Published: Thursday, 28th May, 2009 9:00am

Too many cars in Carland Close

by Adam Hewitt

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COUNCIL workers have been rapped for ignoring their own planning rules.

In an attempt to sort out parking problems in Carland Close, Lower Earley, back in 2005, Wokingham Borough Council"s tenant services department concreted over what had been communal grassland to create two parking spots - but it never bothered getting planning permission first.

It annoyed the other neighbours, who are private rather than council tenants, because they say they have lost attractive amenity land. Tenant services tried to get retrospective permission at a planning meeting on Wednesday - more than three years after it destroyed the grassland.

At Wednesday"s meeting, council planning officers recommended the application be approved as long as trees were planted to make the area more attractive - but ward councillor Pauline Jorgensen said: 'It"s highly inappropriate that the borough council built these parking spaces without going through the niceties of getting planning approval.'

Cllr Jenny Lissaman said: 'The residents were not consulted and didn"t want the parking spaces.'

Gloria Triggs from Carland Close is leading the campaign to get the grassland back and felled trees replanted, and told the councillors: 'If a resident encroaches onto amenity land they are forced to restore it - the council should be held to the same standard.'

The committee voted unanimously to make unannounced site visits so they can see the situation for themselves before making a final decision later this month.