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Compulsory Purchase Order: Land at Cow Lane, Reading
THE READING BOROUGH COUNCIL (LAND AT COW LANE AND RICHFIELD AVENUE, READING) COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER 2014 (2014 CPO)
THE READING BOROUGH COUNCIL (LAND AT COW LANE, READING) (SIDE ROADS AND OTHER WORKS) ORDER 2013 (SRO) (TOGETHER THE 'ORDERS') COMPULSORY PURCHASE ORDER AND SIDE ROAD ORDER
Background
In order for Reading Borough Council (the Council) to commence works to the existing highway at Cow Lane, the works to the land immediately adjoining the above existing highway land and the works to create a new means of access to/from Cow Lane then all of the interests required for the scheme must be acquired.
The SRO is required to facilitate improvements to existing highway and where necessary the stopping up of highway adjacent to Cow Lane and the closure and re-provision of private means of access.
The Council and Network Rail together own the majority of the land required for the highway works. However there are some outstanding interests which it has not been possible to acquire by agreement to date. As a result the Council is now seeking to acquire these few remaining interest through the use of the above CPO and SRO.
The overall Cow Lane scheme is a fringe benefit of the wider Reading Station Area Remodelling project, which will see Reading Station and the railway in the Reading Area improved to increase capacity for anticipated passenger growth, and is integral to the Reading Local Transport Plan.
What happens now?
1. SRO
The SRO was made on the 5th November 2013. The Council submitted the SRO to the Secretary of State for Transport for confirmation. On 11 March 2015 the SRO was confirmed with modifications.
2. CPO
The 2014 CPO was made on 30 May 2014 and has been submitted to the Secretary of State for Transport for confirmation.
If the CPO is confirmed, it will authorise the Council to purchase compulsorily the land described in the CPO for the purpose of facilitating the improvement of Cow Lane, Reading.
Both Orders with their accompanying plans can be downloaded from the links below:
Cow Lane (Side Roads and other Works) Order PDF (Proposed Modification) [3Mb]
Cow Lane Compulsory Purchase Order & Plans PDF [3Mb]
Public Inquiry
A public inquiry was held on 13 January 2015 at Reading Town Hall to consider relevant objections as defined in s13(6) of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981. On 11 March 2015 the Secretary of State for Transport confirmed the CPO. Notice of confirmation of the CPO was published in the Reading Chronicle on 19 March 2015.
A copy of the Order and Order maps as confirmed can be viewed below:
Compulsory Purchase Order - 11 March 2015 [26Mb]
Public Notice - Reading Chronicle - 19 March 2015 [455kb]
A copy of the newspaper notice of confirmation of the Order can be viewed below:
SRO Notice - The London Gazette - 26 March 2015 [51kb]
You can view a copy of the advert. [466kb]
CPO Documents to View
Prior to the public inquiry the Council is required to submit a document called a "Statement of Case" explaining the Council's reasons for seeking to compulsorily acquire the interests included in the CPO.
Prior to the public inquiry the Council is also required to submit any evidence it intends to rely on at the public inquiry to the Secretary of State and remaining objectors by 16 December 2014.
You can view the index of the evidence submitted on behalf of the Council below.
The Core Documents are also available to view by following the links below in the index here. In the event that additional documents are added these will be notified to the Secretary of State, any remaining objectors and published on this website.
Since depositing the Core Documents additional documents have now been deposited. The list of supplementary core documents [43kb] can be viewed here and by following the links to the documents below.
Core Document List
Supplementary Core Document List
In this area
- Cycle Pedestrian Bridge
- Compulsory Purchase Order: Land at Cow Lane, Reading
- Dee Park Regeneration Scheme
- Field Road
- Experimental Order to prohibit verges and footway parking within Southcote
- Compulsory Purchase at Chatham Street and Oxford Road