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Arborfield
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The effect of the motorways on Arborfield Aerial photographs of Arborfield and Newland from the mid-1940's
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The Garrison was generating heavy traffic by the late 1930's; its main entrance was in Eversley Road, which was clearly unsuitable for lorries. Berkshire County Council's Planning Committee Minutes for January 1945 [Berkshire Record Office reference C/CL/C3/21/1] reported as follows: Reading – Eversley Road (A.327):
Recommended: That, in pursuance of Section 1 of the Restriction of Ribbon Development Act, 1935, the Council do adopt a standard width of 80 feet in respect of the section of the Reading – Eversley Road (A.327) from the entrance to Targetts Farm, Arborfield, southwards to a point 110 yards north of the southern boundary of Martaix Farm, Finchampstead, in accordance with a plan prepared by the County Surveyor.
Recommended: (a) That the line of the proposed sections of new road, referred to above, as shown on the plans presented by the County Surveyor, be approved. (b) That the East Berkshire Regional Planning Committee be asked to make provision in their Town and Country Planning Scheme for reserving the land which should be required for the sections of new road; that pending the carrying out of the road-works the Interim Development Authority be requested to refuse permission to develop on the site of the proposed sections of new road, on the understanding that any claims for compensation would be dealt with and settled by the County Council. By mid-1946, the Abercrombie Plan for Greater London was being discussed by Berkshire County Council. Although its proposal for a satellite town for White Waltham was strongly resisted, the proposed New Town at Bracknell was embraced. At that time, it was thought that around 25,000 people would be accommodated there, plus around 5,000 in Wokingham. As it later turned out, Bracknell Development Corporation attracted lots of Government funding and acted as the overspill for Chiswick, Brentford and the surrounding area, while Wokingham received no extra funding, but nevertheless became home for many more than 5,000 people. Berkshire County Council started planning for by-passes around all known pinch-points, and a long list was presented to the Highways and Bridges Committee at its November 1946 meeting: Appendix 4 to the Minutes of the Highways and Bridges Committee Report of Section appointed to consider proposals relating to highways proposed to be included in Draft Town and Country Planning Scheme (dated 5th July 1946) [Berkshire Record Office reference C/CL/C3/2/20] (All of the proposals subject to change) [Items 1 to 16 covered roads in other parts of Berkshire and
the Vale of the White Horse, so not listed here] Maidenhead By-Pass: The amended scheme provided for a highway 109 feet wide with two 32-feet wide carriageways, a 15-feet central island and two 15-feet wide verges. The bridges of the road would have a clear span of 89 feet. No provision would be made for pedestrians or cyclists, except at the River Thames Bridge, where footpaths and cycle tracks would be provided over the river bridge. […]  Over the years, more pressing problems occupied central Government, and the Maidenhead By-Pass didn't get completed until 1959. Just as the population learned to 'make do and mend', so the local authorities had to wait years for any major improvements to their roads, by which time housing development had made several of the schemes listed above impractical. For many years, the A327 didn't even get a footpath along the Reading Road to the north of the Cross, or the Eversley Road to the south, despite continued pleas from Arborfield and Newland Parish Council. A fatal accident in early 1950 strengthened demands for a footpath, but the most immediate result was that the southbound bus-stop was moved the Post Office where it has remained.
The by-pass for Arborfield Cross was later abandoned after it was realised that significant traffic flows were heading east of Arborfield to and from the Motorway junction at Winnersh. However, Ministry of Defence plans for the Garrison meant that the
old Poperinghe The pub still stand on its original site, though now heavily extended. The width of the road at this point is still nowhere near 80 feet across!
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have exercised
the minds of the planners over many decades, and Arborfield's problems
were being considered even before World War 2. This article looks at
some schemes that eventually saw light of day, and many others that
didn't.
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