Wokingham Borough Council are reviewing development sites in the Borough and have suggested that the land at Rooks Farm, on Barkham Ride, would be a suitable area to develop 270 houses.

The proposal would see over 100 acres of farmland and sensitive natural habitat given over for development, losing a critical local resource forever.

The site is adjacent to a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and would remove a key habitat for Longmoor Bog.

Local services are unable to cope with the current housing numbers and a housing estate on Rooks Nest Farm would add more traffic congestion on the roads, strain on local schools and increased waiting times at the surgery.

A major development here will also remove the separation between Finchampstead, Barkham and Arborfield Green losing the identity of each of these villages.

We urge Wokingham Borough Council to take this site off the list for development in the local plan and to replace it with more suitable options.