Lib Dems speak out over Sandleford Park

Newbury people do not want development at Sandleford Park, according to West Berkshire's Liberal Democrats

WEST Berkshire's Liberal Democrats have claimed the people of Newbury are against any development at Sandleford Park - a site earmarked for up to 1,000 new homes by 2026.

On Monday (January 31), West Berkshire councillors met to discuss proposed changes to the core strategy of the Local Development Framework (LDF), which sets out where 10,500 new homes will be built in the district by the year 2026.

The Liberal Democrats requested that one amendment should be to allow an independent consultation to be carried out, to look into whether Sandleford Park should continue to be considered a strategic site for placing up to 1,000 new homes, with the potential for a further 1,000 homes at the site after 2026.

The Conservative-run council has already identified the site as such, along with a plot of land surrounding Newbury Racecourse, where up to 1,500 homes are to be built ahead of 2026.

Unlike Sandleford, outline planning permission for the racecourse development has already been granted.

However, the Liberal Democrats' proposed amendment was not voted on, as council officers claimed it could undermine the core strategy as a whole because the strategic sites for new housing were unanimously agreed upon in principle by full council last January.

District councillor Royce Longton (Lib Dem, Burghfield) said, however: “We have been consistent in our opposition to Sandleford throughout the LDF process.

“We said on the original council debate on the core strategy that we thought too much greenfield land was being proposed for development.”

The shadow executive member for housing, Tony Vickers (Lib Dem, Northcroft) said the Liberal Democrats were simply trying to reduce the impact on south Newbury and Greenham, which he described as “excessive.”

He said: “We just believe that every opportunity should be made to see other alternative proposals. We are trying to maintain flexibility.”

However, the leader of the council, Graham Jones (Con, Lambourn), described the Liberal Democrats' actions as a “rewrite of history”, adding that the difficult decision to identify Sandleford was a cross-party decision last year.

The executive member for planning, Alan Law (Con, Basildon) accused the Liberal Democrats of making a U-turn on what they voted for last year and what they proposed for Sandleford Park when they were in power, in a bid to put some “yellow” water between the parties at the forthcoming elections.

Eleven Liberal Democrats voted against two of the three proposed recommendations, including a recommendation to publish the proposed focused changes to the core strategy for a six-week public consultation, although they were defeated by the Conservative majority.

The opposition party did, however, support a recommendation to disagree with the inspector's recommended change to the policy on sustainable construction and energy efficiency, adding that it was important for the council to retain the strongest policy possible concerning the requirements for the environmental sustainability of new development.

The proposed changes to the core strategy are due to be published on the council's website today (Friday), which can be accessed by clicking the link below.