News

Councillors have promised not to build more park and rides on floodplain land
advertisement

Council bosses vow never to build park and ride on floodplain again

By Jon Nurse
February 08, 2013

Council bosses vowed never to build a park and ride on floodplain again as they approved the latest transport strategy for consultation.

Proposed park and ride schemes from Winnersh Triangle, Wokingham town centre, Mereoak, Coppid Beech and Broken Brow near Thames Valley Park will be put to the public as the borough council attempts to reduce the number of cars on the roads.

Flood-prone Loddon Bridge park and ride could be replaced by micro-schemes

At its meeting last Thursday, the council’s executive also guaranteed another year of the flood-prone Loddon Bridge park and ride before it is likely to be replaced by a similar scheme near Winnersh Triangle station.

Councillor Keith Baker, executive member for highways and planning, said: “Loddon Bridge is a classic example where in hindsight we should have never put it there.

Council to pay for cars damaged in floods

“We will be moving it, which is quite exciting as we are then talking about a transport hub with cars, buses and Winnersh Triangle train station.”

He assured the committee it will be policy not to build a park and ride on floodplain again.

Park and ride closure costs taxpayer £15k

“We need to look at things like flooding and put a stick in the ground,” Cllr Baker added. “I believe we shouldn’t run anything at a loss. There may be a scenario we think the social value is fine, but that’s a decision to be made at the time.”

The Loddon Bridge park and ride, which will stay open until February 2014, has run for more than 15 years but has frequently been shut in recent years because of flooding.

From April 1, 2012 to January 19 this year the park and ride was closed for 30 days due to flood alerts. It was also closed every day last week because of rising river levels.

Cllr Baker said it would be financial suicide to close the service before a new Winnersh scheme was ready, which he hopes will secure planning approval in June and open next year.

The committee unanimously approved forwarding a park and ride strategy for consultation and set officers to work.

But Cllr Anthony Pollock questioned the financial implications of new park and rides. He said: “This is the major thrust to provide facilities to make it easier for people not to drive but use public transport.

“There will be things we aspire to but when we do the detailed work it may not cost in. We will have to balance the value of providing these against the return.”

The strategy focuses on linking park and rides to new developments across the borough and could launch micro schemes from the town centre.

| Submit Comments | View Comments (8)

« Previous Story | Next Story »

Most recent user comments 8 of 8

Bingley sorry you are changing historical facts. If I recall correctly the council turned it down but it was won on appeal.

Where they beat us all was that the Environmental Agency who "own" the master plan on floodplains did not have this as an area which regularly flooded. Despite all our local knowledge the decision hinged on this floodplain map.

There was absolutely no horsetrading on the park and ride. THat would be illegal based on planning law.

Cllr Keith Baker
14/02/2013 at 16:57

Why is it Councillor Baker always sees the world different to others. Everyone in Woodley would have TS you that piece of land flooded regularly. That is why it wasn't built on previously. That is why the developer who pulled a fast one on the council by offering to build a park and ride free for them to get a consent for a cinema, then built the cinema 2 m higher than the surrounding ground. And the Council made the situation worse by allowing run off from lower Earley direct into the river without any balancing. Yet again Councillor you don't seem very briefed.

Bingley, Woodley
11/02/2013 at 23:28

I agree in part with PoneRana that having Park and Ride at Showcase hasn't all been bad. The past year has been an exceptional year of bad weather and being closed for 30 days has been the exception rather than the rule over the 15 odd years it has been going. I don't think flood gates would be cost effective though and would just pass the risk of flooding onto someone else.

I think Cllr Keith Baker is wrong to suggest the current site was a mistake though. If you asked the question 10 years ago, it wouldn't have been a mistake and if you asked 3 years ago, it also wouldn't have been a mistake. With the changing weather patterns and current information, I doubt it would be chosen as a site today, but based on the information available 15 years ago, it was a good site and has been successful.

I am still not sure of the benefit of a Coppid Beach P&R - it seems to far out. The best thing would be to get the capacity at Winnersh and Thames Valley Park. I am sure most people want to get as close as they can to where they are going. Mereoak seems to be in a good location to pick up people using the A33.

A note to Cllr Anthony Pollock - if a Park and Ride scheme is well designed and promoted, it should easily at least break even. Loddon Bridge loses money due to the number of days it is closed, which shouldn't happen with new sites. As long as the blue bin bag and Wokingham town regeneration people don't get involved in the planning, it could just work!!

Smiffy, Reading
11/02/2013 at 13:40

Harry. You are wrong. The Winnersh park and ride has only been closed for twenty days in the last year. Last year was particularly bad and some years it hasn't closed at all.

PoneRana, Wokingham
09/02/2013 at 12:36

PoneRana: The Winnersh park and ride floods so often they hang out the bunting on days it's open. About three times a year

Genial Harry Grout, Fleet
08/02/2013 at 15:42

We should welcome any plan that replaces special nearly empty buses by an improvement to local transport. If the new park and ride is sited so that it is served by a relatively fast train service into Reading there would be no need for the buses at all.

Stopping the GW trains at Winersh Triangle will provide the same 15 minute service. The alternative 190 bus service also runs every 20 minutes. It surprises me how many people who live on the 190 route use the park and ride. Perhaps there needs to be an examination of the fares involved and ways of speeding up the 190.

PoneRana, Wokingham
08/02/2013 at 13:37

Implement a 'Park and swim' strategy.

graywok, Woosehill
08/02/2013 at 11:59

Surely this is very wrong thinking. Putting a carpark on land that occasionally floods is ideal use of land that has very little use. It is preferable to using land that has other uses.

All the Loddon Bridge park needed was a set of gates that could be closed whenever a flood alert or relevant weather warning was issued.

The worst effect of this would have been a few days a year when the park was not available.