PLANS to turn a Shinfield beauty spot into a quarry and cement works have been rejected by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning officers.
The proposal would have seen Bridge Farm converted into a site of approximately 190 hectares for the proposed extraction and processing of approximately 3.6 million tonnes of sand and gravel.
However, there has been a large body of complaints from protesters concerned about noise, pollution, lorries and air quality had the scheme gone ahead.
Hundreds of complaints and concerns submitted to Wokingham Borough Councils planning department, which has been considering the application.
The officers in the planning team are independent of the councillors and make their own deliberations.
This evening, councillors at Wokingham Borough Council confirmed that the project has been rejected by officers in its planning department. The decision will be released after the bank holiday weekend.
As a result, the application will not now be considered at the planning meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 11.
Speaking to The Wokingham Paper, council leader Cllr John Halsall said: “I’m delighted and very pleased that the officers have refused the application.
“Our officers are all professional people. No doubt they have good grounds for their decision which will be published on Tuesday.”
More follows.