Tanners Farm, Wokingham
Following refusal of a proposed change of use planning application for the conversion of agricultural buildings to light industrial use at Tanners Farm, Nutter’s Lane, Wokingham, Evoke were approached to assist with the Appeal.
The site was originally refused partly on grounds of its’ unsustainable nature and ‘poor sustainable transport options’. We produced a Transport and Sustainability Statement which focused on providing electric vehicle charging points and cycle parking in addition to setting up a car sharing database for staff and provision of bike pump, cycle repair kits and other cycle maintenance tools in order to facilitate and encourage cycling, electric vehicle use and car sharing to and from the site.
The key argument focused on the NPPF’s definition of ‘Sustainable Transport Modes’, which includes walking and cycling, low and ultra low emission vehicles, car sharing and public transport.
The Appeal was allowed with planning permission granted in October 2020. The Appeal Decision Notice states that "it is not apparent that the intensity of the proposal would give rise to activity that might have unacceptable impact on local roads compared to the existing situation. Furthermore, exploiting any opportunities to make a location more sustainable can be an ongoing process that is possible to address by planning condition, securing a travel plan or similar document".