West Berkshire Local Plan which will decide where thousands of homes are built to be voted on next summer

The plan which will determine where thousands of houses are built around West Berkshire over the next 15 to 30 years will be voted on by West Berkshire Council next summer.

The council’s Local Plan Review (LPR) was thrown into disarray in August after a change in Government planning laws, which mandated that all ‘significant extensions’ to towns or villages needed to be the subject of a 30-year vision to factor in the potential timescale of the delivery, rather than only new settlements.

As a result, the council – which had only been considering the next 15 years for its plan – was forced to cancel a meeting scheduled for October when it was planning to vote on its plan.

The council has now confirmed that its LPR – which could see 2,500 homes built across the northern side of Thatcham – will be analysed and voted on by the council in the summer of 2022 prior to submission to the Secretary of State in early 2023.

There will also be a formal period of consultation in the summer of 2022 that will allow residents and businesses to have their say.

The council’s executive member for planning, transport and countryside Richard Somner said: “Although we were initially disappointed with the delay to the LPR by a year due to the changes in national guidance, I am glad we are able to confirm the new dates for 2022.

“If we do not have a Local Plan, development will still take place but it will be developer led in an uncoordinated manner.

“We will not be able to use our own planning policies to help decide where development should go, and will be less able to require the schools, open space and road upgrades that are needed to support development.

“There is still an intense period of activity over the upcoming months.

“The planning team and colleagues remain focused on its delivery in order to ensure the LPR shapes the needs for our local areas and the West Berkshire district as a whole.”