Keep up-to-date with local news at:
http:www.readingchronicle.co.uk
|
|
|
|
Final Update:
April 1 2016. |
|
|
|
|
|
In Memory of the |
|
|
|
|
|
Arborfield Military
Garrison. |
|
|
|
|
|
1904 to 2015. |
|
|
|
|
|
One hundred and eleven years of
meritorious service to Crowns and Country. |
|
|
|
|
|
No more will the plaintiff sounds drift
across open spaces of the |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This time, the following silence will
remain unbroken by the sounding of Reveille. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Ghosts. Copyright © Tony ‘TeeCee’ Church (55A, Arborfield
A.A.S.) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For the ‘Whitehall Desk Warriors &
Number Crunchers’ we depart with a final |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 1st April
2016. |
|
|
_____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
Update:
September 15 2015. |
|
|
Article dated 13
September 2015. |
|
|
|
|
|
Methinks perhaps the Army should have protested too. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To read the full story: CLICK on
Western Daily Press above. |
|
|
Blow for Lyneham as Navy and RAF pull out of
military training centre plan By TristanCork | Posted: September 13, 2015 |
|
|
Defence chiefs have
announced that plans to create Britain's first tri-service military training centre at the former RAF Lyneham base in north Wiltshire
have been abandoned – because the Royal Navy and the RAF won’t go there. |
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th
September 2015. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arborfield Secondary School and Housing. |
|
|
|
|
|
Update: April 15 2015 |
|
|
Articles
dated 26 and 27 March 2015. |
|
|
|
|
|
‘Demob Day’ for the Arborfield Garrison edges ever closer with plans
receiving local council approval for’… |
|
|
|
|
|
and |
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred ‘Development
Manager’ confirmed by the ‘Defence
Infrastructure Organization’. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th April
2015. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arborfield Secondary School. |
|
|
|
|
|
Update:
March 15 2015 |
|
|
Article
dated 26 November 2014. |
|
|
|
|
|
News of the new secondary school to be located
on Rowcroft Barracks land. New School Details. |
|
|
|
|
|
For the benefit of our Senior Old Soldiers, if
your memory of what went where at Arborfield is a
trifle hazy, then the new school can be located on the following photos. Take note of the two existing buildings,
positioned top left, the Library and Gymnasium which will be retained. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The buildings are visible in the centre on the photo below. Copyright © Google Earth. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Left of centre, the
light vertical oblong is, or was, the parade ground. Adjacent on the right were the
accommodation spiders and the dark grey oblong further to the right was the
location of the education classrooms and the technical training workshops,
demolished long ago. There is some
compensation in the fact that the land where we underwent our training is
being recycled to train the youth of today. |
|
|
If you are really overcome by the mists of
time, then the photo below will explain all. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For more photographs to revive memories of our
Arborfield School |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th March
2015. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Update from R.E.M.E. re. Defence College of Technical Training. |
|
|
|
|
|
Update: March 1 2015 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notes as published via the Wiltshire Local
Government site. (pdf file.) |
|
|
|
|
|
Article
dated 26 November 2014. |
|
|
|
|
|
Report to the Royal Wooton
Basset worthies on the impending move in the ‘Swindon Advertiser’. |
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 1st March
2015. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Plans submitted for 1,500 home development
at Arborfield Garrison |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Update:
November 1 2014 |
|
|
|
|
|
Further revelations for
the redevelopment of the Arborfield Garrison have
been published and the link to Wokingham Council Planning Department is
available in the ‘Get Reading’ local paper……. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 1st
November 2014. ____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Former Arborfield
Garrison mess top site for new free School |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Update: January 15
2014. Those who availed themselves of the facilities
at ‘West Court Officers Mess’ at some period of their service career may be
interested in the future plans for the establishment. |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th
January 2014. ____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Developers told to go back to the drawing board over Arborfield
Garrison plans. |
|
|
Update: September 15
2013. Take one pace backwards and read the latest news on the
Arborfield Garrison Redevelopment plans.
It would appear it ‘ain’t over till the
overweight female breaks into song’. |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th
September 2013. _____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
Arborfield Garrison Redevelopment Planning Application. |
|
|
Update: June 15 2013. If you have a week or so to spare, you may like to read all the
‘nitty gritty’ of the Wokingham Borough Council Planning Department which is
handling the proposed redevelopment of the Arborfield Garrison, which
includes the home of our Army Apprentices School stamping ground. Access the entry page from the ‘Arborfield Plans’ link below. On the page that opens, select ‘A Parish’ as Arborfield. Set ‘Select a Type’ as Applications. In the ‘Application Number’ insert O/2013/0600 (First letter
is uppercase as in Oh!) Click on Search Then click on ‘See the plans and documents’ link and off you
go into a world of bureaucratic bumbledom beloved
by those who know what’s best for us. On the plus side are the maps and
photos which will remind us of the layout of the area before it disappears
under concrete. |
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th June
2013. ____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arborfield mini-town ‘rushed through’ December 17, 2012 Developers have been accused of ‘rushing through’ plans for a
mini-town at Arborfield Garrison after telling villagers they would submit a
planning application in March. The announcement at a community forum meeting on Wednesday,
November 28 provoked an angry reaction from members of Arborfield Garrison
Residents’ Action Group (AG-RAG) who labelled the developers ‘arrogant’ and
‘driven by greed’. Gill Purchase, group spokeswoman, said vital decisions about
the construction of a bypass would not be settled by that date. She said: “It proves once again the proposed mini-town is
being driven by developer’s greed with no concern over its long-term impact
on the environment or the views of residents who have to live with the
consequences. “It beggars belief what the development will be like with this
ramshackle approach – we can only imagine what legacy the hurried and
thoughtless destruction of hundreds of acres of green fields will have on
future generations.” Plans to build 3,500 houses, schools and a supermarket on
brownfield land at the garrison and on surrounding greenfield sites form one
of four Wokingham Borough Council Strategic Development Locations (SDL). Councillor Keith Baker, executive member for highways and
planning, said: “Nothing will be pushed through to satisfy a developers’
need. There is due process. Any developer can put any timetable they like but
if it does not fit in, if the work has not been done, if you still have
issues, it is irrelevant. “We will not bow to pressure if we do not believe the
application is suitable and if it does not address all the needs of schools,
sports centres, community centre and open spaces.” |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To catch up on ‘A Vision For Arborfield Garrison’ |
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A. 15th
January 2013. _____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Concerns
eased over Army influx Alex
Gore • Published 25 Nov 2011 EDUCATION chiefs have dismissed fears that the school system
will be unable to cope with an imminent influx of service families. The Chronicle can reveal that 24 families will be moved into
married quarters near Arborfield Garrison, with 19 due to arrive next month
and the remainder expected to follow in the New Year. The troops from 43 Squadron, Royal Logistics Corps, are
arriving as part of the British Army's withdrawal from Germany but there are
not enough married quarters at their new base at Abingdon's Dalton Barracks. However, the Ministry of Defence confirmed the move would not
affect the scheduled closure of Arborfield Garrison by 2015. Wokingham Borough
Council cannot confirm the number of children it will need to fit into its
already squeezed system but it is anticipated around 20 youngsters will
arrive next month. Council education leader Cllr Rob Stanton said: "It
will not put as much pressure on us as I might have feared when I was first
told about this. The good fortune is the children are all different ages and
are very well spread across the piece, which actually makes it do-able.
"We are not putting 20-odd children in one school." Married soldiers will travel daily by bus from Arborfield to
Dalton Barracks to work, while single servicemen and women are being housed
in Bicester. MoD spokesman Tony Moran said: "This distribution of
personnel makes the most sensible use of existing services accommodation in
the area." Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A 1st
December 2011 _____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
Garrison
closure confirmed by Fox
DEFENCE Secretary Liam
Fox confirmed this week that Arborfield garrison will close by 2015. The announcement followed The Chronicle's exclusive report in
April when Dr Fox revealed the decision in a letter to Wokingham MP John
Redwood, making way for a major new housing development on the land. The closure decision came less than a year after the Ministry
of Defence said it was reversing its 2007 plans to close the garrison.
Members of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and other troops
stationed there will now be switched to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire. Wokingham borough highways and planning leader Cllr Angus Ross
said: "The army has been part of Arborfield for almost a century and it
is an association we are proud of. However, the announcement comes at an
opportune time as we are preparing to consider the new masterplans in the
next few months. "It enables us to positively plan this development with
more certainty - not only providing more housing but also a secondary school
and primary schools for the south of the borough, along with other commercial
and community developments." The garrison was identified in the council's adopted core
strategy as part of one of four Strategic Development Locations (SDLs), along
with land South of the M4, North Wokingham and South Wokingham, which have
been earmarked for 10,000 new homes by 2026. But Borough Cllr Gary Cowan, who represents the Arborfield
ward, said: "I think it is a disappointment that the army are going
because they are such a part of the community. What is important is that the
development and infrastructure are put in place sensibly, so we do not end up
with a terrible shambles. We could have 11 years of development and I do not
want to see a building site. "We now know more than we did, but there is still a lot
of uncertainty surrounding this." A consultation on the SDL proposals will close on Wednesday
[27] and comments can be emailed to: spd@wokingham.gov.uk or posted to: Cris Lancaster, Masterplanner,
Wokingham Borough Council, Civic Offices, Shute End, Wokingham, Berkshire,
RG40 1WL. Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A 1st August
2011 |
|
|
__________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John
Redwood MP |
|
|
Residents and John Redwood
MP unconvinced by garrison pledge Published
April 20, 2011 |
|
|
|
|
|
Government reassurances that Arborfield Garrison will be
released for housing development in 2015 have failed to convince residents
and Wokingham’s MP. John Redwood described a letter from Dr Liam Fox, secretary of
state for defence, to the Wokingham MP as a step in the right direction, but
not a clear cut sign the Garrison will be released for a 3,500 home
mini-town. With developers gearing up to submit formal blueprints for the
new housing, Arborfield residents are concerned Wokingham Borough Council
will give permission to building before the Army has left. Around 1,500 homes in the mini-town are earmarked for land
outside the Garrison boundaries. Residents fear the Ministry of Defence (MoD) could perform a
U-turn and not release the Garrison when development has already started
outside the base. Martin Rutter, chairman of Arborfield Garrison Residents
Action Group (AG-RAG), explained this could mean the schools and new roads
needed for the housing would not be built. He said: “The letter doesn’t take us any further forward. “It’s not the definitive answer and we call on Wokingham
Borough Council not to issue any planning permission until the MoD has left
the site.” Mr. Redwood has been urging the Government to provide an
answer on if and when Arborfield Garrison will be vacated by the Army for
development. He received the letter from Dr Fox last week, which said the
Government plans to dispose of the Garrison by 2015, however does not rule
out a change in timetable. Mr. Redwood said: “I have been desperately trying to get
certainty out of these people. Now it is more certain, but still not
completely certain. “Liam Fox is still saying there is going to be a statement in
the summer.” Mr. Redwood has also been calling for clarity over where funds
for the new school at the Garrison will come from. The council plans to relocate The Emmbrook
School to the Garrison to cater for children in the south of the borough. Mr. Redwood had concerns the cash needed for the move,
estimated at £38 million, would not be available. In his letter, Dr Fox said: “I am told that the council
expects funding to be shared between the council and the [housing
developments] at Arborfield Garrison and south of the M4. “Whilst the exact appointment of the required funding has yet
to be agreed by all parties, the council is clearly expecting the MoD to
contribute to the new build capital costs via the Section 106 agreement.” Plans for Arborfield Garrison are part of a strategy for where
more than 12,500 homes will be built by 2026. The council’s proposals for developers to build on Arborfield
Garrison and three other sites around the borough have hit a stumbling block
after parish and town councils lodged a High Court legal challenge against
plans. The legal process has slowed down progress on the four
mini-towns, however residents cannot fight the principle of development in
the borough. Councillor Angus Ross, executive member for local and regional
planning, said: “We still need that final letter once the MoD has got its
recommendation and the secretary of state has finally determined the dates
for vacating the Garrison. “We have not received any planning applications yet. “The council has consistently said and it was agreed in the
Core Strategy we needed an infrastructure delivery plan for the whole of the
area so until we get that from the developers we can’t go forwards. “We need
the 3,500 homes and the investment from that to make the development
sustainable. “That is comfort to the council and local residents.” A further announcement from the MoD is expected in the summer. |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A 1st May
2011 _____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Army garrison to close by 2015
Published
17 Apr 2011 16:00
|
|
|
Defence minister Liam Fox says REME training base will close by
2015 |
|
|
ARBORFIELD Garrison will close by 2015 with some of its buildings and a
cash windfall from the Ministry of Defence being
used for a new school. The planned closure was confirmed yesterday in a letter to Wokingham MP
John Redwood from Defence Secretary Liam Fox, who
said the entire site will be sold as part of a shake up
of MoD training provision. The announcement comes six months after the MoD
said it was scrapping the Arborfield closure and
reversing its 2007 plans to move the Royal Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers training base to a new all-in-one establishment in Wales. Dr Fox said: "Arborfield Garrison is
programmed for release as a result of the Defence
Technical Training Change Programme (DTTCP)...It is
planned that the entire Garrison site will be made available for disposal by
2015. "In the interim, the Ministry of Defence
will continue its training operations to the point the site is vacated. Work
being undertaken by the DTTCP project team is ongoing and currently running
to programme. Therefore the Department sees no
reason why the proposed time scales should change." Dr Fox promises an official announcement in the summer but said
negotiations about the future of the site, earmarked for 3,500 homes by
Wokingham Borough Council, will continue. He said the MoD could contribute financially
to infrastructure projects and give 10.5 hectares, along with the education
block and gym, and an all-weather sports pitch for a badly needed secondary
school. The council can also expect a windfall when housing developers get
planning permission. Mr Redwood said last night: "It is still early days, they need to
clear up some uncertainties as far as possible for the garrison and
community. If they do as they say and make contributions to the community it
is good news. "The response was a bit firmer than I expected but it is still not
clear and I will keep pressing for more." Secretary of Arborfield Old Boys Association,
Fred Mills, 75, who started as an apprentice at the garrison in 1939, said:
"It really is such a terrible shame. It's been there for so many years
and I have a lot of memories there. To hear it's going to be gone by 2015 is
devastating." Another former apprentice, REME Museum volunteer Keith Evans, 81, from Arborfield Cross, added: "I'm very dismayed as it's
like a second home to me." Arborfield councillor Gary
Cowan, said the base is a logical place for new homes but said he is sceptical the MoD will move
out, having gone back on its plans once before. Wokingham Borough Council's director of strategy, Heather Thwaites,
said: "We are in the process of developing a master plan for the area.
As far as we are aware, the date is still yet to be confirmed, but when it
is, that will obviously be good news as the master plan can move
forward." |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A 1st May
2011 _____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Published
26 January 2011 |
|
|
|
|
© First printed in:
The Wokingham Times 26 January 2011
|
|
|
Contributed
by: James ROBINSON. 1st
February 2011. ____________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
The saga
rumbles on
but now there is meat on the bone. The detailed proposals have now been committed to print
for public consultation and views to be submitted. All is revealed from the
following link. Time is of the essence, Friday
January 14th 2011 is the closing date for submission, so make
your thoughts known via the Public
Consultation Board pdf. and the Online Feedback Form…… Proposed Arborfield Garrison
Redevelopment Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A 11th
December 2010 __________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Published:
Monday, 15th November, 2010 1:30pm Garrison despair for campaigners over MoD decision
by Adam
Hewitt
Flag raising at Arborfield Garrison THE Ministry of Defence has confirmed it is to close the
Arborfield army base but campaigners are accusing councillors of “jumping the
gun” by pressing ahead with plans to replace it with a mini-town. Arborfield Garrison Residents’ Action Group (Ag-Rag)
claimed the housing scheme was “dead in the water” last month after the
Government cancelled a multi-million pound defence training base in South Wales,
where the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) was expected to
move. But even without public confirmation on REME’s new home,
the MoD has told Wokingham Borough Council the base will close by 2015. Mark Cupit, WBC’s head of
development management, told the Chronicle this week: “We have received
written assurance from the Deputy Chief Executive of Defence Estates that the
whole site will be vacated by 2015 and that the MoD in conjunction with
adjoining landowners has already instructed the preparation of an outline
planning application for submission to WBC in early 2011.” Ag-Rag chairman Martin Rutter said: “We’re angry, there was a
unanimous decision that it should be deferred. Where on Earth are the MoD going to move those people, and where are they
getting the money from? WBC are jumping the gun. “The Secretary of State has said it will be Spring 2011 before he
decides. WBC now seem to be accepting the word of the MoD
that the base will close in 2015 despite more than 20 years of broken promises
from them.” Cllr Angus Ross, executive member for planning, said the masterplan
for the Garrison redevelopment into a mini-town of 3,500 homes with new
roads, schools and facilities would be voted on by the executive on January
27 next year. He said: “We welcome the MoD’s news and the
continued commitment of the other landowners as it secures the last of the
major sites for our development plans to 2026, already adopted by the
council. It enables more specific planning to be carried out not only for the
housing, but also a secondary school for the south of the borough and many
other commercial and community developments.” Despite the Government scrapping of regional housing targets, WBC is
pressing ahead with plans for four mini-towns around the borough by 2026,
including another equally controversial proposal south of the M4 between Shinfield and Spencers Wood. Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A __________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
£14bn defence
college plan scrapped Tuesday, October
19, 2010 Plans for a £14bn Defence Training College in St Athan in Wales have been scrapped, the Defence Secretary has confirmed. In a statement published ahead of the Strategic Defence and Security Review, Liam Fox said that the Defence Training Rationalisation project (DTR), which was to provide technical and engineering training for all three forces on one site, had been terminated. The MoD is now looking at other ways to deliver training, and still favours the St Athan site. In a written ministerial statement to Parliament today, Fox said that the industrial consortium chosen as preferred bidder for the project could not provide an "affordable, commercially robust" solution for the Ministry of Defence's requirements. "The Metrix Consortium was appointed as preferred bidder in January 2007 subject to it developing an affordable and value for money contract proposal," said Fox. "Given the significance of this project and the opportunity to provide a world-class training facility, the Ministry of Defence has worked tirelessly to deliver this project. "However, it is now clear that Metrix cannot deliver an affordable, commercially-robust proposal within the prescribed period and it has therefore been necessary to terminate the DTR procurement and Metrix's appointment as preferred bidder." Fox said that the MoD was committed to developing technical and engineering training, and that St Athan was the most likely site for this. "Technical training, collocated on as few sites as possible, remains in our view the best solution for our Armed Forces," he said. 'Equally, St Athan was previously chosen as the best location on which to collocate that training for good reasons, and we still hope to base our future defence training solution there. "We will however now carry out some work before finalising the best way ahead; including to confirm both our training and estates requirement, and the best way to structure the solution that will meet them. "To ensure momentum is not lost, work on the alternative options will begin as soon as possible and we hope to be able to announce our future plans in the spring." Since the appointment of Metrix as preferred bidder in 2007, Qinetiq, the joint lead company in the consortium with Sodexo, says it has incurred costs of £37m. Chief executive Leo Quinn, said: "We are disappointed by today's news, but believe that the principles behind the programme remain unchanged. We look forward to discussing alternative solutions with the MoD for providing consistent high quality training across the Forces in a way which delivers value for money within the current budgetary constraints." |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A _____________________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Arborfield
Garrison's future is homes despite REME staying By Victoria Corbett
October 19, 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
The Ministry of Defence has scrapped plans to vacate Arborfield Garrison for now, but celebrations from anti-development campaigners could be short-lived. The Garrison is earmarked to take 3,500 homes by 2026, as well as be a new home for The Emmbrook School in Emmbrook Road, which suffers from frequent flooding. However, defence secretary Dr Liam Fox announced today plans for a new £14 billion defence academy at St Athan in Wales have been scrapped. Although campaigners initially hoped this would mean the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) Corp will stay in Arborfield, getwokingham has learned the MOD still plans to dispose of the site for housing. Wokingham Borough Council had been told in the past the Garrison would be vacated by around 2015 for development. Housing target decision delay The plans to build on and around the Garrison have sparked anger among local residents, who formed the Arborfield Garrison Residents' Action Group (AG-RAG). The group had accepted development on the site in principle, however was concerned about the loss of green space. A statement from the Ministry of Defence said: “Training will continue to be delivered at current training locations as it would have done under the original PFI (Private Finance Initiative) proposal. “These sites are: Arborfield, Blandford, Bordon, Cosford, Cranwell, Digby, Fareham (Collingwood), Gosport (Sultan) and St Athan.” |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A ___________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Published: Tuesday, 19th October, 2010 2:30pm Government scraps Arborfield Garrison move by Adam Hewitt
THE MINISTRY of Defence today scrapped the closure of Arborfield Garrison and said training will stay at the base. Training was due to be centralised in St Athan in South Wales as part of a multi-billion pound move, which would have seen the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) vacate the Arborfield base. The Metrix Consortium was appointed as preferred bidder, but in a written ministerial statement to Parliament today, defence secretary Liam Fox said: "It is now clear that Metrix cannot deliver an affordable, commercially-robust proposal within the prescribed period and it has therefore been necessary to terminate the Defence Training Review procurement and Metrix's appointment as preferred bidder. "Technical training, collocated on as few sites as possible, remains in our view the best solution for our Armed Forces. Equally, St Athan was previously chosen as the best location on which to collocate that training for good reasons, and we still hope to base our future defence training solution there. "We will however now carry out some work before finalising the best way ahead; including to confirm both our training and estates requirement, and the best way to structure the solution that will meet them. "To ensure momentum is not lost, work on the alternative options will begin as soon as possible and we hope to be able to announce our future plans in the spring." The MoD said: "Training will continue to be delivered at current training locations as it would have done under the original PFI (Private Finance Initiative) proposal. These sites are: Arborfield, Blandford, Bordon, Cosford, Cranwell, Digby, Fareham (Collingwood), Gosport (Sultan) and St Athan." The Garrison and surrounding land is earmarked in Wokingham Borough Council's core strategy as a strategic development location suitable for 3,500 homes. Community group Arborfield Garrison Residents' Action Group has been fighting the plans where it involved development on green fields outside the base itself. |
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A ___________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MP calling for two new housing targets
Uncertainty
surrounds the future of Wokingham’s blueprint for future development after it
was revealed there is still a question mark over Arborfield
Garrison being released for housing. Meanwhile,
Wokingham MP John Redwood urged Wokingham Borough Council to create two
housing targets following the Government’s decision to give local authorities
the power to set targets. Mr. Redwood
told The Wokingham Times he did not want to put a figure on what the
borough’s homes target should be, although he does believe they must be
reduced. However, he
added: “We should have two different figures, one on the assumption that the
garrison is going to be available and one on the assumption it is not. “The big site
for the houses is the garrison site so we should cover that point if it is
not available.” Several
residents’ questions due to be asked of Wokingham Borough Council’s executive
committee regarding housing numbers were deferred at a meeting last Thursday
as the authority plans to go back to the drawing board with its Core
Strategy. There was good
and bad news for Arborfield residents, who have
been campaigning for the 3,500 homes planned for Arborfield
Garrison to be built “behind the wire”, or within the existing base’s
boundaries. Councilor
Angus Ross, executive member for local and regional planning, said this would
not be possible, however added the Ministry of Defence’s
departure from Arborfield Garrison and its release
for housing was no longer a certainty. He said at
last week’s meeting at Shute End: “We have written to the secretary of state
asking for clarification. “We understand
that a decision on the Defence Training Review,
which includes the move of the current units at the garrison, will be made in
the autumn. “Therefore as
of today we are not sure when or if this site will be available. “It should be
noted that for this site to be sustainable as per the Core Strategy it must
bring forward the whole of the strategic development location area, be fore 3,500 dwellings and also include land both within
and outside the ‘wire’, the garrison boundary.” Under the Core
Strategy, 12,500 homes would need to be built by 2026 under targets set by
the last Government. The council has proposed building the bulk of these in
four locations, including the garrison, north of Wokingham town, south of
Wokingham and south of the M4. Local people
have long fought for the housing numbers to be reduced, writing in their thousands
of protest the targets when a regional consultation was held several years
ago. Mr Redwood said
after the meeting: “I’m pleased the council is going to review the housing
numbers. I have warned the council consistently the future of Arborfield Garrison is by no means guaranteed.” Mr Redwood said
there are three options the Government may take with the carrison.
One is the planned move of the REME troops to Wales does go ahead and the
site becomes available. Alternatively the defence
review may decide to keep the base for REME or move REME out but retain the
site for another area of the armed forces. At last week’s
meeting, Andy Simpson, from Joel Park Residents’ Association, asked Cllr
David Lee, leader of the council, what housing numbers he believed
appropriate for Wokingham as the council had frequently pointed out the
targets were forced upon the borough. He said: “We
have in the past argued against housing numbers that were in the South East
Plan. I do not recall I commented that [the housing numbers] were too high or
too low or just right. “I can’t tell
you what this figure should be because we will have to sit down and consider
it rationally.” When the South
East Plan was being finalised in 2006, then-council
leader Cllr Frank Browne argued for a housing target of 310 homes a year from
2005 to 2026. There was also
mention of the target 450 homes a year being more acceptable than the 623
homes a year for 20 years that was eventually approved. Cllr Lee
pointed out at the meeting the borough had seen nearly 800 homes built each
year for the last 33 years. Cllr Ross also
said the Core Strategy would enable the council to end infill development
that had blighted the borough. He said: “To
put housing numbers into context, those built in back gardens over the last
10 years have contributed very little, if anything, to highways investment
because the site size never triggered the figure where by
they had to, nor did they make any meaningful contribution to our affordable
housing. “Our Core
Strategy, combined with recent changes [to rules on minimum densities for
house building and reclassification of back gardens from brownfield] has
stopped this and all development will now make fair and adequate
contributions to infrastructure.” Residents at
the meeting were told the council would be considering the criteria for
housing numbers and the process needed to follow to adopt them. Changing the
housing numbers will affect other areas of the Core Strategy, such as
infrastructure and how this will be funded. © The Wokingham Times - S&B media
2010 © First printed in: The
Wokingham Times 2nd July 2010
Contributed by: Trevor Stubberfield
(52A)
___________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
Sunday Express Dated 23 August 2009. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
http:www.getwokingham.co.uk
Powered by The Wokingham Times
11/07/2009
|
|
|
|
|
|
News Clash over Garrison homes' plans By Alice Murphy Debate continues to rage over how many
homes should be built at Arborfield Garrison in the
next 20 years. Wokingham Borough Council has earmarked
the site for 3,500 homes as part of its core strategy, which sets out where
13,500 new homes will be built in Wokingham. The ruling Conservatives have backed the
figure, however Wokingham Liberal Democrats have argued following an
executive committee meeting last Thursday the number should be increased to
5,000 homes. The issue was raised after Councillor Mike Gore, Tory member for Arborfield,
quizzed the executive about plans for the Garrison during the meeting. Cllr Gore said: “The core strategy has
plans to build 3,500 houses in my area and when I attended the examination in
public, the developers were pressing for more houses. Can you comment on
this?” Cllr Gary Cowan, executive member for
planning, transport and the environment, said building more than 3,500 homes
would make the housing “squashed together with no gardens and no car parking
spaces and it’s likely to cause problems”. He added: “We will fight tooth and nail
to stop such extremes.” The core strategy proposes four major
development sites, with two in Wokingham town, one to the south of the M4
near Three Mile Cross, and the other at Arborfield
Garrison. The Lib Dems argue if the extra 1,500
homes they would earmark for Arborfield were
divided between the three other planned sites, the infrastructure would
suffer. They say the houses in Arborfield would encourage a sense of community. Lib Dem leader Cllr Prue Bray said:
“Under the Tory plan, they’re having to cram 1,500 extra houses into
Wokingham town instead of Arborfield, which will
put huge pressure on our already congested roads, and all the other
services.” A Government inspector’s final decision
on the core strategy is expected in the autumn. © First printed in: The
Wokingham Times 6th July 2009
Contributed by: Trevor Stubberfield
(52A)
____________________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
Local News in Reading
Garrison camp to close
Arborfield Garrison is to close following a decision to relocate its training facilities to South Wales, it has been announced. The camp is set to lose hundreds of soldiers and civilian defence staff when the School of Electronic and Aeronautical Engineering and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Arms School moves to RAF St Athan in a shake-up of training. It will mark the end of more than 100 years of military presence on the site. Arborfield councillor Gary Cowan said: “From the village perspective it’s a bombshell. “Although expected, it was not expected to be quite so hard and quite so abrupt. “Arborfield has had a very close link between the civilian and Army population – a lot of people come to the garrison, serve their time, come out and remain in the village and quite a few are working on the garrison. “They will have to move to South Wales and leave family and friends they have established in the community. “The other concern is the impact on the local businesses – to lose its support in the pubs, shops and schools would be quite a lot.” The Evening Post exclusively revealed almost three years ago to the day that Arborfield Garrison could be beating a retreat by 2008 if plans for its closure were rubber-stamped. The Army Technical Foundation College was the first casualty when it closed in 2005. The Defence Food Services School, formerly called the Aldershot-based Army School of Catering, is due to move into the unused buildings under the Phase 2 part of the Defence Training Review (DTR). Defence Secretary Des Browne announced Arborfield’s shift to South Wales on Wednesday this week as part of a phase one DTR announcement, revealing Metrix Consortium had won a £14 billion contract to provide training for the MoD. This initial phase over five years from 2008 would concentrate training at two major sites – RAF St Athan near Cardiff and HMS Sultan in Gosport. If chosen to carry out the second phase, Metrix will provide training for 4,500 people currently spread across 18 sites in the UK at St Athan and smaller facilities at Leconfield and Wethersfield. The 1,500 students attending Arborfield every year will now learn from St Athan, with 300 military staff, 111 civilian workers and 420 contractors forced to choose whether to relocate or change jobs. But Defence spokeswoman Susan Coulthard said: “Nobody is going anywhere at least until 2011 – it’s a new build which is going to take some considerable time. “We don’t just say, ‘You’re going’ and they go, there’s a lot of preparation work to be done with relocation, families and schools. “Part of the package is caring for our people so ensuring the transfer is seamless.” She added training for ground crew for the Apache helicopter would remain in Arborfield. Of phase two, Miss Coulthard added: “Arborfield may be affected – some training establishments could move to Arborfield.” But Cllr Cowan said his other concern was the fate of the site by this second phase. “The other problem in terms of housing is the MoD has put the land forward for mixed use (business and housing) of 2,000-3,000 houses on a 171-hectare site so they’ve worded it very vaguely,” he said. “The problem is the MoD has decided they will retain the garrison and no decision has yet been taken on its future. “It will close by 2011 to 2013 but they haven’t said, ‘We’ll release it’, so it puts us in limbo on when they will let us have it. “Until we have a commitment from them to release the land, it’s difficult to plan any development.” But he added: “The MoD did say they would make another announcement in the summer so they may decide by then.” First printed in: Reading Evening Post 19th
January 2007
Contributed by: Trevor Stubberfield
(52A)
___________________________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
_________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
ARBORFIELD Garrison might not be closing its doors and will
“almost definitely” become an army catering college, The Wokingham Times can
exclusively reveal.
_________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
Arborfield Garrison, which is due to close in 2008, has
played a large part in the local community for the past century. Here TIM
HOBDEN takes a brief look back over its long and proud history. FROM
the time it was established to train horses for the cavalry to the present
engineers corps, there has been a military presence in Arborfield for 100
years. At the moment, hundreds of soldiers live
on the site, which is home to the Royal (Electrical)
and Mechanical Engineers (REME) and the Army Technical Foundation (College). |
|
|
The base started life in 1904 as one of the army’s main
training centers for cavalry and gun-carriage
horses. Hazel Crozier,
from the REME museum, has traced the history of the garrison and the
influence it has had on the area since the rolling fields of Barkham were replaced with a mini-military town. For the first 10
years the army had little impact on the day-to-day life in Wokingham, but by
1914 the garrison sprawled to more than 100 acres of land. During the First
World War 1,000 horses from It
was a welcome boost primarily for local blacksmiths and heralded the start of
a new relationship between local people and the base. Until it closed in 1937, the depot was
home to 500 horses at any one time and, with 150 people working there, it was
the area’s biggest employer. In 1942 the land was taken over by army engineers
and even boasted uniformed luminaries such as Arthur Lowe – Captain in Dad’s Army – who served with the
engineers during the Second World War. Garrisonites had
already picked up a reputation for providing great entertainment in the area. A group of soldiers known as the Zepps, dressed up as Zeppelin airships and performed for
local villagers in the church hall. The Army Technical College opened in May
1939 for engineering apprentices and could train 1,000 people. It’s now the
Army Training (sic) Foundation
College. Towards the end of the Second World War
the garrison was used as a medical centre and for accommodation for troops
before the Normandy Landings. After the conflict REME remained stationed
at the barracks, building up a relationship with local people. In October 1978, the corps was granted the
status of honorary townspeople of Wokingham after a 36-year association. Until 1989 REME paraded through the town
each year to celebrate the honour, although this was stopped due to cutbacks
with such parades reserved for special occasions. Ms Crozier said: “The corps retains its
warm relationship with the people of Wokingham as shown by its 60th
anniversary march past in 2002.” Community leaders will be keeping a close eye
on developments at the garrison in the hope that this military heartland is
not buried beneath housing estates. __________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
Monday 12th
January 2004 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A ___________________________________________________________________________________ First
Published: 15th January 2004. Layout
revised: 21st October 2010. . ___________________________________________________________________________________ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
