West Berkshire told to build 3,000 homes by planning inspector
West Berkshire has been given a double whammy on how many houses it has to build.
Last night (Wednesday), the Planning Inspector responsible for reviewing the Local Plan for West Berkshire sided with the previous Tory administration – and told the council it must build the 2,500 homes in Thatcham – plus another 500 across the district.
West Berkshire Council’s planning portfolio holder Denise Gaines (Lib Dem, Hungerford and Kintbury) described the decision as ‘disappointing’.
The move comes just a day after the Deputy PM Angela Rayner more than doubled the annual build target for the district from 495 to 1,057 in her pledge to build 1.5 million homes in the next Parliament.
Earlier this year, West Berkshire Council has confirmed it will not challenge the Government on the Local Plan.
It means, in the words of one councillor, that somewhere the size of Hungerford will now be attached to Thatcham.
Both announcements have got West Berkshire Council planners scratching their heads for next steps – as the Rayner review effectively spikes the Local Plan that was submitted prior to the announcement.
Furthermore, the so-called green and grey belts remain blurry in interpretation, and the council is yet to respond on what this means for potential development of the National Landscapes (formerly known as the AONB).
The Government had threatened to take over planning control if the Liberal Democrat authority carried through its threat to ditch the Local Plan formed under the previous Conservative administration.
These plans set out what, where and how many homes will be built until 2041.
Costs for the cash strapped council, which is in the midst of a budget cutting, are estimated at £1.6m.
The Local Plan developed under the Tories was submitted before the May election date, despite the then opposition Lib Dems saying it was “flawed”.
The Tories lost to the Lib Dems in the May vote, but Labour has been the party to put the housing targets for the district up.
Olivia Bailey – the new Labour MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire – lost no time in supporting the move.
“The Conservatives left Britain experiencing the most acute housing crisis in living memory, locking many people in Reading West and Mid Berkshire out of the safe and secure home they deserve,” she said.
“Labour will deliver affordable housing for local people, improve our green spaces, and build the infrastructure we need.
“Under the Conservatives we’ve had a chaotic approach to housebuilding which has seen precious green spaces concreted without any new infrastructure.
“That will change under Labour.”
In addition any new consultation for a new Local Plan to accommodate the extra request for West Berkshire housing will take both time, and more money.
