History

The outline planning application for the Arborfield Strategic Development Location (SDL) O/2014/2280 included improvement works at California Cross. Delivery of these improvement works were secured through planning consent and a section 106 legal agreement, dated 2 April 2015.

Appendix W Drawing ITB9092-GA-014 - California Crossroads Improvements is from the Transport Assessment submitted as part of the planning submission package.

This image is taken from appendix below and shows what was intended as part of the planning consent.

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The Transport Assessment (TA) included a full review of the potential highway impacts associated with delivery of the Arborfield development. The application undertook assessments, including strategic transport modelling and local junction models based on live traffic survey data. The scheme received consent in 2015 from the planning committee, as the assessment showed that identified works would help to mitigate the impact from the development. The mitigation package included the proposals at California Crossroads.

Developers carried out,  or paid the council to deliver, other junction improvements, including the Arborfield Cross Relief Road and Barkham Bridge improvements via ring-fenced section 106 contributions.  

In early 2015 during a review of the planning application submission, the council set up a working group to help manage the California Crossroads improvement project. This included borough and parish councillors, local businesses, schools and council officers. 

A concept plan, shown below, was created using the findings in the TA and from discussions with the working group in 2015.

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The Planning Committee decided that the council should deliver the project rather than the developer, and so took a section 106 contribution for the works.

If the council let the developer deliver the project, then they would only have carried out improvements within the highway boundary.  By the council delivering the project, it was able to look to improve the public areas.  A working group was set up with local businesses, councillors and officers to share ideas and work together to improve the crossroads and surrounding area for the local community.

The 25 March 2015 planning committee report states:

‘The main constraint along Nine Mile Ride is California Crossroads where currently there are intermittent peak hour delays, and increased delays would be expected. Mitigation alternatives have been examined and a Working Group has been set up with representatives from the local community, and this had its first meeting in late February. At the meeting, options were discussed, and it was agreed that the preferred approach would be a scheme that retained a similar level of highway capacity, and that the priority would be to deliver an environmental improvement in the centre of Finchampstead. An environmental improvement would facilitate the multi-modal use of the junction and improve its operation.  Over the coming months a scheme will evolve based on these principles to be funded by the developers, and it will be subject to wider engagement.’

In 2017, with input from the working group, the council created options for the improvement project, which we consulted on in 2018.

The scheme was originally planned to start in 2019, however, construction was delayed by a nine month road closure by South East Water, the impact of the Covid pandemic, the landslip and closure of the Ridges, and Southern Gas Network (SGN) works.

Funding

The section 106 legal agreement that was part of the outline application, includes the following:

• A contribution of £1,319,143 towards California Crossroads
• A contribution of £8,000 per dwelling for Strategic Transport Provision (STP) for the Arborfield relief road and/or such items of highways infrastructure or highways measures as may be necessary to mitigate the traffic and highways impacts arising from the development of the SDL.

Finchampstead Parish Council have contributed £100k of their community infrastructure levy (CIL) funding towards the scheme.

Following the consultation, the scheme was approved and secured in the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) in February 2018, with a budget of £5.747m which is detailed below. 

California Crossroads

Scheme Description

Investment in future road building/enhancement across Wokingham Borough Council road network (including new relief roads

Service

Customer and Localities Services

Lead Member

Ketih Baker

Year 1 2018/19

£335,000

Year 2 2019/20 

£5,412,000

Year 3 2020/21

 £0

Total of scheme

£5,747,000

Statutory/Service Development

Statutory

Should the California Crossroads improvement project not be delivered, then the funding secured would need to be returned to the developer, plus interest from date of receipt.  Whilst the STP fund could be used on more than just the California Crossroads project, many of those identified through the planning application requiring mitigation have already been delivered, or are programmed to be delivered and associated funds from the S106 already allocated.