Enborne consulted (again..)  

For those of you who have an interest in the future of Enborne and plans for Long Copse Farm in particular (policy RSA25), you might like to consider responding to a further public consultation.  You now only have until the end of January to respond, this is your last opportunity to comment.

Enborne Parish Council is responding to this consultation expressing serious concerns about RSA25.  You can read our response here:

Is it legal?

• West Berkshire Council has now asked the planning inspector to recommend any modifications necessary to make the Plan legally compliant and sound - his response is awaited.

• Enborne Parish Council has also taken legal advice, and we will be asking for these unsound and unevidenced policies to be removed from the plan.

• If West Berkshire Council adopts these policies against our wishes, we would be prepared to challenge the decision in the High Court by way of section 113 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

Thanks to all those who have already signed our petition, a large proportion of Enborne residents now stand united against West Berkshire Council plans to dramatically change the character of our home.  Following our previous update, our legal team formulated an objection to the current application, which you can find amongst all the other representations on the West Berkshire Council website:

Timeline:

• 2014: Site owner, Martin Burton (MB), wrote an open letter to local residents stating that West Berks council (WBC) had asked him to make '24' plots available for travellers; 

• 2015: WBC commissioned a study that subsequently concluded a 'need' for 24 plots for Travelling Showpeople, based exclusively on interview with MB;

• 2016: MB meets with Enborne Parish Council and asks for planning permission for a '5 bed house with granny annexe' and offers to drop the plans for 24 plots;

• 2017: WBC adopts policy TS2 for 24 plots at Longcopse Farm - Local people's concerns go unheard;

• 2023: MB applies for permission for 24 plots - shortly before policy TS2 expires;

• 2024: WBC tell planning inspector there is a 'national' or 'strategic' need for these plots, and dont evidence any local need as required by their own policy DM20.

More background:

In January 2024 Enborne Parish Council began work to prepare a Neighbourhood plan.  As part of our early research we identified proposals by West Berkshire Council to designate approximately 10 acres of land in the parish as a sort of caravan site / yard for Travelling Showpeople.  Whilst many people are aware of Zippos circus, the extent of the proposed development on agricultural fields to the north and west of the established yard would substantially change the character of the area and have a harmful impact on neighbour's amenity, ecology, landscape character, local services and infrastructure.  There is no proposal to limit or control the number of new residents on the site.  For comparison, if the development was for conventional housing at a normal density of 30 dwellings per hectare, it would equate to 120 new homes, with potentially hundreds of new residents and associated vehicle movements, etc. And under recent revisions to the application to increase the site area to nearly 15 acres, this comparative would increase to 180 new homes. 

Planning policy: Having looked into draft policy RSA25 it became clear that EPC had some reasonable questions and concerns to put to West Berkshire Council. Work on the Neighbourhood plan has since been paused until this matter can be resolved.  Given West Berkshire Council's current and proposed policies, EPC believes that it would not be sensible or practical to take forward a competing vision for our area. 

Enborne Parish Council has undertaken extensive consultation and found residents overwhelmingly oppose West Berkshire Council's policy.  On this basis Enborne Parish Council will continue to represent and defend local people's interests and the character, identity and heritage of our home.