1. Does the council have a Local Plan, which has been developed and/or updated in the past seven years (i.e. from January 2016 to date)?
No, the current local plans were adopted before January 2016.
The development plan for the borough for non-minerals development comprises of the following four documents. All documents are available on the council’s website:
Core Strategy (2010): https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=268860
Managing Development Delivery (MDD) (2014): https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=269993
Shinfield Parish Neighbourhood Plan (2017): https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=415781
Arborfield and Barkham Parish Neighbourhood Plan (2020): https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=516387

Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) is in the process of preparing a new local plan – known as the Local Plan Update (LPU). Information about the LPU is publicly available on the WBC website: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/planning-policy/planning-policy-information/local-plan-update/

2. Has any area(s) been identified as suitable for wind energy development in the latest Local Plan?
No areas are identified as suitable in the adopted development plan documents.
No areas have been identified in the emerging LPU Draft Plan (2020) available here: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/EasySiteWeb/GatewayLink.aspx?alId=508528

3. Has the council explicitly considered and has been unable to identify a suitable area for wind energy development in the latest Local Plan?
WBC has commissioned evidence relating to climate change matters which includes a renewable energy capacity analysis. This evidence base report is expected to be published in due course.

4. Does the council have a Neighbourhood Plan(s), which has been developed and/or updated in the past seven years (i.e. from January 2016 to date)?
See response to Question 1.
Further detail on neighbourhood planning is publicly available on the WBC website here: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/planning-policy/planning-policy-information/neighbourhood-planning/

5. Has any area(s) been identified as suitable for wind energy development in the latest Neighbourhood Plan?
No. Neither the Shinfield Neighbourhood Plan (2017) nor Arborfield and Barkham Neighbourhood Plan (2020) considered the identification of areas a suitable for wind energy development.

6. Has the council explicitly considered and has been unable to identify a suitable area for wind energy development in the latest Neighbourhood Plan?
Unclear who is being referred to here as ‘the council’. Neighbourhood Plans are prepared by parish/town councils or where such organisations do not exist, a neighbourhood plan forum.
Neither of the Shinfield Neighbourhood Plan (2017) nor the Arborfield and Barkham Neighbourhood Plan (2020) appear to have considered wind energy development.

7. Please confirm how many (if any) onshore wind farm applications have been granted planning approval by the local authority during the past seven years (i.e. January 2016 to date)?
0

8. Please confirm how many (if any) solar farm (i.e. large-scale ground-mounted solar PV system) applications have been granted planning approval by the local authority during the past seven years (i.e. January 2016 to date)?
1