Wokingham borough council has spent approximately £1 million on preparation for housing at the Toutley East site in Wokingham
The figure was revealed at a recent full council meeting of Wokingham borough council, when Cllr Charles Margetts asked the Cllr Stephen Conway, the executive councillor for housing, partnerships and the local plan~ “This council recently announced the sale of land at Toutley East for housing development.
“The press release states the purchaser will be expected to submit a planning application for 160 houses in spring 2026.
“The council had developed an earlier scheme for 130 houses and a care home on this land which gained planning approval in 2023.
“Can you tell me the total sum of money which was spent on the design of the earlier scheme and as a separate figure how much money the council expects to spend on preparing the site for sale next year?”
In reply, Cllr Conway said: “To date, the council has spent approximately £1 million on design, planning, and site feasibility and survey fees on the Toutley East site.
“This cost includes all the fees required to secure the outline planning consent for the development of the site.
“This outline planning consent has increased the land value of the site over ten-fold, securing a significant return on investment for the Council.
“The costs of preparing the site sale, including legal and professional fees, are estimated to be 4% of the site value.
Cllr Margetts said: “I actually support this as a scheme.
“I think the council should use its assets to generate revenue if they are not actually in use.
“I would be grateful for a breakdown of this £1 million figure.
“I know the planning application cost for a housing development of this site would be around £50,000, so I do not really understand how we have got £950,000, best part of £1million which has gone of taxpayers’ money here.
“I know you are not going to be able to answer that here now which I entirely respect, but if you could get officers to respond to me with a breakdown analysis of where this money has gone, I would be very grateful. “
Cllr Conway said: “I will do my best to get you that detail that you require.
“I welcome your support for this scheme.
“It is of course not just a question of disposing of an asset in a way which will produce some much-needed financial help for the council, but it is also a matter of delivering a significant number of new affordable homes on that site.
“We are going to have a more than policy complaint number, it looks like, so that is an extremely good outcome I think from the council’s point of view, because as we all know affordable homes with a capital A and a capital H,
“I am talking tenures that are sub-market, are much needed in the borough.”
