DEVELOPERS hoping to build on a golf course said that nine out of 10 homes on the plans would meet the council’s vision.
Reading Golf Club and Fairfax Ltd have applied to transform the golf course off Kidmore End Road in Emmer Green into 223 homes, with a mixture of two-, three-, and four-bedrooms.
More than 4,000 obejctions have been received by Reading Borough Council.
This plan replaces a 257-home application, which received 3,000 objections and was rejected by the council’s planning committee.
However, Fairfax Ltd and Reading Golf Course have said that the proposals would have benefits to the community.
“Since our previous application was refused last year we have worked with the planning authority to positively address the feedback received by carefully redesigning our development with significantly fewer properties, more green spaces and a wider offering of homes suitable for families,” a spokesperson said.
“Ninety per cent of the new properties are the exact type of two-, three-, and four-bedroom family homes with gardens that Reading Borough Council is demanding must be built in the Borough.
“Councul leader Jason Brock made this very appeal to developers in a press release published only last week.”
The release they refer to sees Cllr Brock and deputy leader Cllr Tony Page call for more family homes over flats, as, according to the council’s figures, 43% of the 2,080 new homes built over the last three years (2018-2021) are only one bedroomed.
The spokesperson said the scheme would help reduce the housing waiting list, as there were 67 affordable homes in the plans.
“This is more affordable homes than were completed within in the Borough during the whole of the year 2020-21, as confirmed in its published Annual Monitoring Report,” they said.
The monitoring report states 52 affordable homes were completed in Reading in 2020-21, with 31 of these being shared ownership and 23 being made for affordable rent.
The spokesperson continued: “The design has been subject to extensive transport analysis and modelling which confirms, as our previous application did also, that the local road network can comfortably accommodate this number of new homes.
“We have also agreed with the council’s highway officers to deliver a number of local highway improvements as part and parcel of the development.
“All of the new properties will have access to electric vehicle charging from the outset, to future-proof, cut pollution and encourage a quicker uptake of electric vehicle usage.
“The now closed golf course is private land without any public rights of access within our application boundary.
“This scheme opens up a substantial portion of this, almost 10 acres in total, as freely accessible green space for local residents to enjoy.”
And it was felt that the proposals would “guarantee” the protection of valuable existing tree, and see 200 new trees planted on-site with an additional 1,000 more on the northern part of the former course.
There would also be play areas for younger residents.
“Lastly, significant financial contributions towards a wide range of local and public services will be secured from this development through the planning agreement,” the spokesperson said.
The plan, application number 211843 can be viewed at: http://planning.reading.gov.uk/
