A new development close to Wokingham town centre could now be exclusively made up of entirely affordable homes following a change of plans by the developer.
In January 2024, developers won approval for a four-storey building with 42 flats at Latimer Road, the site of two former factories off Barkham Road close to Wokingham railway station.
The plans were approved after neighbours raised fears it would ‘tower over’ their homes and cause traffic problems.
A consultation has now opened into an application by the developer to change the approved plans to include 42 affordable homes.
In its application, the application said: “Abri is one of the south of England’s largest housing providers, with over 50,000 homes and assets.
“We are seeking to expand our delivery of affordable homes in key areas such as Wokingham.
“We understand that the permitted development could not viably deliver any affordable housing and was to be delivered as 100% open market housing.
“Abri is a strategic partner of Homes England, with the ability and capacity to draw down a substantial level of strategic grant funding to assist with our growth in areas underserved by affordable housing.
“Importantly for this site, the use of grant funding means that the entirety of this site can be delivered as affordable housing.
Meghan Rossiter, planning manager at Abri, told Wokingham Today: ““We believe everyone has the right to a good quality and sustainable home, and we’re committed to delivering homes where they’re most needed.
“The original application didn’t have provision for affordable housing due to concerns about construction costs and viability.
“We’ve reviewed the proposals with Burlington Developments, the original applicants, and as a strategic partner with Homes England we are able to utilise grant funding to increase the number of affordable homes from zero to 42.
“This will enable us to deliver the whole development as affordable housing to enable more households to access homes for rent in the heart of Wokingham.”
The consultation remains open until August 15.
For more information about the change of plans, search application number 241788 on Wokingham Borough Council’s planning portal.
