Councillors are warning a proposal for hundreds of homes would cause ‘great harm’ to their village.
Bewley Homes PLC is promoting a plan for 350 homes on land at Church Farm, Finchampstead, to be part of Wokingham Borough Council’s emerging Local Plan.
The Local Plan, recently approved by councillors, sets out how thousands of homes will be delivered in Wokingham in the next decade.
It sets out key sites including the South Wokingham Strategic Development, Arborfield Garrison Development and the Loddon Valley Garden Village – also known as Hall Farm.
But Bewley Homes wants to have their proposal for 350 homes in Finchampstead included.
Developers would build on land at Church Lane, currently used for agricultural purposes.
Plans say the homes would be a ‘sustainable, high-quality, landscape-led residential development’, alongside a large green space that can be enjoyed by future occupants.
The site is within a 20 minute walk to Finchampstead Surgery, The Greyhound Pub, Nine Mile Ride Primary School and a supermarket, among more.
It is also close by to the new Arborfield Garrison development, which includes an emerging district centre, village square and primary schools.
Plans say residents would be able to access public transport including the 3B, 125 and 145 bus services which give access to Reading, Bracknell, Wokingham, Winnersh and Crowthorne.
There would also be the opportunity to deliver enhanced facilities at Warren Lodge care centre, plans indicate.
Homes would be a mixture of sizes and meet standard requirements for affordable prices.
But Conservative opposition councillors are calling on the proposal to not be included in the Local Plan.
The party said the site is ‘unsustainable due to a lack of local services’.
Councillors called the site a ‘significant part of the landscape’ and warned developing it would ’cause great harm to Finchampstead’.
Bewley Homes is arguing its plan should be included in the borough’s wider plan for housing.
Wokingham Borough Council leaders have expressed a preference for large scale developments, made up of thousands of homes, as it ensures infrastructure is delivered alongside the new homes.
This includes new schools, doctors surgeries, village or district centres, green spaces and community venues.
But developers said these take a long time to come to fruition, and is partially why the council has failed to have a five year land supply, which often leads to more housing developments being approved.
Conservative Councillors are calling on the Liberal Democrat leaders to not include the proposal in the final local plan.
It was already approved by councillors in September, and is currently seeking approval from an independent government inspector.
