Tilehurst residents oppose plans for new housing

Last week, West Berkshire councillors voted to put the council’s housing site allocations development plan document, which outlines the council’s preferred sites for housing, out to public consultation.
Among the more than 2,000 homes listed is a proposal for up to 285 homes at Pincents Lane, Tilehurst, which lies on the edge of the area of outstanding natural beauty linking Tilehurst to the Calcot retail park.
A survey of around 3,000 local residents carried out by the MP for Reading West, Alok Sharma, has seen 90 per cent of the 721 respondants indicate that they did not consider the Pincents Hill site to be suitable for any development.
Mr Sharma said: “More than 700 households responded to this survey, which is a phenomenal return rate and just goes to show how much local people care about this site.
“The overwhelming majority of those who responded do not want to see this site developed due to legitimate concerns about traffic, the pressure it would put on local public services like schools and doctors’ surgeries, the impact it would have on wildlife and the character of the area.
“I understand that West Berkshire Council has a duty to ensure that its local development plan meets the needs of a growing population and has to consider sites presented to it, so that the Council is not left open to a legal challenge from potential developers.
“However, my constituents have made it clear once again that they believe Pincents Hill is completely unsuitable for development.
“I will be vigorously opposing its inclusion in the final development plan document.”
Residents and local politicians launched a campaign to prevent a previous application to develop 750 homes on the site.
The application was thrown out by the council and that decision was upheld at an appeal, with inspectors saying that the homes would cause “substantial harm” to the open countryside.
The site outlined in the council’s draft development document says the new application takes into account the appeal’s findings and has reduced the development area.
However, it adds that any housing proposal would need to account for the expected traffic caused by the new Ikea store in Calcot during peak periods and weekends.
Speaking at the full council meeting at which the document was approved for consultation, Tony Linden (Con, Birch Copse) said he was totally against the Pincent’s Hill proposal and urged residents to share their views.
Mr Sharma said he would be discussing residents’ views on the Pincent’s Hill site at meeting with the leader of West Berkshire Council, Gordon Lundie (Con, Lambourn) and chief executive Nick Carter.
He said that he would also be writing to residents, urging them take part in the consultation, which is available in council libraries, offices and online at: http://consult.westberks. gov.uk/portal/hsapreferredoptions
The consultation runs until September 12.