Councillors have clashed over a plan for new homes near Reading town centre after the developer launched a bid to reduce the amount of affordable housing.
Upper Crown Street is located off Southampton Street and is within walking distance of the town centre and The Oracle.
A project approved in October 2023 will see 42 flats contained in two apartment buildings and a terrace of four three-bedroom homes built to replace a car park and storage site.
However last year, the developer, Irongate Property, applied to make changes to the scheme.
As well as adjustments like adding en suites and electric vehicle charging spaces, the company also applied to reduce the affordable housing offer from 14 to five units.
That is a net loss of nine affordable homes, with the previous offer of 14 units being compliant with the council’s policy of 30 per cent of newbuild homes being affordable.
Instead of five one-bed and five two-bed flats at Reading Affordable Rent levels and four one-bed shared ownership properties, the affordable housing provision will be two-one bed and two two-bed flats at affordable rent level and a two bed shared ownership apartment.
The reduction in affordable housing was justified in a financial viaiblity assessment.
To make these changes Irongate Property needed permission from Reading Borough Council.
Members clashed over the reduced affordable housing provision at a meeting of its planning applications committee on July 22.
Councillor Josh Williams (Green, Park) recalled voting against the project in 2023.
He said: “One of the significant weights in its favour was the 30 per cent affordable housing. If you take away that significant weight, you remove a big plank that was holding up a scheme our officers hadn’t liked.
“Remove that, then your just left with something that’s far from perfect.”
There were fears that the council would be at risk of losing an appeal, which was acknowledged by cllr Andrew Hornsby-Smith (Labour, Church).
Cllr Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley), said: “Cllr Williams, a Green councillor, has voted against policy-compliant affordable housing on previous applications, says it all really!
“Viability it viaibility, [it’s] set in stone in the National Planning Policy Framework.”
Cllr Williams then requested a point of order, which stopped cllr Leng in his tracks, with him exclaiming, “What?”
Cllr Williams said: “Is this a non-political committee chair? I just wonder whether you want to remind members, up to you.”
Cllr Richard Davies (Labour, Thames) serving as committee chair, said: “Members are free to say what they like within the bounds of civility etc, and I don’t think he criticised your political party or made a political point of view.
“It is a factual statement.”
Cllr Leng withdrew his comment about Green councillors as a whole, and referred to cllr Williams specifically instead.
He added: “I do somewhat agree with him. I support this with a heavy heart.”
In a vote, all five Labour councillors voted for it, and all four opposition councillors voted against it.
You can view the application by typing reference PL/25/1338 into the council’s planning portal.
