PLANS to demolish and rebuild a social housing estate have come under fire, with a borough resident accusing the council of social cleansing.

At the end of August, the borough council submitted its application to rebuild the Gorse Ride development.

Chris Wallace, who lives in the estate told Wokingham.Today the phased building approach would “discriminate against the elderly and disabled” who “will have to suffer living in a building site for five to eight years” as each phase of the project is completed.

Under the plan, construction traffic and lorries will drive up Gorse Ride South, passing a row of bungalows occupied by elderly and disabled tenants, many of whom have long-term health conditions.

“They need to find another entry point,” Ms Wallace said.

“It’s quite a narrow road, with cars parked on one side, all the way down.”

She is also concerned that the number of social houses will be reduced by the redevelopment, with the council prioritising shared ownership and affordable rates over traditional council homes.

But the mix between affordable, shared ownership and council properties will depend on demand closer to the time said the council.

Commenting on the plans, Ms Wallace wrote: “The current estate is 76% social rent and 24% homeowners. The problem with the document is that three different groups have been lumped together and called affordable to give the impression that the status quo is being maintained. It is not.

“It appears that WBC is trying to hide the fact that they are yet again reducing the availability of social housing. If these plans are passed as they stand, the council are leaving themselves open to charges of social cleansing and discrimination against the elderly and disabled.”

The development plan would see 249 homes built, with a mix of bungalows, houses and apartments. The plans include 71 more homes than are currently on site.

The exact breakdown of housing allocation has not been declared but there will be 64 homes allocated to the commercial property market and 185 classified as affordable, which includes social and shared ownership.

Cllr Andy Croy, leader of Wokingham Labour group, grew up in Gorse Ride and said he was sad to see the neighbourhood being knocked down.

“There’s a very strong community that’s being lost and broken up in the development,” said Cllr Croy.

“Residents might not want to come back once they’ve been rehoused elsewhere.”

Included in those is Ms Wallace, who said she wants to move away.

“I don’t want to live on a building site,” she said. “I’m in my 70s with emphysema. Is that how I want to go out? Surrounded by dust and dirt?

“I want to move into another council home near Wokingham town centre.”

And Cllr Croy said he is also worried about living space.

“My concern is really with ramming in extra units and creating a much denser population,” he explained.

“I’m angry we’re not treating people as well as we did in the 60s and 70s when the estate was built and people understood that families need space.

“The homes might be boxy, but they’re spacious and they have a garden,” he added. “It’s horrible for children to grow up in flats, their quality of life will be reduced.

“Families need spacious gardens for their bikes and barbecues … somewhere to play.”

Also joining criticism of the plans were Finchampstead Parish Council and St Mary and St John’s Church, both concerned that the taller apartment blocks would overlook existing properties.

Cllr Gordon Veitch, chair of the parish council planning committee, commented on the plays to say: “We feel that the apartment blocks are too tall and would benefit from being brought down one level to prevent issues with overlooking.”

Cllr Veitch pointed to the newly built apartments at Arnett Avenue, which have received criticism over their height from the community. And called for the design to be looked at again, as it is “not aesthetically pleasing”, a sentiment echoed by many residents, including Ms Wallace.

She added: “Two years ago, before the council executive approved the plans, the grey and back design was rejected by everyone. Yet here we are with it in the planning application.

“It doesn’t seem to matter what we say, they just do it anyway.”

Rebutting concerns about resident engagement, Steve Bowers, chair of Gorse Ride Steering Group said: “The community has been involved from the inception of the project starting out with monthly meetings in 2015.

“Residents also had an opportunity to see the plans and talk to the architects at exhibitions at the parish centre.

“They could also go to the Gorse Ride coffee mornings once a fortnight if they had any questions.

“If anyone from the Gorse Ride area has an interest in what is going on please come along and join the steering group.”

Wokingham Borough Council’s view

Cllr John Kaiser, executive member for finance and housing at Wokingham Borough Council, said: “Our priority for Gorse Ride has always been to ensure the community are at the heart of the regeneration and any existing residents, whether private home owners or council tenants, who wanted to stay could remain.

“We’ve worked hand-in-hand with residents and Steering Group to come up with great designs which have strong community support.

“Throughout the process we’ve received a lot of positive feedback from residents, incorporating many of their ideas into the final designs, such as an increased number of bungalows, improved pedestrian access, and the fantastic new landscaped park where residents can gather, relax and socialise.

“The proposals also include a range of initiatives to help improve residents’ lives including energy efficient homes, electrical vehicle charging points and building to the Homes for Life standard which will allow properties to be easily adapted to meet individual’s needs as they change throughout their lives.

“We’re also increasing the number of affordable homes on the site by a third, with 185 affordable homes compared to the existing 138.

“These new homes will be a range of social rented and low-cost shared ownership with the final mix depending upon local demand at the time. The 64 private homes will allow existing home owners to remain as well as helping fund the increase in affordable properties on-site.

“Delivering a scheme of this size is complex and it’s inevitable there will be some impact on those living near the development. However our proposed programme is designed to minimise this as much as possible and we will continue to work closely with the local community to address any concerns.

“The Gorse Ride regeneration is a massively important project for both residents and the council. The planning application which has been submitted has been shaped for and by local residents themselves and feedback on the application has been positive.

“We are excited to see this ambitious project deliver real positive change for the existing community and for others in housing need across the borough.”