Confusion is deepening in a central Berkshire community amid fears that far more homes than expected could be pushed into their village.
At a meeting on Thursday, July 23, the chairman of Wokingham Without parish council has registered to ask a question and find out more.
The parish which stretches from a slice of Wokingham town south of the railway line, through Heathlands and Gardner’s Green, across Nine Mile Ride to the northern edge of Crowthorne – is currently allocated 1,875 homes within the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location (SDL).
Under the SDL itself, only those 1,875 homes are meant to be built in this part of the borough.
What is now fuelling alarm is the proposed “SDL extension”, which could add up to a further 1,100 homes on top.
Campaigners fear this would push the total towards 3,000 homes in and around Wokingham Without, dramatically increasing the scale of development originally envisaged.
The row over numbers and definitions will be taken directly to Wokingham Borough Council this week by Wokingham Without Parish Council chair Nicholas Martin.
He is expected to ask: “It is noted that the Local Plan currently being assessed by the government inspector includes the already approved 1,875 dwellings in the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location (SDL) but, and perhaps you can confirm this, seems to allow for an additional 1,100 dwellings, previously referred to as the SDL extension.
“We note that, at the time of submitting this question, these additional 1,100 do not yet have planning permission, and Wokingham Without Parish Council, along with many residents, object to them — not least on the grounds that enough is enough, particularly given ongoing development nearby in Bracknell Forest.
“Is Wokingham Borough Council supporting the additional 1,100-dwelling development?”
But the likelihood of houses being cancelled is low. Planning inspectors are still approving developments against Wokingham’s will because there is a ’tilted balance’ in favour of development locally until the council meets the government’s 5-year housing land supply target.
