HOME MARKS 35TH ANNIVERSARY

WOKINGHAM.TODAY Thursday, July 8, 2021 Council takes action over ‘late night’ building work

EXCLUSIVE

By CHARLOTTE KING cking@wokingham.today

ACTION is being taken against a developer in Spencers Wood following a suspected breach of planning conditions.

Wokingham Borough Council is taking enforcement action against Taylor Wimpey after its team allegedly worked outside of its contracted hours on Basingstoke Road.

The housebuilder is currently building the new, 55-home Stanbury View estate.

The council decided to launch action following a complaint from Gillie York who lives in Lieutenants Cottage, a Grade II Listed property next to the build site.

She alleged Taylor Wimpey has been carrying out work early in the morning and late at night and said the levels of disruption have made her consider selling her home.

“There are deliveries after hours, they’re working outside of hours,” Ms York said.

“There are times where I think I’ll just sell the house because it breaks my spirit, but I love my neighbours and I love the community here.

“I could shut the door and go and say I can’t do it anymore, but I shouldn’t have to do that.”

In February, Wokingham.Today reported on Ms York’s worries that vibrations from the building work allegedly caused “illegal damage” to the walls of her house.

Wokingham Borough Council announced it will take action against Taylor Wimpey on Thursday, July 1 to ensure its team works within the agreed hours.

Cllr Wayne Smith, executive member for planning and enforcement, said the restrictions are in place to protect nearby residents.

“We are taking enforcement action as we believe that the developer breached this condition on a couple of occasions and that this unacceptably affected our residents,” he said.

“A Breach of Condition Notice is being issued and will require the developer to observe permitted hours of work because they failed to heed our verbal and written warnings and the impact on our residents continues.

This notice can then be quickly enforced if any future breaches are witnessed, thus giving the council the power to prosecute for a failure to comply in court along with any financial penalty the courts might wish to impose at that time.”

Cllr Smith said planning enforcement is a “key tool” when protecting Wokingham borough’s towns, villages, countryside and open spaces. It tackles unauthorised building work.

“This year we put more resources into fighting the battle and it’s paying off,” he added. “Each year around 700 suspected planning breaches are reported to us and investigated by a team of officers.”

A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey said the housebuilder is sorry for any disruption.

“We apologise to local residents for any inconvenience caused by our construction operations on Wednesday, June 30, due to a delivery issue from our concrete supplier,” they said.

“We recognise that we have a responsibility to keep within our permitted working hours and this is something we take very seriously.

“We would like to assure residents that we have reminded all of our subcontractors of the permitted working hours and we will continue to do all we can to keep any disruption to the local community to a minimum.”

As of Tuesday, July 6, the housing developer had not received formal notification of enforcement action.

AFTER HOURS

DELIVERIES: Gillie York says her Spencers Wood house has suffered cracks since building work has started next door Picture: Steve Smyth

Care home celebrates 35th anniversary

AWOKINGHAM care home is celebrating 35 years of supporting the borough’s community.

Oakfield Court, which opened its doors on Barkham Road in July 1986, was the first supported living scheme for residents with learning disabilities in the UK.

From its inception, part of its ethos has been helping Wokingham tenants to thrive — and many people who moved in 35 years ago are still living there today.

Vanessa Smith, operational lead at Oakfield Court, said when the home first opened, nobody believed people with learning disabilities could live independently.

“But Oakfield Court and its residents have continued to prove people wrong,” she said. “We’ve always focused on safety and giving people a safe environment to live in enables them to thrive.”

The care home encourages people to take responsibility for their own lives, including health, friendship and finances. It also offers tailored support for residents

“We work to instil confidence, so that people can do this,” Ms Smith added. “Some people just need a little [reassurance].”

One resident, Chris, said the supported living scheme has helped him grow as an individual.

“I wanted my independence before I moved to Oakfield Court in the 80s,” he said. “It’s great here.

“Vanessa is fantastic. She helped me sort my benefits, helps me with paperwork and gives me the support to lead my own life how I want to.”

Jackie and Steve, who also live on site and recently celebrated their wedding anniversary, said staff have also given them valuable support over the years.

They moved in on their wedding day.

“We were excited, but it was a bit scary for both of us,” Jackie said. “The staff listen to us and you can do what you want.

“They don’t tell you you have to do this or that, and encourage us to make decisions for ourselves.”

Ms Smith said although the home’s model is 35-years-old, the residents’ testaments prove it works “perfectly”.

“The stability and longevity of people’s lives here speaks for itself,” she said. “There is no doubt that this community will be here for many more years to come.”

HAPPY AT HOME:

Jackie and Steve are helping Oakfield Court celebrate its 35th anniversary