THE trouble with planning in secret is that when the secrets come out, there is anger. And residents have every right to be angry over the plans for Grazeley, Twyford and Barkham Square.
Had it not been for an anonymous leak, this week would probably have been the first residents had heard about plans to build a new town on land that Sir John Redwood once fought hard to protect.
The plans for Grazeley, for Twyford and Barkham Square – if they come to fruition – are a disaster for the borough in every way shape and form.
The green spaces will be lost, the promise to protect the greenbelt in tatters and the over choked roads will struggle to breathe morning, noon and night.
It is disappointing – and symptomatic of this current chaotic Government – that news of a special fund to enable fast track planning for Grazeley came out just two working days after the leader of Wokingham Borough Council stood up in the chamber and said that enough was enough on housing.
With the Local Plan Update now being worked on, there is no guarantee that dumping homes on our precious countryside will stop developers from building on even more homes.
The public consultation cannot come soon enough – as a borough we must unite as one and tell the Government that this concreting of Wokingham borough must stop.
