Riseley 44 Homes Refused; Priors Farm 850 Homes Deferred

Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee has refused outline plans for up to 44 homes on farmland north of Sun Lane in Riseley. Officers had recommended approval. Riseley is about six miles south-west of Wokingham, on the Hampshire border.

The same meeting, on 14 October, did not reach the biggest item on its agenda: up to 850 homes at Priors Farm, south of Wokingham. It was deferred to a future meeting.

Both outcomes are in the committee’s minutes, published this week (Wokingham Borough Council, Planning Committee minutes, 14 October 2026).

Riseley: why councillors said no

The application, 260774, was by the Wellington Estate and 3West Group. It sought outline permission for up to 44 homes, 40% of them affordable. That is up to 18 affordable homes. The access onto Basingstoke Road falls inside Hart district (officer report, application 260774).

Officers accepted the site was outside Riseley’s settlement limits and in the countryside. But they gave heavy weight to national policy, because the council cannot show enough land for new housing. They called it “a logical and contained extension to Riseley” and recommended approval.

The committee disagreed. Its resolution refused the scheme because of:

• “the unsustainable location of the site, having limited access to services, facilities and sustainable transport”
• a conflict with the council’s spatial strategy that “substantially” outweighed the benefits

During the debate, councillors raised:

• how far it is to schools, shops, doctors and supermarkets
• the limited bus service, and new residents relying on cars
• a school bus to Oakbank that arrives about 20 minutes before the school opens
• no play area on the site
• the scale of the scheme against the size of the village

The council’s highways officer told the meeting the site “was not sustainably located” and most residents would rely on cars. But the officer said the traffic, about 25 two-way vehicle movements in the morning peak hour, would not have a severe impact on the roads. The council’s landscape officer had objected to the scheme.

Who spoke

Swallowfield Parish Council spoke against it. It said Riseley had already absorbed a lot of development. It said the village has no school or dentist, the GP surgery is oversubscribed, and the hourly bus is funded only to 2027.

Ward councillor Dave Edmonds also objected. He cited harm to the setting of two Grade II listed buildings, Pound House and Cold Harbour Cottage, surface-water drainage, and an active buzzard nest in the boundary trees. The council’s heritage officer had not objected, though officers identified “limited harm” to the setting of the listed buildings.

The applicant said the site had two bus stops directly outside, both highway authorities found it acceptable, and 44 was a maximum figure.

The officer report records 75 representations from neighbours: 74 objections and one in support. An earlier application for up to 20 homes on the site was refused in 1997.

Priors Farm: no decision yet

Priors Farm, application 241933, is the plan by Lightwood Strategic for up to 850 homes west of Old Wokingham Road and either side of Easthampstead Road. Officers recommend approval. We set out what it includes, and who objected, before the meeting: Priors Farm 850 homes: what is proposed.

The meeting was extended to 11pm. The minutes say: “Due to time constraints it was resolved that this item be deferred to a future meeting to enable a full discussion of the application.”

The next planning committee is on Wednesday 11 November, then Wednesday 9 December (Planning Committee meetings). The agenda for 11 November had not been published on 31 October, so it is not yet known whether Priors Farm is on it.

The rest of the meeting

What it means for you

• If you live in Riseley, the Sun Lane scheme is refused for now. The applicant can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Nothing on the council’s record shows an appeal yet.
• If you live near Priors Farm, there is still time to follow the decision. Check the committee page for the 11 November agenda, usually published about a week before.
• Our planning news page covers decisions across the borough.