for 260 properties on Reading Golf Club land has been validated by Reading Borough Council today, and has gone live on Reading’s planning portal. There are a considerable number of documents, so it’s going to take KEG and our planning consultants some time to go through all the documentation.

We (KEG) have already queried the duration of the planning consultation period with the Council, as such a large application requires at least 13 weeks according to government guidance; the current consultation period has only been specified as 4 weeks.

We aim to get in touch with KEG members as soon as possible to suggest a number of points that opposition to the housing estate development should centre around. We would encourage everyone to read the documents, to make notes, but to wait until KEG have had time to fully appreciate the detail of the plans.

Caversham GLOBE encourages our members/readers to put in their comments via the planning application link above.

Planning application details can be found here on the Reading planning website.

If you are not a subscriber to ‘Keep Emmer Green’ (KEG), or you know those who would be interested, please subscribe so we can send you updates on the planning application.

You can subscribe by pressing on the ‘subscribe to updates’ link via the KEG article on the ‘Keep Emmer Green’ (KEG) website here.”

Caversham GLOBE is opposed to this approach owing to the destruction of hundreds of trees and large areas of habitat that would be lost wherever the walls, bunds, and the channel would be built (approx. 5 km of walls running through parks and riverside, a 25m wide conveyance channel running from the Christchurch meadows play area across George Street into Hill’s Meadow would lead to the loss of a large swathe of the iconic avenue of Lombardy poplars. Relocation of the play area would result in the loss of well used open areas of Christchurch Meadows, part of the Hill’s Meadow car park and many trees there would also be removed.)

Amersham Road playing fields and the area around Dean’s Farm would also be badly impacted by walls and bunds.

Hedges would be ripped out and replaced by a wall along the Reading side of the river between the two bridges.

The EAs estimates CO2 emission of over 24,000 tonnes from the walls and bunds alone.

 Walls could be a magnet for anti-social behaviour including graffiti.

We would instead prefer that the EA look into more natural flood defences further up/downstream instead of solely relying on concrete walls and bunds.

Examples of more natural approaches are common across the country in other flood schemes: one example is the Denham, Suffolk flood scheme that has implemented natural flood defence approaches (storage of excess water, whilst also creating habitat).

This is mentioned in the EA published case study data on 31st October showing the use of natural flood defences as part of flood management schemes:

“The study includes a project in Debenham, Suffolk, where modelling has shown that installing a range of natural flood management features along the River Deben could provide more than 30,000 m3 of water storage – thereby reducing annual average damages to properties and farmland by 31%.”

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/natural-flood-management-part-of-the-nations-flood-resilience

You can also see information on the three instances of natural defence ‘features’ already implemented in the Debenham project on their website:

http://www.greensuffolk.org/flooding/hwmp/debenham-flood-management-project/

Grants for property-based flood resilience?

New builds are increasingly building in a variety of flood defence/flood resilience mechanisms, why not apply some of these approaches to the few properties actually at risk?

For example, the scheme could give out grants to retrofit items like flood-proof doors, non-return valves, closable air bricks, replacement of floor with flood resilient materials, moving electrics higher up walls etc.

You can read more about these measures in the ‘Know Your Flood risk’s Homeowner’s guide to flood resilience’ here:

http://www.knowyourfloodrisk.co.uk/sites/default/files/FloodGuide_ForHomeowners.pdf

Government and EA sees Natural flood management as important:

We are not alone in thinking that natural defences should be used in flood schemes, as Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:

“Natural flood management is an important part of our approach, alongside traditional flood defences and helping homeowners to improve their own property resilience. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to flooding and this scheme is a fantastic example of how we can use a variety of measures that work together to reduce flood risk.” 

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schemes-across-the-country-to-receive-15-million-of-natural-flood-management-funding

Plus, the government obviously sees natural flood defences as important, as they announced 15 million pounds worth of extra funding towards natural defence approaches back in 2017:

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/schemes-across-the-country-to-receive-15-million-of-natural-flood-management-funding

What can you do?

The scheme is still in the consultation phase and so we encourage readers to share their views on the current scheme.

You can contact the EA flood scheme project directly via email: reading&cavershamscheme@environment-agency.gov.uk as listed on the flood schemes consultation page: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/thames/reading-and-caversham-flood-alleviation-scheme-inf/

In addition, you can contact your local Councillors to encourage them to oppose this ill-conceived scheme. Find your local Reading councillor by ‘ward’ here:

http://www.reading.gov.uk/councillorsbyward

Want to read more about Natural Flood Management (NFM)?

More information about Natural Flood Management (NFM) can be seen in the EA presentation ‘Working with Natural Processes – the evidence behind Natural Flood Management’ on the River Restoration Centre website here: https://www.therrc.co.uk/sites/default/files/files/Guidance_training/NFM_Roadshow/Dec_Eng_Grads/13dec_enggrads_nfmoverview_lydiabg.pdf

These results, in µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic metre) are as follows:

This means we’re breathing in dangerous particles! The legal MEAN ANNUAL limit for nitrogen dioxide is 40µg/m3. These alarming results show just how bad pollution is on our roads and how dangerous they are for residents, pedestrians and cyclists.

Of more concern is the equivalent information that RBC has collected for air quality measurement – see below – showing that THREE CAVERSHAM LOCATIONS HAVE EXCEEDED THE MEAN ANNUAL LEGAL LIMIT FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS! 

What is to be done? Who will do it?  When? These crucial questions and many more need some answers. This matter has now been raised with the RBC Strategic Environment and Transport Committee. However, the agenda papers of 21 November 2018 on Air Quality (search for 7 page RBC document at http://www.reading.gov.uk/article/11415/Archived-meetings-from-01-September-to-31-December-2018 ) does not make any reference to AQ readings north of the Thames, even though Prospect Street readings have been above the illegal limit for many years and GLOBE’s AQ readings are not mentioned. Residents groups and RBC Councillors in north Reading need to develop a joint approach for remedial action underpinned with funding and commitment from RBC This could include more trees, street planters and green walls.  However, only by reducing the levels of polluting traffic exhaust fumes will residents, pedestrians and cyclists be able to breathe cleaner air in the long term.

Readers should also note that the infamous Cow Lane Bridges project will be completed in Spring 2019. This will result in increased eastbound vehicle traffic coming to Caversham Bridge junction with Richfield Avenue as well as more traffic coming from the north and east seeking a westbound route across town. Reading Borough Council proposes to restrict traffic in west Reading, on the Oxford Road, so that Portman Road, Richfield Avenue and Caversham Road will be an alternative route. High density of residential apartment blocks planned for Caversham Road, Vastern Road and nearby locations will also bring heavier vehicle traffic. Anyone can reasonably predict longer traffic queues, slower journey times and increased air pollution. Action is overdue. Meantime, best advice might be “hold your breath”? 

Contacts:

www.cavershamglobe.org.uk

https://www.facebook.com/cavershamglobe/

February 2019 ref: GLOBE/Air Quality.

Would you like to share this article? Here it is as a pdf (you can right click and press ‘save as’).

All of the public speakers and councillors spoke in very robust terms against the application which GLOBE believes to be unsustainable, contrary to the approve SODC local plan and objectionable on many other grounds including ecology and the burden on local services and the road network in Reading.

More information on the CAGE campaign web site www.cagedunsden.org/

South Oxfordshire will decide the application at a planning meeting in March and we urge GLOBE supporters who have not yet expressed their concerns to send objections to SODC.
www.southoxon.gov.uk/ccm/support/Main.jsp?MODULE=ApplicationDetails&REF=P16/S3630/O

school’ in Caversham.

The Heights school is currently in a temporary site next to Westfield Recreation fields in Caversham.

Mapledurham playing fields came out first with 70% of survey participants saying they would support it as the new school location.

The results have been passed onto EFA for a decision.

Apart from the fact that there is clearly a need for more school places, it is a pity for green space to be sacrificed.

Want to read more?

• The Reading Chronicle has published an article here.
• The full stats from the survey can be seen on RBC site here.

Well, I have some good news for you… The bridge is still open to pedestrians/bike users on foot…

So if you are going into reading or close by, why not ditch the car for the two weeks and save some time!

Plus, it will save you sitting in the traffic jams, while also saving fuel costs and giving you some nice health benefits.

PS: If you want to see updates on the Reading bridge strengthening progress, get reading have a page up here.

This has been possible due to the success of the Caversham Rewards card where part of the money goes back into the community.

Background on RESCUE

RESCUE was started in 1989 by a group of committed and concerned canal users from West Berkshire and Reading, the Rivers & Environmental Spaces Clean Up Event has changed tremendously over the years.  It has grown to include business sponsorship and urban areas.

You can read more on RESCUE and get involved by visiting their website:

http://readingrescue.org.uk/

Our contribution to the October Reading RESCUE event which took place across the town from 9-11 October. An old shopping trolley was also pulled from the river at King’s Meadow.

Thanks were due to the Caversham Traders Association, Drews Hardware for materials and RBC for a small grant. 10 Caversham GLOBE activists gave up much of their Bank Holiday time to carry out the first stage of painting and replanting. Then six volunteers from Scottish & Southern Energy Vastern Road Offices, as part of their “Community Programme”, later assisted in concluding these improvements for Spring 2013. Five of the Caversham traders made the generous gesture of paying the costs of buying new plants. GLOBE subsequently watered and replanted, with the help of Green Shoots Garden Centre (part of the Ways and Means Trust Charity).

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In June 2014, as result of the installation of Bicycle Hire stands, some of the planters on the BT Exchange forecourt have been replaced and we await replanting by Reading Borough Council. In the meantime,GLOBE has been encouraging BT Facilities Management to implement a maintenance programme for a tidy frontage and removal of the remaining redundant railings. This eyesore should soon be just a bad memory!

Richard Denney October 2014