Chairmans Statement

I’m pleased to welcome you to the SOS: Save our villages  website. The campaign aims to increase public participation in town and country planning to ensure that all of our opinions are heard and our borough councils take note of our views.
The planning system takes many years  to develop planning policies and allocate land for development. Many residents only see the outcome of these processes when a planning application is made on land close to their own house. Often this is too late to stop a particular development. We have a much greater chance of influencing development policy at the earlier policy development stages such as the Wokingham Borough Council’s current Local Plan Update. This update is establishing planning policy up to 2040 and includes further huge levels of development in Grazeley and Spencers Wood,  between Wokingham, Hurst and Binfield and around Arborfield.
If a majority of residents do not make their views clear to councils and specifically Wokingham Borough Council it will be assumed that these development policies have been accepted by residents.
I urge you to participate in development planning consultations and make you opinions clear to councils through their online questionnaires, by e-mail, letter and at public meetings.

Chair of SOS Save our villages.

Minutes