A POLITICAL row has erupted over the prospect of a new housing development at Pincents Hill, Tilehurst.
The greenfield site, which locals say is a wildlife haven accessed by narrow roads, is listed as a possible location for 750 new homes. Consultations will now start over whether it should be developed, or homes should instead be built at White Hart Meadow in Theale or spread around neighbouring villages on the outskirts of Reading.
Last November, the three Conservative district councillors for Birch Copse, Emma Webster, Joe Mooney and Tony Linden, pledged to fight the development at a public meeting.
Ahead of last night's meeting, Reading West Labour MP Martin Salter had said that if Pincents Hill was not removed from the list of potential development sites, the councillors would have have betrayed their constituents.
But the Local Development Framework core strategy was yesterday voted through un-amended, with Mr Mooney backing the policy.
He said: “I would like to clarify for members of the public who are here that the vote taking place is for this to go out to consultation, and not on any specific sites mentioned. That will take place when it goes to planning committee.”
Meanwhile, Miss Webster withdrew herself from the vote because the PR firm she works for, Green Issues, is lobbying for another developer wanting to build on a site in Hungerford.
Mr Linden, who is not a member of the executive, did not turn up to the meeting.
The councillor responsible for the new housing strategy, Alan Law (Con, Basildon) said that it was “ironic” that a Labour MP had criticised a policy forced on the council by his Government.
After the meeting, Martin Salter said that the council was “dumping” development on Reading's outskirts to protect the west of the district.
He said: “Pincents Hill and White Hart Meadow could have been killed off as development sites last night by the Tories, but they have failed at the first hurdle. It is a typically gutless and unprincipled performance which will do them no favours."
The Conservative hoping to win Mr Salter's seat at the next General Election, Alok Sharma, said: “The sad fact is that local councils such as West Berkshire are having minimum targets for building homes being dumped on them by Labour Ministers and Whitehall bureaucrats.
“The hypocrisy of Labour MPs jumping up and down complaining about building on green spaces in their constituencies really is disgraceful.”
Both men are publicly committed to campaigning against the Pincents Hill development.