See answers to previous information requests

In a previous FOI response WBCIR:20781 it advised that Church Lane Arborfield was blocked to traffic following “a petition by local residents”. Can you please provide more detail about the petition, such as:-

1. What do you mean by ‘local residents’? What defined a ‘local resident’ in this case? Were the solely people who lived on Church Lane Arborfield or was it a wider population?
Local residents, refers specifically to individuals living within the immediate vicinity of the area under consideration, rather than to a wider population group. For the purposes of this matter, it primarily related to those households directly affected by, or most closely connected to, Church Lane. This would generally include residents living on Church Lane itself, along with nearby adjoining roads where relevant.
It should be noted that “local residents” was used as a descriptive term rather than as a formally prescribed category with fixed boundaries.

2. How may people signed it and what percentage of the ‘local residents’ did that constitute?
46 signatures were received attached with petition. As per question 1, local residents was used a descriptive term rather than as a formally prescribed category.

3. Did WBC have a threshold for the percentage of people who signed this petition before action was taken?
The thresholds for considering petitions are as follows:
• 10 signatories for matters relating to one ward
• 50 signatories for matters relating to more than one ward
• 1500 signatories will trigger a debate at the next available full Council meeting.

4. Is the petition publicly available, if so can you please provide one?
A copy of the petition front sheet is attached. Personal details cannot be shared.

5. How long after receipt of the petition did WBC visit Church Lane Arborfield to do the monitoring you mentioned?
The petition was received in November 2024. Monitoring had already been undertaken earlier, in July 2024, following requests from residents. The subsequent petition provided additional support for the concerns already raised.

6. How long until the following steps until closure? One assumes there was some kind of process to go through so setting that out with a timeline would be useful.
After receipt of the petition, further assessment and ongoing consultation with residents were undertaken to review the findings and consider appropriate measures and proposals.
The scheme was then progressed through the necessary statutory process, including the making and advertisement of a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), which provided an opportunity for formal consultation and consideration of any objections. Following completion of this process, the scheme was approved and subsequently implemented at the end of 2025.