Land East & West of
Hyde End Road, Shinfield

The Land East and West of Hyde End Road is a draft allocation in the emerging Wokingham Borough Local Plan and is considered a suitable site for sustainable growth and development. Bloor Homes are bringing forward these development proposals to respond to the site's draft allocation and to deliver much needed new homes in Wokingham.

We are proposing to build up to 200 new homes, including up to 70 new affordable homes.

We are proposing a mix of one- to four-bedroom homes with most homes being two-storeys tall.

The eastern parcel will be accessed by vehicles through the existing access off the car park for Langley Mead, and the western parcel will be accessed by vehicles through a new access point off Appleton Way, opposite the entrance to Shinfield Meadows. New pedestrian and cycle connections are proposed along Hyde End Road, and we are exploring opportunities to provide pedestrian connections to Millworth Lane Recreation Ground, Langley Mead, and the Public Right of Way.

Car parking spaces including reduced mobility and visitor spaces will comply with WBC's parking standards, including electric vehicle charging provision.

We are exploring the potential to create a new footpath link at Hyde End Road on the western side of Hyde End Road south of School Green. To help ensure road and pedestrian safety, carriageway widening is proposed on the bends between the parcels and just south of the site.

Contributions to offset any potential impact on local services and facilities will be provided as part of the Section 106 agreement with Wokingham Borough Council. The exact amount and recipients of S106 funding will be determined at a later date, further along in the planning process.

Our proposals will deliver a 10% BNG through protecting existing habitats and delivering enhanced planting throughout the site, including wildflower meadows, hedgerows and green open space. New wetland ponds will also be introduced as part of our Sustainable Drainage Systems, which will contribute to BNG as well. Trees will be retained as much as possible and protected by setting any new development well back from tree root protection zones, and with new planting to complement existing trees where possible.

As the developer, we have an obligation to produce a Construction Management Plan, which will be submitted alongside other documents when we submit our planning application. This document outlines how the construction process will be managed and will stipulate the specific times and routes construction vehicles are allowed to enter and leave the site. We will use the strategic network as far as possible to limit any impact on the local roads and residents.

We are aiming to submit our planning application in early spring, and we expect a decision later this year. If permission is granted, works could start on site in mid-2026. These dates are indicative only and are subject to change as the planning and design process progresses.

The site is located within Flood Zone 1, which is the lowest risk for flooding and most suitable Zone for any type of potential development. Through Sustainable Drainage Systems, a series of swales and basins will collect and manage surface water drainage throughout the site.

While south-facing roofs are ideal for solar panels in the UK, east-west roofs can still be very effective, particularly when there is a need for more even energy production throughout the day. With modern solar technology and the UK's typically cloudy climate, east-west installations can provide a reliable source of solar energy.

From a design perspective, it wouldn’t be best practice to design a layout based on the orientation of roofs. There may however be opportunities to utilise more hipped roofs which would introduce more south facing roof slopes.

The development parcels to the east and west of Hyde End Road benefit from being positioned alongside two highway corridors. This offers the opportunity to create separate points of access for each parcel which will lessen the amount of traffic directly accessing onto Hyde End Road and hence achieve better dispersal of flows along the surrounding road network.

The use of a new four arm roundabout onto Hyde End Road was however evaluated as part of the early optioneering process. The arrangement considered was akin to that which was promoted at the Deer Leap Park development at Three Mile Cross (where the lack of secondary highway corridor prevented any alternative arrangement). However, it became apparent that the provision of a new roundabout would lead to vegetation loss along the corridor as well as negative impacts on the root and buffer zones of the veteran trees which are located on both sides of Hyde End Road in the vicinity of the existing access to Langley SANG Car Park. The proposed configuration of two separate access points avoids these negative impacts and hence has been progressed as the preferred option. At this stage it is anticipated that the separate access junctions will both operate well within capacity with minimal queuing in the peak hours, albeit this is a matter that will be tested in detail within the Transport Assessment Report that will accompany the forthcoming planning application.

The development introduces new SuDS features to cater for new surface water generated by the proposals. This will ensure that surface water runoff is passed to existing watercourses at a controlled rate. As part of the technical assessments, a comprehensive surface water hydraulic model has been created in order to understand how recent development at Shinfield Meadows may influence the proposals. This work is ongoing and will form part of the application package.

Flooding within Langley Mead is due to high water levels within the River Loddon and its tributaries, as opposed to runoff from the upstream catchments. However, the imposition of new SuDS features within the scheme will assist.

We started taking Wildlife Surveys on the sites, in July 2024 and they are continuing this year. Once we have all the surveys complete, we will be able to give a more detailed response. Regarding the barn owls, we will look to manage the grassland areas to make sure they get the litter lay they need for their foraging which will enhance the site as currently the areas that are suitable are minimal. We will enhance the hedgerows and tree lines on site which will enhance nesting opportunities for birds as well as the artificial bat and bird boxes, and hedgehog highways which will account for a lot of the species that are there currently.

We are proposing to build up to 200 homes including up to 70 affordable homes (35% policy compliant).

We have undertaken scoping discussions with Wokingham Borough Council to agree a methodology and approach that we will be undertaking when appraising the impact of the development that includes using their approved trip rates and have run the analysis within Wokingham Borough Councils approved traffic model. We are currently working through the findings and the work to assess the traffic impact is well underway. Early findings show that the two points of access, as proposed would operate within capacity for the peak hour periods and the analysis for the junctions further afield is currently being assessed.

We have had a meeting with officers at Wokingham Borough Council and there will be a requirement for some play facilities on the site so they are close enough to the new homes but as for the extent, type and location in the development, we have not yet got to that level, however it is envisaged that such play space would be integrated within the green spaces, so it might be that natural play facilities are provided, rather than formal swings and slides.

Unfortunately, real chimneys are not an option these days due to being inefficient and unsustainable, so in this case they will be for aesthetic purposes to break up the ridge line and to add interest and character to the houses and street scenes.

The images we have shared are for illustrative purposes only, but the new homes will have solar panels, positioned to maximise solar gain.

It is impossible to give an exact price range of these homes at the current time. However, when the homes come forward, they will be comparable in price to new build properties within the local the area.

No, the Dobbies site is further South nearer to Spencers Wood.

We are very aware of the proposals for Millworth Recreation Ground, and we are looking to ensure our development and what we are proposing on our common boundary is compatible with respect to the specific nature of what is being proposed. We are exploring the opportunity to try and get a pedestrian connection through to the recreational ground and will be discussing this both with Wokingham Borough Council and Shinfield Parish Council moving forward.

This is guaranteed. There will be a minimum of 35% affordable homes on the site which is compliant with the requirements of Wokingham Borough Council's Development Plan.

The approach that Wokingham Borough Council take is to seek further financial contributions from developments towards the ongoing provision of services like the 600 and as development becomes built out look for opportunities to increase the provision. Such a contribution is anticipated to help sustain the bus service in the longer term.

Yes, every home will have EV charging points installed.

This is still to be discussed with Wokingham Borough Council, but there will be a package of contributions towards the delivery of local infrastructure. Some of those elements will be through the direct provision of infrastructure on the site itself and the S106 Agreement would secure that. There might also be financial contributions towards other infrastructure items and those all need to be discussed with Wokingham Borough Council and agreed in due course. This is something that will be done as we get closer to the submission of the Planning Application and indeed once the Planning Application is formerly lodged, that will form part of the consideration at that time. The development will also generate millions of pounds towards local infrastructure through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions, up to 25% of which will be managed Shinfield Parish Council.

As a minimum it is proposed that the gardens will generally be a minimum of 10.5m in length to the back of resident's garden fence. However, where required, these will be increased to ensure no unacceptable impacts are caused in respect of overlooking or privacy.

We are currently proposing 3 bungalows and 11 ground floor maisonette's which are built to M4(3) standard (accessible). As we are building to 'Future Home Standards' all the other homes on the site will be to M4(2) standard (adaptable) which is a higher level than standard building regulations and the homes can be adapted to become wheelchair friendly. This also includes a car parking space that can be increased to 3.3m wide.

We are working with Thames Water, as the local sewage provider to ensure that suitable mains drainage is available and where not, can be provided through upgrade works.

We are looking to submit our Planning Application within the next 2-4 months and following the grant of planning permission, a start of site will follow soon afterwards, which is anticipated for spring/summer 2026. The delivery of this development is likely to take 2-3 years.

The affordable housing provision will be pepper potted (scattered) throughout the development and will be 'tenure blind' meaning that the affordable housing does not look any different to the other housing on the site to ensure we create an inclusive community.

We are very familiar with the position and location of schools and Doctors surgery that are within the village and within easy working distance from the site. We are aware of the extent of them being well used and we will be discussing in a lot of detail with Wokingham Borough Council the local infrastructure requirements arising from this development. We will look at this very carefully regarding any impact from the development and how it is addressed in terms of delivery of infrastructure.

Yes, to meet the Future Homes Standards the development is likely to provide air source heat pumps to meet the heating needs of the new properties, alongside Solar Panels for renewable energy generation. The exact details for each individual dwelling will however be determined at the detailed design stage as part of the Building Regulation requirements.

No there is still a significant swathe of land that will remain, and we are looking carefully at the landscape and the visual envelope of the development and its wider context. We have the benefit of the series of elements of the existing woodland which helps to create the context and backdrop to the development but there is still significant land that will exist between Shinfield, as it would become with this development added to it, and Spencers Wood. We are satisfied that the significant land which will remain undeveloped.

It is too early at this stage to have details of the build programme. In terms of phasing we anticipate that it will all be built in one go as due to the size of the development it would not need to be built out in distinct phases.

We are currently in discussions with Wokingham Borough Council as to whether or not they would be willing to adopt open space provision and the sustainable drainage network, but if not, then the likelihood is that it will be looked after by a Management Company which will eventually be run by the residents themselves. However, nothing has been agreed at the moment as we are still in the early stages, and this is forming part of the process of evolving the plans. It is likely that the roads, paths and other such highway infrastructure will be adopted by the Council, as per Bloor Homes standard preference.

In response to comments from the Local Planning Authority and the Urban Design Officer, we are aiming to minimize this distance by reconfiguring the road to run adjacent to the boundary. This change will help increase the separation between the existing and proposed houses. While some backing onto existing properties will be retained, it will be significantly reduced. We will ensure a minimum of 10.5m back gardens for these properties or a separation of 22m to the rear of the existing houses, whichever is greater, to safeguard the amenity of current residents.

We are not currently proposing any three-storey units on the site. The term "predominantly two-storey" is used because the site also includes some single-storey bungalows.

The precise nature of any off-site highway improvements is a matter that will be discussed and agreed with Wokingham Borough Council during the course of the determination period for the planning application. At this stage however, the potential works along Hyde End Road that have been identified include carriageway widening at the two bends to the south of the development parcels and a new pedestrian crossing (with central refuge island) located between the frontages of the two parcels. The scope for improving pedestrian connectivity in the vicinity of Shinfield Primary School is also being investigated. The precise timescales for the implementation of any works is again a matter that will be agreed with Wokingham Borough Council. Notwithstanding, at this stage it is anticipated that such improvements would be implemented early during the build out trajectory.

At this stage it is not anticipated that the off-site highway mitigation will encompass traffic calming features along Hyde End Road, other than perhaps at the pedestrian cycle crossing that is being promoted at the frontage of the development parcels. This however is a matter that will be reviewed as the traffic impact of the development is appraised in full within the Transport Assessment Report that is being prepared to accompany the forthcoming planning application.

Excess surface water runoff is known to pass from west to east following existing land falls towards Hyde End Road. As part of the development proposals, such surface water runoff routing needs to be considered and mitigated. The introduction of a positive drainage network and associated sustainable drainage features with help to reduce any overland flow routes.

The existing woodland will be protected with additional buffer planting within the site. No public access will be provided, so the woodland will be protected. The buffer zones provided adjacent to the woodlands are compliant with the Natural England and Forestry Commission Standing Advice and shall be planted as a semi-natural habitat.