A green meadow thick with blackberries in Finchampstead Village, south of Wokingham, is set to become 38 houses on 2.3 hectares.
The site sits north of the River Blackwater and south of Cricket Hill. Stonebond Properties has just supplied the last documents to the council, clearing the way for work.
Entrances will be at the edge of the village where Longwater Road changes from 30mph to 50mph, making access tricky. The north‑western corner meets two busy footpaths across Longwater Road.
To the west a path to the allotments, by the old Broadmoor siren, runs over gnarly roots beside an orange, iron‑rich stream. Running east is a pretty path with a thick bramble hedgerow that used to yield the best blackberries in Finchampstead; LDRS saw the plants still there, but they could be lost.
The southern boundary follows the River Blackwater, the border between Berkshire and Hampshire.
Parish councillors objected, saying the northern edge is a public right of way with mature vegetation that gives the site an enclosed, green setting, but Wokingham Borough Council approved the 38 houses on 29 September 2025.
Since Christmas Stonebond submitted plans for biodiversity enhancement and permeability, a low‑carbon and zero‑carbon technology plan, and a construction environmental management plan with tree protection. The council acknowledged Stonebond had fulfilled all three on 27 March 2026, leaving the diggers free to start.
Ted O'Neill, Local Democracy Reporter
