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Plans for houses at Greenacre site back on the table





A document released by Bloor Homes said the delay was down to securing a new operator to build and run a replacement leisure facility on land adjacent.
Revised plans show there will be 40 two-,three- and four-bedroom homes but in order to make the development financially viable there will be no affordable homes.
The original plan outlined 42 homes for the current Greenacre site and 18 affordable homes on land adjoining nearby Sawyers Close.
No details of who is constructing the new leisure club have been released and to the anger of many of the users of the centre no squash courts, which have been part of the centre since the 1970s, been included in the latest plans.
David Mundy, creator of the Save Our Great Greenacre Institution campaign group said the views of residents and members of the club had been ignored.
“Whoever carried out the design has ridden roughshod over members' expressed concerns. I fail to understand how the management don't know, apparently, who is going to run the new club, yet they do know the operators don't like squash.”
“I believe that the timing of this announcement coincides neatly with the government's change to planning laws.”
Despite long waiting lists for affordable homes in West Berkshire the Government is looking to relax laws around how many must be included in developments.
The land director for Bloor Homes, Howard Pearce, said: “The revised scheme has been designed to reflect as far as we possibly could the feedback received from members of the existing Greenacre Club and neighbouring householders at our original consultation event together with the commercial requirements of the operator (in terms of the various activities to be offered) who will be taking over the ownership and running of the new leisure facility.”
He said the cost of the new leisure centre meant the developers could not afford to build the affordable housing.
According to the update the new club would contain 160 car parking spaces, indoor and outdoor tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym and dance studios, padel courts and a club lounge.
According to a release to members from Greenacre manager Andy Hastings the identity of the owner of the new club is not known and there are no further details are available.
He declined to comment when approached for comment on the new arrangements.
In an update to club members he said: “There will be many hoops that will need to be jumped through with the planning process which could take up to a year before the outcome of the application is known. If planning consent is given it does not necessarily mean development will proceed.”
For more information on the Save Our Great Greenacre Institution campaign log on to



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