West Berkshire’s Local Plan has been approved as council said it was ‘least worst option for the residents of West Berkshire’

The West Berkshire Local Plan has now been approved.

Although the council says it was “caught between a rock and a hard place”.

Now thousands of new homes are to be built in the district. And Thatcham will get 2,500 new homes – which in the words of one councillor, will be “like bolting Hungerford on to Thatcham”.

"It is the least worst option for the residents of West Berkshire," Iain Cottingham (Lib Dem, Thatcham Central) told last night’s extraordinary council meeting.

But it wasn’t a happy decision for many on both sides of the chamber, as it will put into motion building of 2,500 homes in North East Thatcham.

“This is a dreadful plan,” said Chris Read (Lib Dem, Bucklebury).

“This new town will stretch from the edges of Cold Ash to Midgham and the ink wasn’t even dry on the Cold Ash local plan before it was ripped up.”

The revised plan, for housing sites set until 2041, was described as “a complete hospital pass from the previous administration”.

It will also see Pincents Hill developed despite plans being knocked back previously on highways grounds. All new development plans still have to go through the planning process.

Gridlock was mentioned and more than 1,700 people have put their names on a petition against 138 houses there.

Petition organiser Fiona Lawrie says the decision the approve the plan “flies in the face of local democracy”.

“This land, part of the cherished green space known as Pincents Hill, has been the subject of multiple planning applications over the past two decades, all of which have faced strong local opposition and have been repeatedly refused by West Berkshire Council,” states the petition.

“This move disregards the overwhelming public sentiment – with over 2,000 objections lodged in 2022 alone – and the council’s own historical stance on preserving this land.”

The newly adopted Local Plan was originally drawn up under the previous Conservative administration, then reviewed by the incoming Lib Dems, which resulted in the Government planning inspector not only saying the plan was fine, but adding another thousand homes on to the Thatcham site, and doubling the district’s housing target.

“The Liberal Democrat election manifesto was to ‘fix the Local Plan’,” said Conservative opposition leader Ross Mackinnon. “They lied to the voters about it. Either they lied or they are breathtakingly incompetent.”

Council leader Jeff Brooks (Lib Dem, Thatcham West) said: “It’s about managing risk. Running the risk of developments without local control.”

Heather Codling (Lib Dem, Chieveley and Cold Ash) said: “The background and framework of the plan is good, excellent in fact; for example green infrastructure, the response to climate change and drive towards net zero.

“And I thank the officers for all their hard work in the preparation. But what the majority of residents will notice is – where houses are built. So I specifically object to the housing allocations. To my mind there has been no proper thought through ‘plan’ as to where the houses are allocated.”

The decision will likely be relayed to the Government planning inspector heading the inquiry into the council's refusal of the multi-story Kennet Shopping cntre development of 427 flats. That inquiry finishes on Thursday this week.

“When our Labour MP for Reading West [and Mid Berkshire], says she is against Pincents Hill I find myself struggling,” said independent councillor Adrian Abbs (Newbury Wash Common). “Her bosses are the ones imposing mandatory targets. The moment Labour did that has lead directly to tonight.”

Olivia Bailey wrote in her newsletter that the country is facing a housing crisis that can only be met by building.

“But, where that housing goes is a choice and I have been clear since before I was elected as your member of Parliament that Pincents Hill is not a suitable site for development,” she said. “We are here as a result of a bodged process where firstly under the Conservatives not enough housing was identified, and then under the Lib Dems previously disregarded sites like Pincents Hill have been added in at a late stage.”

And David Marsh, for the Greens, added: “It relies on building two huge developments on green field sites that will be largely reliant on private cars.

“They are not green or sustainable, and they don’t protect or enhance the environment and above all else they are contrary to the very policies included in this Local Plan.

“Our residents would be better off without it.”