Campaigners opposed to council plans to build on Elms Field have arranged a meeting in the town centre park this weekend.
Critics of the scheme are asking people to join them at 2.30pm on Saturday, January 16, so they can share information and raise awareness about the redevelopment.
They say the proposals involve losing too much of the green space in the park.
They also believe housing around the newly-created park will be too tall, as will new houses on Denmark Street, and a five-storey hotel facing on to the roundabout by the Carnival Pool.
A new planning application for the town centre field and adjacent areas was submitted by Wokingham Borough Council on November 27.
People have until January 31 to comment on the plans.
The application follows an earlier scheme, which was withdrawn in December 2013 after a chorus of objections that included a rally in the park, and an extraordinary council meeting at St Crispin’s School triggered by a 2,000-signature petition.
The new plans include a reconfigured park, a supermarket, shops, bars, takeaways, cafes and a three-screen cinema, along with a 95-bed hotel and 123 residential units.
The roundabout by Wokingham Library would become a four-way junction to give residents and lorries access to new shops and homes, and another road would be created off Denmark Street to allow lorries to deliver to the supermarket and hotel.
They will be considered by the council in the Spring, and if approved, work will start in 2017 and finish in 2019.
Mel Horton, who is one of the administrators of the Facebook page Keep Elms Field Green, has analysed the plans carefully.
She said: “These revised plans for Elms Field still give major cause for concern, particularly with regard to the density of development and the overall building heights versus the rest of the town centre.
“The new housing at the west side of the field is nearly 1.8 times the height of nearby substantial Victorian and Edwardian townhouses.
“It’s a similar picture in Denmark Street, where one side of the road has the original Victorian terrace and the new development will have a five-storey hotel which will dominate the Wokingham skyline.”
She added: “The current park does need to be improved because council funding cuts have allowed it to fall into disrepair.
“We must remember that if we lose this area of green space to housing and shops it will be lost forever.
“Instead of building houses and shops, why can’t we build a fantastic community facility with amenities for all age groups – adult fitness equipment, reinstatement of the basketball and tennis courts, a park cafe, community space and facilities for events, a children’s play area, an area for kids to learn to skate and cycle, expansion of the community allotment project, and areas for relaxing and picnicking.”
The application can be seen on the council’s website, at Shute End, or at Wokingham Library.
