A contentious plan for new homes on a sizeable unused garden in Caversham has been decided.
Hicks Homes applied to build a four bed house and three three-bedroom homes on unused garden land between Atterbury Gardens and Richmond
Road in Caversham Heights.
A decision on the project was made by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee, as the project received 19 objections.
Planning agent Neil Davis argued that the project has been devised with extensive negotiations with the council’s officers.
Objecting, Aalia Bhatti said that any development would be harmful to the environment, disrupt animal habitats and would overlook neighbours.
Cllr John Ennis (Labour, Southcote), reluctantly supporting the plan and addressing Ms Bhatti and Caversham neighbours, said: “Family housing is needed, there is no doubt about it, and in this area as well.
“Believe it or not, you’re in a very desirable area, people love where you live, it’s lovely, I like Oxford Road, but it is a nice area and local people would want to live there.”
A debate was sparked over ‘biodiversity net gain’ as the project will lead to the loss of green space, with Hick Homes offering a financial contribution to planting measures elsewhere.
Cllr Josh Williams (Green, Park) said: “I have a lot of concern about the net loss of biodiversity being offset by money spent on credits which will provide biodiversity somewhere else in the UK, not in Reading, not even close to Reading, might be, might not be.”
He then admitted that he does not understand off-site biodiversity net gain.
Cllr Jan Gavin (Labour, Caversham) said that councillors are due to receive training on planning law, saying that she would ask whether training could be provided on biodiversity net gain as well.
Supporting the project, cllr Richard Davies (Labour, Thames) argued that infill developments should be approved where appropriate in the historically large gardens homes had in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Cllr Davies said: “Those are the places that are in lovely areas where people are going to want to live, and these enormous gardens that are dotted around Caversham Heights, particularly, the ones that are right, that have the right access, are the places where we are going to get these type of developments.
“If the density is what we are asking for, it is almost going to be impossible to get biodiversity net gain on site.”
On the other hand, cllr Stephen Goss (Conservative, Emmer Green) argued Hicks Homes should reduce the number of homes provided.
He said: “I think in Reading we should be opting for the garden village approach, that does not mean that we will be building fewer houses as a result.
“A development proposal that had fewer houses would be more welcome, so I would urge the committee to reject the proposal and ask the developers to come back with fewer houses on the site.”
Ultimately, the committee approved the development, with cllrs Williams and Goss voting against it at the meeting on Wednesday, May 28.
You can view the application by typing reference PL/24/1659 into the council’s planning portal.
